SVG Sit-Down: Paul Levy of Burst on the Social Video and OTT Revolution

Easy integration with Avid, Adobe key give Burst a market advantage

When Burst came onto the scene the social video scene was in a relatively nascent stage when it came to its use within a professional video production. One of the reasons? There was no simple means to get content from a device like a cellphone and then directly on to air. The Burst platform changed all that, creating a mechanism to allow for user generated content to be passed directly into editing and replay systems that are at the core of a TV production. Today the company works with companies like NESN, Sinclair Broadcast, MTV, TSN and more. Paul Levy, COO and co-founder, offers his thoughts on the current state of Burst, its latest offerings, and social video.

Burst was a trailblazer when it comes to integrating content captured on a mobile phone or device within a live broadcast. What do you see as some of your advantages in the marketplace compared to the competition? 

Paul Levy, Burst COO and Co-founder

The Burst key advantage lies in our ability to deliver an end-to-end solution for easily integrating mobile video, either user-generated or controlled, into almost any platform, from live events to broadcast to digital. Looking specifically at live sports applications, our ability to cleanly integrate into editing suites like Avid and Adobe, as well as outside broadcasting truck ecosystems, is a leading differentiator. From capture, to rights management to the ultimate delivery of video on the customer’s platform of choice, Burst gives customers far greater control over their content which leads to easier and richer monetization, as well as a significant boost to brand safety.

Real-time Commercial seems like a very cool offering in a world looking for fresh new approaches to advertising. Can you discuss how that came about and what the reaction has been?

The average video consumer is inundated not only with programming choice but also a myriad of advertisements in many forms. What we recognize is that the world doesn’t need more ads, it needs better ads and ads that engage and give consumers a reason to pay attention. Real time Commercial delivers a level of authenticity and consumer engagement that no one else does today. The reaction from our agency partners and their clients, as well as direct discussion with brands, has unlocked a wave of creativity in how to deploy the RTC technology and you’ll be seeing the results in the next few months.

And obviously the OTT market is also expanding your opportunities to help organizations enhance an offering. Where do you see Burst fitting into the OTT content creation marketplace

The OTT potential is endless. In the last six months we’ve partnered with some top tier media companies, like Time, Inc., to bring participatory OTT to the fan experience. Burst allows viewers to deliver via mobile video directly through the media company’s existing OTT platform, just as we have done recently with OTT programs like Survivor Fan Forum, The Grammy Awards, and The Mamarazzi. The OTT market is evolving quickly and is an excellent environment for viewer engagement, which is what Burst does well.

You also have plenty of great partnerships. What are some examples of how those help users get the most out of the Burstplatform? And how can new potential partners get in touch

Basically, we engage with great partners so that our customers can better engage with their audiences. We currently have direct integrations with Adobe, Avid, Evertz, EVS, and NewTek. And our Avid Alliance partnership is an excellent example of how two companies can work together to the benefit of their combined user base.

By seeking out the leading companies in the video industry and working closely to integrate Burst into their environments, we make it easy for customers to jump start their mobile-video capabilities in a way that is fast, simple and immediately productive. We are always on the lookout for the next great partnership and potential partners should feel free to connect with us on our web site at www.burst.com.