Rapid Growth for Streaming Service

In programming, reactive systems are constructed using design principles that allow a number of individual applications to be treated as a single unit. These cohesive systems are capable of reacting to environmental stimuli as a unit, while at the same time remaining cognizant of each individual application.

A case study for the entertainment industry focused on the use and benefits of reactive architecture for an online streaming platform maintained by a major content provider. The study found that the reactive architecture platform translated to considerable digital growth.

Reactive architecture is an important tool when it comes to staying relevant in today’s highly competitive streaming environment. Rapidly building and effectively delivering a clearly branded online streaming platform can be particularly challenging as established streaming platforms continue to expand and dominate the market.

Unsurprisingly, Netflix remains the most prominent brand in the modern streaming landscape. Thanks to original series like Orange Is the New Black, Stranger Things, The Queen’s Gambit, and Bridgerton, Netflix has established a recognizable brand that is used by approximately 209 million subscribers around the world.

Amazon Prime technically ranks as the second most used streaming service in the world, though it is unclear how many of the 175 million subscribers actively use the streaming service and how many are simply taking advantage of the many benefits of being an Amazon Prime member, such as free shipping. That said, streaming hits like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Invincible demonstrate Amazon’s impact on the streaming world.

Other popular platforms include Disney+, which amassed nearly 104 million subscribers in just 2 years, and HBO Max, with an estimated 67.5 million users. Even more niche platforms have managed to establish themselves, such as Discovery+, with 15 million subscribers.

The challenge of effectively establishing a streaming platform is multi-faceted. From a brand perspective, many platforms must advertise the fact that subscribers have access to content from secondary subscribers. For instance, many viewers may be unaware that The Simpsons can be found on Disney+, as the two brands are not closely associated.

Streaming platforms must also strive to maintain a positive customer experience, considering the many alternatives subscribers have. In order to address the high demand for new streaming content and take advantage of the market’s considerable revenue potential, brands must develop platforms that are widely available and involve minimal buffering.

By implementing reactive systems, the streamer that was the subject of the case study was able to successfully develop a real-time, multi-tenant online streaming platform capable of delivering not only branded content, but also content produced by organizations such as ESPN, WWE, PlayStation, the National Hockey League, and more.

After going live, the platform attracted 24 million subscribers in just a few weeks. By 6 months, the platform had reached the 50-million subscriber milestone. Despite this rapid growth, reactive systems helped the streamer avoid significant delays, buffering issues, or other end user problems that often hamper growth and customer experience.

Of course, reactive systems can be used across a range of diverse industries outside of the online streaming marketplace, such as the hospitality, logistics, eCommerce, and financial services industries.

5G’s Potential to Advance Industry

Just when 4G could get no better, innovation has brought 5G technology to business. Building on 4G networks, 5G internet connectivity is faster, allowing businesses to work across a number of channels. In 2018, businesses began adopting 5G technology, with industry experts expecting more to come in the following years, as IoT and other innovations demand a network that can accommodate them.

The technology is important because it forms the infrastructure that will enable many new business operations and because of its potential to advance specific industries. The way the technology works involves installing huge numbers of small cell sites about the size of a pizza box on cell towers and buildings that will eventually become the 5G network.

A 5G network can be built in three different ways. The first type is a low-band network, which covers a wide area but only moves data 20 percent faster than 4G networks. The second is a mid-band network, which balances speed with coverage area. In the third, a high-band network has extremely fast Internet speeds, but its signals do not travel well, especially through hard surfaces.

According to a March 2020 article, speed is at the center of this innovation, with industry experts expecting the networks to be 10 times faster than 4G. As the technology progresses, the expectation is that 5G speeds will grow to be 100 times as fast as 4G.

To give some perspective on just how much faster a 5G network is, consider how much time it would take to download a two-hour movie. With a 5G network, the movie downloads in less than 10 seconds. On a 4G network, the same content downloads in seven minutes.

In fact, this ability to download content quickly extends to streaming content as well. The potential here is for businesses to provide presentations virtually, allowing clients and employees to view streamed content from all angles. In retail, the potential is there for businesses to allow customers to try on styles virtually or tour their manufacturing facilities without ever visiting the site.

There is also the productivity factor. With 5G connectivity to the cloud, businesses can use their devices (screen and battery) simply to perform functions such as running analytics.

More than making employees more productive, 5G has the potential to make sales operations more productive. In addition to making content available virtually, a faster connection promotes making more sales in less time. Moreover, with augmented reality, which requires large amounts of high-speed data transfer, sales people can be trained in a myriad of new ways.

One of the reasons that 5G was developed was to potentially be the infrastructure for supporting the Internet of Things, or IoT. This simply refers to the interconnectivity of devices, allowing for communication over multiple channels. An IoT platform over a 5G network will allow businesses to track items shipped from a warehouse, to alert HVAC technicians when maintenance is needed, or track the health of crops and signal when the plants need water or fertilizer.

Finally, the network offers businesses cost-savings. The technology is expected to reduce power consumption in devices by 90 percent. For this reason, businesses will not spend as much in terms of IT infrastructure and hardware. Further, there is the expectation that this will cause a shift from using hardware to relying on software and related systems, which will reduce IT maintenance and monitoring expenses.

The five industries that experts expect 5G will impact the most are health, transportation, financial services, retail, and manufacturing. As hospital operations and patient care become more digitized, 5G will become more relevant in telemedicine, the transmission of large files, and in the use of artificial intelligence.

In financial services, 5G will play a role in delivering new services to customers, such as wearable technology, AI-powered financial recommendations, and secure and fast data transfer. In retail, virtual and augmented reality over the 5G network will allow customers to try on clothing in a virtual dressing room.

Manufacturing will implement 5G in conjunction with sensors to monitor every aspect of the manufacturing process. In transportation, 5G will allow for better control over how people and products are moved around. Improving safety and mobility and unifying networks will culminate from the power of 5G connectivity.