VOD2Live: Exploring the technical challenges in the adaptive generation of linear FAST channels from existing on-demand and live content and personalised ad selection

With the streaming services consumption on the rise, Free Ad-Supported TV (FAST) channels are becoming one of the most demanded services with benefits for all stakeholders: Content providers and advertisers have in FAST channels the opportunity to develop new business models while viewers benefit from the access to high-quality contents for free. Despite this not being a new concept, as ad-supported streaming technology has been in the market for a while now, there are still some issues that must be tackled when trying to evolve this market to the next level. VOD2Live, the novel service platform by AgileContent, is aimed at content providers for the quick and cost-effective generation of linear FAST channels from both live streams and on-demand assets. The solution is cost-effective by creating dynamic linear channels without the need for live transcoding, and instead stitching segments by combining video GoPs and corresponding audio frame intervals. VOD2Live offers features such as adaptive selection of geographically disperse assets in the cloud, the smart addition, repetition and/or substitution of contents on the fly on FAST channels already deployed, or even the dynamic relocation of ad-slots in the planned rundown. This paper aims to present and further explore the overall technical challenges of the platform.