Disney Streaming and Lumen lead global effort through the Streaming Video Alliance to improve the quality and reliability of streaming video
Companies working together to standardize CDN configuration metadata for the streaming industry
DENVER, April 21, 2022 Bringing high-quality video content to billions of screens worldwide is a complex series of processes that requires careful cooperation between content publishers, content delivery networks (CDNs), and internet service providers (ISPs). To simplify and increase the efficiency of streaming video delivery, Disney Streaming and Lumen Technologies are leading an effort to produce standardized CDN configuration metadata and application programming interfaces (APIs) for the streaming video industry.
The multi-year effort is made possible by both companies leadership and participation in the Streaming Video Alliance (SVA), a consortium of 100+ businesses in the video industry that work together to improve the streaming experience for consumers.
About the Project
- Standardized metadata will allow content providers to use a common metadata model and a single API to publish CDN configurations to vendors.
- Without this standardization, organizations must separately model and publish metadata within each CDN vendors proprietary API or management portal.
- For large organizations with multiple brands, proprietary APIs are inefficient, error-prone, and costly issues that negatively affect the customer experience.
- With contributions and leadership from Disney Streaming and Lumen, the SVA recently published the first version of the Configuration Interface Specifications the technical specifications document that will serve as the streaming industrys guide for standardization. Version two is underway, and work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
We believe all streaming providers will benefit from standardization across commercial CDN providers and the Open Cache industry, which is why weve led the charge, working alongside companies like Lumen, on evangelizing this important work, said Michael Fay, vice president, software engineering, Disney Streaming. Hundreds of millions of subscribers already engage with Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Star+, and as demand increases for our direct-to-consumer platforms, we believe standardization will be a key driver in maintaining our reputation in delivering a high-quality viewing experience for subscribers at scale.
Lumen operates one of the largest CDNs in the world via the Lumen Edge Platform, which provides unmatched performance and speed for latency-sensitive, data-intensive applications and content, said Pierre-louis Theron, Lumen vice president of product management for content delivery services. Developing standards that reduce complexity for our media customers is key to our shared success, now and in the future. We will continue to contribute significant work and insight to the standardization effort, relying on the deep expertise we have gained from years of experience building and operating our own CDN.
Commercial CDNs and open caching systems have many common requirements when it comes to defining and publishing configuration metadata, said Glenn Goldstein, Lumen CDN product strategist and lead editor of the SVAs Configuration Interface Specifications. We knew we could help the industry leverage those commonalities while still helping every company achieve its own interests. We started by agreeing upon a set of drivers that benefited all industry participants. These included standardizing feature definitions, providing for DevOps-friendly automation, and allowing technology vendors to differentiate.
Disney Streaming is part of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED), which delivers the Companys unparalleled storytelling to audiences worldwide across theatrical, streaming, and linear platforms. DMED is responsible for the monetization of content from the Company’s content engines Studios, General Entertainment and Sports. This includes P&L management and operations of the Companys portfolio of streaming services, including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Star+; its linear television channels the ABC-owned stations; theatrical film distribution; content licensing and distribution; and global advertising sales.
About Lumen Technologies and the People of Lumen:
Lumen is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 500,000 route fiber miles and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences. Learn more about the Lumen network, edge cloud, security, communication and collaboration solutions and our purpose to further human progress through technology at news.lumen.com/home, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks in the United States.
Media Contacts:
Suzanne K. Dawe
Lumen Public Relations
P: 720.217.5476
suzanne.dawe@lumen.com
Kristie Adler
Disney Streaming Communications
P: 646.547.5637
kristie.adler@disney.com