Q&A: Clearleap’s David Mowrey discusses new sports-friendly streaming solution

Flexible distribution of asset is a cited benefit of the new Clearleap Sports and Live TV Solution

Following on from the announcement earlier today (9 December) of its new Sports and Live TV Solution, designed to cater to a wide variety of requirements pertaining to sports streaming, Clearleap vice-president product management David Mowrey discusses the starting point for the new offer – and the long-term outlook for streaming services.

What was the impetus for the new solution?

The new solution is really a very natural extension of the products and services we have been building for many years now. The platform that we have is really geared towards premium TV multiscreen, and [it has become clear] that the sports marketplace is really needing to go into the multi-screen world.

What we are able to do with Sports and Live TV Solution is quickly and efficiently deliver live and video-on-demand assets all the way from the acquisition of content to its delivery to a multiscreen environment.

The workflow, and specifically the efficiency of our workflow, with regard to the distribution of content is really the primary benefit of our platform.

What do you think are the main points of difference between the Clearleap solution and others available on the market?

The differentiation resides in being able to offer a premium experience and also scalability with regard to live events. [With sports streaming] you are not necessarily talking about a consistent schedule of programming like you see in some other verticals, but [at the same time] it is becoming a bigger part of the business. Customers cannot afford to see it as an experiment; they need real quality service.

How do you see the overall outlook for sports streaming at this point?

It’s a really interesting time. Whereas you see the streaming trend continue to develop for other pay TV content models like dramas or series, sports is really unique in terms of its live nature. A lot of different models are being tried out and experimented on, but [the main consideration] is that rights are being carved up and achieving better monetisation is becoming more and more important to content providers.