Build a content versioning platform
Establish a content versioning practice. Content versioning is about leaving your paradigms of linear TV behind and thinking beyond country boundaries, device categories and distribution technologies. With efficient AI and interactive technology, media companies can make their video content more valuable. Content versioning adapts and personalizes live and on-demand content to reach more users and grow revenue.
It is time to take a 360-degree approach for mass customization of video content. Empower content creators, owners, publishers, and distributors to increase reach and value across live, linear, and on-demand platforms to unlock hidden value.
versioning EXAMPLES THAT INSPIRE
Explore the forefront of media innovation, where content isn’t just consumed but dynamically reversioned. In a world dominated by giants like Apple, Google, Amazon, Meta, and TikTok, how can media companies carve out their own path to success?
Dive into technologies, perspectives, and strategies that empower media organizations to reinvent themselves. Leverage inherent strengths such as brand power, distribution and monetization infrastructure, content rights, and talent-driven production. Join us in exploring transformative content versioning examples that inspire and equip traditional media to become formidable players in the new era of content creation.
Versioning inspiration:
Expand reach:
F1 Alternative commentary
Since Viaplay Netherlands acquired the F1 broadcasting rights, they stopped featuring Olav Mol and Jack Plooij as commentators. However, Dutch F1 fans could still listen to Mol via his radio station, Grand Prix Radio. More than 100,000 fans subscribed to 'Grand Prix Radio Premium' at 1.99 euros per month.
Increase revenue:
Monetize In-Show Content for NBCU
For the past 7 years, KERV has leveraged AI and machine learning to develop technology that can identify any object, person, or place with unparalleled accuracy and precision. KERV identified over 17,000 separate items that could be sold in just one episode of Real Housewives to power NBCU ‘Must Shop TV”.
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Event Sidecasting & Community activation
A broadcaster provides live streams for streamers to restream or ‘sidecast,’ including alternative audio and video to the main feed. This enables streamers to add character and context, engaging their community and attracting new users. They can overlay chat, Q&A, polls, predictions, and other gamification features. Streamers can add audio commentary, use PiP, or switch to full screen with a smaller original.
This method suits major sports like the olympics, F1, Premier League, and Super Bowl, as well as live events like Eurovision, Oscars, and national elections.
Expand reach:
Highlights in style at the red carpet
Creators and influencers can access styling assets like red carpet events, reality shows, award ceremonies, talk show guests, and royalty gossip. With permission and tools from broadcasters, they can comment on style news, highlight shopping options, and use engagement tools like chat, Q&A, polls, quizzes, and predictions.
This allows creators to remix content with their unique style, leveraging exclusive media assets. A media asset management tool and interactive timeline CMS are essential. This approach also suits cooking, homes & interiors, gardening, and travel.
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Competition Show-Talk before, during and after
Reality competition shows have attracted massive audiences for two decades. Fans crave active online engagement beyond weekly broadcasts. A 'show-talk' format lets creators remix TV and social media content with behind-the-scenes interviews and sneak previews. This produces exclusive clips with mainstream appeal and a personal touch, keeping fans engaged.
This content drops before and after episodes, extending the show's reach. This approach suits any show with viewer voting, like Got Talent, X Factor, The Voice, and Big Brother, as well as elimination shows like Survivor, Shark Tank, and cooking competitions.
Revive existing content:
Turning gameshows into on demand Games
Game shows have always been popular, allowing viewers to play along. In the streaming age, they can become even more popular by mixing TV, board games, and video games. Creators can host special events too. Archives of thousands of episodes can now be streamed anytime, with viewers participating in sync. Interactive answering and real-time multiplayer features make it social and viral.
This works by adding an interactive layer and timeline. Examples include Jeopardy, Deal Or No Deal, Price Is Right, Weakest Link, Family Feud, The Chase, and Wheel of Fortune.
Expand reach:
So You Think You Can Coach
Sports is the #1 ratings driver, and many viewers are actively involved, such as coaching their local team or serving as referees.
These creators, often coaches or refs themselves, can now review games in an interactive format, select crucial moments and decisions, reflect on what happened, get feedback from viewers, and test their knowledge. The goal is to share with peers and develop their knowledge and skills to improve their own game. Creators access all relevant media assets and remix them into clips for their own feed.
Livery’s content versioning solution
In cooperation with our sister company Ex Machina and partners we build and integrate custom content versioning solutions for streamers and broadcasters. A content versioning practice not only grows distribution and revenue. It’s also your superpower to create loyalty, boost your data strategy, and generate new revenue with personal ads, performance marketing, shoppable video, gamification, and communication. Once you have a content versioning platform projects that used to be risky and expensive are easy and efficient.
