In March 2020, during the first pandemic lockdown, Soho Theatre published Fleabag Live on its streaming video service. Run on Easel TV’s streaming Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), available globally, the show was organised to help fund Covid-19 charities and proved a great success.
As a result, Easel TV were contacted by theatres, event organisers and performing artists to produce their own streaming services. However, the challenge for many performing arts entities and event organisers, who were losing their core business revenue, was how to introduce and pay for a non-core digital (streaming) service.
Content deals
For bigger shows and events there is the potential to agree a deal with a broadcast TV channel, Amazon Prime or Netflix and, where content carries enough weight to command a hefty premium, this offers a great outlet. However, for most shows, concerts and events this is not the case, and whilst these major outlets are well suited to films and TV series, they aren’t the natural home of theatre plays, concerts and other live events.
Build your own Service
The next option is to build your own streaming service. This is what Easel TV do, with Soho Theatre being the perfect example. This is ideal for the bigger venues or theatre chains and, if you are considering this option, we can help.
The challenge for smaller venues, theatres, artists, annual festivals, etc., is that it necessitates the cost of creating a 'digital' team to administer and market the service. From editorial to customer care, supporting apps across all devices including big screen TV apps, which if you only have the occasional live show, is a big commitment. Plus, a proliferation of small independent streaming apps doesn’t lend itself to being easily discovered by consumers and thus attracting a sustainable audience.
A streaming hub
The idea here is to use a common or shared streaming service, in this case one centred on live and recorded arts events; a virtual venue for the performing arts.
One where a managed operator administers the service and customer care and is supported on all device types including big screen TV devices. Ideally a pay-as-you-go service that requires no more of the venues than to decide what price they want to sell a live or recorded show for.
StagePlayer+ is that virtual venue for the performing arts (theatres, events, concerts, festivals etc.), a streaming hub option built by Easel TV and operated by PlayerPlus. One where consumers can simply buy a ticket and start watching on a multitude of devices. There are no complicated set-up activities, payment is included not just for debit and credit cards, but also via in-app purchases on Amazon and Apple and, for those with a Spektrix ticketing system, there is the option to buy tickets to virtual/digital events as an integral part of their business-as-usual product sales – just with a new ‘digital’ line of business.
The service is now launched, with content secured to Hollywood standards and with all technical and operational tasks covered.
StagePlayer+ is a streaming virtual venue open to any business in the performing arts sector that wants to stage a streaming event; from theatre shows, music concerts, festivals, exhibitions and more. Both live and on-demand streaming is supported.
As a streaming hub it stands to attract an exponentially larger audience through the collective marketing of all contributors listing shows in this virtual venue and the wider consumer community supporting the performing arts. With overlapping shows, concerts, festivals and events, something is always on and this keeps the audience attentive and ever-present, by discovering something fresh from all contributors.
Supporting both the ability to provide your own event streaming service and, in association with PlayerPlus, a virtual streaming venue for the performing arts, Easel TV's streaming PaaS is the perfect partner for introducing a digital revenue stream for theatres and concert, festival and exhibitions organisers.
If his topic is of interest, Easel TV will be exhibiting at IBC in Amsterdam inDecember. If IBC’s not your thing we have demonstration facilities in ourLondon office, come along and chat to us.
Easel TV
1 Waterhouse Square
London EC1N 2ST
T: +44 (0)20 3026 3605
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