One of my favorite rituals is watching the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on television. Boston is all about Independence Day (even though Philadelphia did a lot of the heavy lifting back in 1776, but that’s a blog for another day). The concert in the historic Hatch Shell features Conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. It’s a fabulous show including a big time lineup of special guests. It finishes with a fireworks spectacular that is breathtaking in HD. The music is stirring, and then comes the finale – Tchaikovsky’s explosive 1812 Overture, ending with dramatic drumrolls and real cannon fire, while church bells ring throughout the city. CBS O&O WBZ carries the event, and does a terrific job broadcasting this national treasure.
The problem is, it’s no longer televised nationally and we spend Independence Day in Sarasota, Florida, about 1400 miles from the Charles River. Which brings us to Over the Top delivery, or OTT.
Wikipedia defines OTT as: “In broadcasting, over-the-top content (OTT) refers to delivery of audio, video, and other media over the Internet without the involvement of a multiple-system operator in the control or distribution of the content.” This is how our family tradition continues. We don’t need a national telecast or local coverage. All we need is an internet connection.
Last Saturday night, we simply logged on to the cbsboston.com feed of the Boston Pops on an iPad, downloaded the Amazon Fire TV Cast App and sent the WBZ program straight to our flat screen via a standard home Wi-Fi link through our Amazon Fire Stick (also essential as my daughters binge-watched Parks and Recreation on Netflix). The signal was clean, the audio was perfect and the video was, well, spectacular.
The cbsboston.com feed didn’t include the broadcast ad stream – Toyota and Liberty Mutual were the presenting sponsors, but the breaks were filled with a quick iPad ad and live, web-only video of a guy working the crowd. No TV spots, just a billboard for tanglewood.org and a push to “like” or “favorite” the app on social media, so monetization seemingly remains a challenge for local broadcasters as local and national advertisers lag behind in understanding the value of OTT distribution of local content, but that will change fast.
How many people around the world would watch the Boston Pops classic Independence Day show on WBZ if they knew how easy it is to do? While the platform is digital, viewers no longer have to watch on a laptop, tablet or computer monitor. Utilizing basic technology – an iPad, a Fire Stick, a free app and a basic home Wi-Fi connection – all of which most viewers have – we enjoyed brilliant coverage of an iconic, local, hometown television program that was only available in home markets just a couple of years ago. Every market has a similar iconic event. Providence has the longest running Independence Day parade in the Bristol (RI) Fourth of July parade. There are “Red, White and Boom” events in Kansas City, Columbus, Minneapolis and Lexington. Stations across the country do similar big-event local programming all year round. In Upstate New York, it’s the Boilermaker Road Race in Utica. In Savannah, GA, it’s the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Christmas holiday specials. High school football playoffs. The list goes on in markets big and small.
Thanks to OTT distribution, your footprint isn’t just local anymore. Today, it is hometown content distributed in real time and high definition from your market around the world. It’s all about local content. Viewers move away from home, but maintain those local touchstones for the rest of their lives. They are rapidly migrating to digital platforms to enjoy the local events they grew up watching. This is a huge opportunity for local media companies to expand the impact, audience and revenue that high-profile local events provide.
Do you have a plan to promote and monetize this local content outside your market? You’re producing it and streaming it and it’s more relevant than ever. It’s all about the content, and nothing is more enriching than quality local programming. OTT is here and it’s yours for the taking.
