Product Update

As the year draws to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on the work the Simplestream team has delivered over the past few months. Simplestream has continued to strengthen its platform with a series of feature enhancements, new integrations, and expanded device support. From deeper personalisation options to broader distribution and improved authentication workflows, these updates reflect our ongoing commitment to delivering a more seamless and engaging experience for both our clients and their audiences.

Multi-Platform Delivery

As the number of devices and platforms continues to grow, Simplestream has expanded its support to ensure wide, reliable coverage across the industry. Building on the successful launch of applications on Virgin Media devices in Ireland, and now the UK Simplestream, can also deliver seamlessly to Samsung, Sky, Amazon, Comcast, Apple TV, and Freely, among many other platforms.

Simplestream’s technology is built to support a broad and continually growing range of devices and operating environments, ensuring flexibility and scalability for partners across the global streaming ecosystem.

Freely SSAI Streams

Simplestream now supports server-side ad insertion (SSAI) on Freely live streams. As of late 2024, Simplestream became one of the first non-PSB providers to deliver live IP channels to the Freely platform.

These channels now benefit from server-stitched advertising, replacing broadcast ad breaks with dynamically inserted ads. This gives content owners more flexibility around segmentation and enables a more relevant ad experience for viewers. Simplestream uses AWS MediaTailor to ensure smooth transitions between live content and advertising and to pass more than 20 macros to the ad server for tracking and insight.

Personalised Playlists

As part of the ongoing development of Simplestream’s authentication integrations and adapters, the Simplestream Media Manager - OAuth module now supports personalisation during user registration. This allows end users to create a more tailored homepage from day one.

Users can select from a predefined set of categories such as shows, genres, and presenters to build their preferences. These choices are then used to generate customised homepage carousels that surface the content they’re most likely to watch.

This approach removes irrelevant items and gives each viewer a more personalised experience.

Looking Ahead

‍These updates represent just some of the progress made across the Simplestream platform in recent months. As we move into the new year, the team remains focused on expanding platform capabilities, enabling richer, more personalised experiences across an ever-widening range of devices and services. We look forward to continuing to work closely with our partners to support the evolving needs of the global streaming market.

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