Livery’s unique proprietary technology was designed and built to power time-synced interactive experiences for larger audiences. Quality and scale are unique due to the use of the ULL CMAF standard to distribute low latency high quality video in a scalable and cost efficient way. Our cloud encoder is prepared for integration with AI tools to empower automated interactivity and additions to the content. Our double layered double synced video player supports smooth distribution of both AI generated information and presents our range of powerful interactive features to your audience.
content versioning strategic goals
content versioning framework
The high level overview on the right shows the main components of a content versioning platform. Livery’s unique proprietary technology is the perfect solution was designed and built to power time synced interactive experiences for larger audiences. Quality and scale are unique due to the use of the ULL CMAF standard to distribute low latency high quality video in a scalable and cost efficient way.
Our cloud encoder is prepared for integration with AI tools to empower automated interactivity and additions to the content. Our double layered double synced video player supports smooth distribution of both AI generated information and presents our range of powerful interactive features to your audience.
See what is possible with the versioning framework on the Livery Lab page.
Leverage Our AI Pipeline for Smart, Just-in-Time Processing
Use our AI Pipeline to add smart, just-in-time processing, enabling AI/ML and content recognition to fuel Livery’s interactive layer. Enhance our feature-rich, smartly integrated content versioning platform to create more recast editions tailored to target audiences and various monetization models.
Below are 2 examples of how connecting AI tools to our cloud encoder and player can be structured. One about automated subtitles through speech-to-text live-generated subtitles with live translation for localization and another one about personalized advertising by collecting user behavior data through interactive tools like ice breakers, polls, heatmaps, or quizzes, which can then be used to target video advertisements to specific groups of viewers.
For more examples, visit our Livery Lab page.
Automated subtitles
The creation of speech to text live generated subtitles with live translation for localization.
Content versioning technology
Example: the system automatically generates localized subtitles.
personalised advertising
By using the interactive client to collect user behaviour data (with an ice breaker, poll, heatmap or quiz), it is possible to use that data to target (video) advertisements to specific groups of viewers, for VOD or during live streams.
Content versioning technology
Example: Collected data is provided to an advertisement provider allowing them to serve targeted advertising to specific groups of viewers.
innovative & unique technical solutions
We have a unique approach, broadcast-grade tech stack and track record to address video and interactive challenges with unique new and creative technical ideas. Examples of unique in-house developed technical solutions:
Cloud encoder with integrated AI Pipeline for smart, just-in-time processing, allowing AI/ML and content recognition and integration with AI Tools for automated video reversioning
Scalable cost efficient, high-quality, low-latency video utilizing ULL CMAF and CDN infrastructure
Scalable high performance interactive platform & APIs
Dual layer, synchronized player for perfectly matched video, data & interactions
Integrated player controls for video & interactive maximize efficiency of screen use
Low latency DASH in iOS Safari: Livery’s the first video platform to offer the same low latency via DASH in the iOS browser
content versioning Projects used to be challenging
Traditionally, content versioning projects required expensive, bespoke technology, dedicated project organization, and sometimes the production of original video content. Organizing these efforts as projects proved to be costly and complicated. As entrepreneurs handling custom project RFPs for over a decade, we have seen this pattern repeat many times. Organizations that asked us for project proposals to supply technology or interactive video projects often ended up not proceeding.
This proves that the project-based operational model limits the creative and business potential for content versioning. An operating model where a mix of risk, timelines, complexity, and cost kills many great creative ideas is not sustainable. It’s time to embrace the possibilities of new technologies and change the operational model.
Content versioning technology
- Creative idea
- Business ideas
- Content Cost
- Content Availability
- Marketing
- Sales
- Monetization
- Quality of Technology
- Cost of Technology
Build a Content versioning Platform
Now is the time to integrate content versioning technology into the workflows of streamers and broadcasters. This offers a wide range of new opportunities for customization and video enhancement. Meanwhile, audiences across platforms show a strong preference for interactive and versioned video content. Now is the time for streamers and broadcasters to create platforms that make content versioning more efficient and profitable by maximizing audience engagement.
The broadcaster or market wide approach is not new. It was attempted by multiple broadcasters and tech startups about a decade ago, unfortunately with limited success. It was the consequence of expensive and inadequate technology, high operational cost and poor monetization. But time has changed. Today’s advanced streaming technologies, AI tools, better hardware, and faster networks provide a solid foundation for content creators, IP and rights holders, publishers, and distributors to create and operate a successful content versioning platform across live, linear, and on-demand platforms.
We are ready to provide your internal teams and partners with the tools to leverage AI technology for producing high-quality recast content at low costs. Create efficiencies across the organization by levering your experienced teams who manage distribution, marketing, production, and monetization.
