Streaming TV has fundamentally changed how audiences watch television.
For decades, television meant a broadcast signal arriving at an antenna, cable box or satellite receiver at a scheduled time. Today, viewers increasingly expect television to be available whenever and wherever they want it, across smart TVs, connected TV devices, mobile screens, cars, hotels, airlines and other connected environments.
That transformation created Streaming TV.
But Streaming TV is more than simply putting traditional television programmes on the internet. It represents the evolution of the entire television ecosystem, from content creation and channel playout to distribution, advertising, audience measurement and monetization.
And the next phase of that evolution is already being built.
What Is Streaming TV?
Streaming TV is television delivered over an internet connection rather than exclusively through traditional terrestrial, cable or satellite broadcast infrastructure.
It can include:
- Live television channels
- Linear streaming channels
- Video on demand
- Ad-supported television
- Subscription streaming services
- Connected TV apps
- FAST channels
- Free streaming services
- Premium streaming platforms
- Personalised and interactive television
The important distinction is that Streaming TV maintains many of the characteristics audiences associate with television, including channels, programming schedules, professional content, advertising and curated viewing experiences, while using internet delivery.
In other words:
Streaming TV brings the television experience to the internet.
How Did Streaming TV Happen?
The transition did not happen overnight.
The first major shift was the move from physical and broadcast distribution towards digital video.
Broadband made it possible to deliver increasingly high-quality video over the internet. Online video platforms then demonstrated that audiences were willing to watch professionally produced and user-generated content on connected devices.
Netflix helped establish subscription streaming as a mainstream television model.
YouTube demonstrated the enormous scale of internet video.
Smart TVs then brought internet-connected video directly into the living room.
Connected TV platforms subsequently created a bridge between traditional television and internet distribution.
The result was a fundamental change in viewer behaviour.
Instead of asking:
“What’s on television tonight?”
audiences increasingly began asking:
“What do I want to watch?”
Streaming TV vs Traditional Television
Traditional television is largely built around distribution infrastructure.
Streaming TV is built around connectivity, software and data.
A traditional broadcaster might need a terrestrial network, satellite infrastructure or cable distribution agreement to reach an audience.
A Streaming TV operator can potentially distribute a channel globally through internet-connected devices.
That changes the economics and the opportunities.
A single television channel can potentially become an international digital product.
A production company can become a broadcaster.
A brand can launch its own television network.
A hotel can operate its own entertainment platform.
An airline can create its own streaming environment.
A car manufacturer can build television directly into the vehicle experience.
This is where the next generation of Streaming TV becomes particularly interesting.
Streaming TV Is Becoming An Ecosystem
The industry has often treated streaming as a collection of individual products.
A streaming app here.
A FAST channel there.
An advertising platform somewhere else.
A CDN somewhere in the middle.
A playout provider somewhere else again.
But the future of television requires these components to work together.
Content + Distribution + Technology + Advertising + Data + Monetization
That is the Streaming TV ecosystem.
And this is where View TV and Kapang are positioning their technology.
View TV + Kapang: Building the Future of TV
View TV and Kapang are developing an ecosystem designed to bring together the infrastructure required to create, operate, distribute and monetize Streaming TV.
Rather than treating a television channel as simply a video stream, the ecosystem can encompass the wider technology stack required to operate a modern television business.
That can include:
Content management
Managing television programmes, films, episodes and other video assets.
Channel playout
Creating and operating scheduled linear Streaming TV channels.
Streaming delivery
Delivering television content across connected devices and platforms.
CTV applications
Creating branded television experiences for smart TVs and connected devices.
Advertising
Connecting audiences, content and advertising through an integrated monetization infrastructure.
Analytics
Understanding viewing behaviour and measuring audience consumption.
VOD
Making programming available beyond the linear channel schedule.
Distribution
Taking channels and content to connected television environments and other digital platforms.
White-label Streaming TV
Enabling businesses to create their own branded television platforms without having to build the entire technology stack from scratch.
The Kapang Opportunity
Kapang takes the Streaming TV concept beyond the traditional television set.
A Kapang-powered platform can potentially become a branded entertainment environment for businesses operating in multiple sectors.
Imagine a car manufacturer offering its customers a branded entertainment service.
An airline providing a television platform to passengers.
A hotel creating its own television experience.
An out-of-home network delivering curated programming to screens.
A content company operating its own branded Streaming TV service.
The technology can become the infrastructure behind the television experience rather than simply another destination for content.
From FAST To Streaming TV
One of the industry’s biggest changes has been the growth of FAST, or Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television.
FAST demonstrated that audiences would watch professionally programmed channels delivered through streaming platforms without paying a traditional subscription.
But Streaming TV is broader than FAST.
FAST is one component of the Streaming TV ecosystem.
Streaming TV can incorporate:
FAST + AVOD + SVOD + Linear + VOD + CTV Apps + Advertising + Commerce
That distinction matters.
The future isn’t necessarily about replacing television with one particular streaming model.
It is about combining the different models into a connected television experience.
The Television Channel Is Becoming Software
Perhaps the biggest change is conceptual.
Historically, launching a television channel required significant infrastructure.
Today, much of that infrastructure can exist in the cloud.
A modern channel can be created, programmed, distributed, monetized and measured through software.
That means the definition of a broadcaster is changing.
A broadcaster no longer necessarily needs to own a transmission network.
A content company can become a broadcaster.
A brand can become a broadcaster.
A sports organisation can become a b