New situation
- Creative idea
- Business ideas
- Content Cost
- Content Availability
- Marketing
- Sales
- Monetization
- Quality of Technology
- Cost of Technology
Content versioning Example: ‘Sex and the City’
Monetizing content beyond the distribution of the original production through content versioning has become a common practice with the rise of digital technology and online platforms. Many people in the industry instantly think about game shows, talent shows and live sports when versioning and enhancing productions with interactive features is discussed. And although projects in these categories have been among the most successful, there is much more video that has content versioning potential.
The success and profitability of this practice can be significantly enhanced by utilizing a feature-rich, smartly integrated content versioning platform to create more recast editions tailored to target audiences and various monetization models. Sex and the City is an example of content which has been used many times for content versioning projects. If distribution of recasted content would have been executed with a broadcaster which operates a content versioning platform the cost of technology would have been much lower, operational cost would have been lower and marketing would have been more efficient. Our estimation is that in case the various stakeholders with an interest in these projects would have cooperated, the total cost of operations could have been at least 50% lower and revenue could have been at 100% higher.
content versioning Explained
An essential guide for everybody interested in content versioning live or VOD content.
‘How Content Versioning Reshapes the Content Ecosystem.
- Content Versioning introduction & definition
- AI as the foundation of a Content Versioning Framework
- Format Content Versioning Template
- Examples / cases
Use our content versioning Template
Livery has created an overview of content versioning technologies and processes. It comes in handy if you have an idea that you would like to define properly in order to brief it to the production team who can then use it as input to create a production initiation document. Don’t overthink or hesitate—just do it.
Make a production Initiation document
Once a production project idea is approved, a briefing needs to be created. Use our step-by-step content versioning template to define a production initiation plan. Once agreed upon, you’ll have all the information needed to plan your production. A Production Initiation Document (PID) specifies all elements of your content versioning project in detail, from start to finish. Activities like research, testing, and preparations must be completed before planning. This allows the production team to assess feasibility before taking on execution. The PID ensures all essential information is provided, making the project well-coordinated and executable.
Examples of information it may include are listed below:
- Location and Authorization Keys: Provide information on where content is stored and include keys and credentials required for secure access.
- Interactive Features Preparation: Ensure the content management system (CMS) is set up to support live interactive features. List features that need preparation, such as polls, quizzes, predictions and shopping.
- Product Information: Include details on products available for purchase during the interactive video, such as SKU, descriptions, pricing, and relevant product data for seamless integration.
- AI Versioning Tools: Specify which AI versioning tools need activation for automated content customization. Include instructions and configurations for integrating AI tools into the workflow.
calculate your content versioning revenue
Let’s assume you decide to produce a show called ‘Highlights in style at the red carpet’. Based on past data and other sources you make prognose for number of viewers, watch duration, advertising cpm and shoppable revenue. This would lead to the following data and expected revenue accordingly.
You can use this calculation sheet for your own calculation.
(Make a copy to use as your own calculation sheet)
Example: Highlights in style at the red carpet
Creators and influencers can access a variety of styling related assets, e.g. red carapet events, reality shows, award ceremonies, talk show guests and royalty gossip.
With full permission and tools provided by the broadcaster and rights holders, the creator can comment on recent style news, highlight relevant and unique shopping options and a variety of other engagement tools like chat, Q&A, poll, quiz, prediction and more.
The result is a remix of content where the creators adds their unique style and touch while leveraging exclusive and premium content only available to major media organizations. For this, a toolset that combines media asset management and interactive timeline CMS is needed.
Beyond fashion and styling, this approach is also a great fit to cooking, homes & interiors, gardening and travel.
Revenue calculation assumptions:
1 session per month of 1,5 hours
30.000 unique viewers per session (65% watch duration)
Total user hours: 24.375
Ads revenue: €2.355 (€12 CPM, 11 ads against €0,012 per display for 25.000 users)
Product purchases: €9.375 (€50 ASP for 3% of 30.000 users with 25% conversion fee)
Total revenue €11.730 Details
Looking for inspiration about how your content could be recasted?
Of course you can call us. Or you ask ChatGPT to come up with suggestions. Use the following AI prompt to get some ideas for content versioning your content.
[content] = The dukes of hazard episodes
[number of episodes] = 5
What kind of content versioning could I do with [number of episodes] of episodes of [content]. Consider adding interactivity, gamification with multiple choice questions or predictions, re-editing with existing content, alternative voice-overs or use by influencers. What monetization options are there and how is the reach enlarged, to which new audience?
If you want to speak to us anyway, here you go.
Get Started
Whether you would like to start with a pilot project or are ready to execute a content versioning strategy, the livery team is ready to help you.
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