Eluvio Live 4K Streaming, Ticketing Service Embraces Blockchain To Transform Digital Delivery

Content creator controls digital ticketing, the experiences available

In the past two weeks, digital NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, have had their exposure taken to another level. A New York Times reporter sold a picture of his column for $560,000 (donated to charity), and SNL even did a song about it. And NBA Top Shot gives hoops fans the chance to buy digital collectibles for anything from a couple hundred dollars to a couple hundred thousand dollars.

Eluvio last week introduced Eluvio Live, a 4K-video-streaming and ticketing service that uses the company’s Content Fabric. NFTs are part of Eluvio Live, giving artists, athletes, and others a chance to create digital exclusives. But the core is providing anyone looking to stream content a way to do so with high video and audio quality and without the need to strike deals with CDNs, third parties, or transcoding services. The content creator also has full control over digital ticketing and what kind of digital experiences are available (including NFTs).

Eluvio’s Michelle Munson: “Streaming live events, necessitated by the pandemic, will become a permanent way to amplify in-person performances.”

According to Eluvio CEO/co-founder Michelle Munson, Eluvio LIVE was created to address the fundamental shifts taking place across the music and entertainment industries.

“Artists and publishers want to reach audiences anywhere in the world, in a way that gives them the highest levels of financial control, video quality, and customization,” she explains. “The global shift towards streaming live events, necessitated by the pandemic, will become a permanent way to amplify in-person performances when they return, and the opportunity for artists to control their content destiny via blockchain technology has come together in a unique moment.”

Eluvio LIVE will enable “multi-experiential” viewing opportunities to reach beyond the confines of physical venues, Munson says. And, although the announcement last week focused on musical performers, it is clear that athletes, their sponsors, teams, and leagues could all create a wide array of new experiences for fans.

Content Fabric is the first blockchain-based scalable content- distribution network for premium video. Launched in 2019 and used by Tier 1 media companies like MGM Studios and Fox Networks and by mobile-streaming providers, the platform was invented by a team led by Munson and Serban Simu, the multiple Emmy Award-winning founders and inventors of Aspera, a pioneer in digital-video–transport technology that was acquired by IBM.

Eluvio LIVE opens the Content Fabric technology to allow creators to distribute low-latency, owner-controlled content directly to fans through highly customizable event sites and digital experiences. The platform is compatible with AppleTV, Roku, and mobile and browser platforms and offers built-in geofencing, dynamic personalization, and digital NFT creation. NFT creation allows merchandising for concerts, performances, sports events, and movie screenings or premieres. Live content is automatically recorded and reusable on demand, and it can be refashioned and remonetized to support new events, creative collaborations, sponsorships, and availability windows.

Among Eluvio LIVE features are the ability to deliver to a million or more simultaneous audience members, simultaneous multiviews of camera feeds, and built-in encryption and DRM to prevent illegal redistribution and copying.

Ticket authorization can be restricted according to audience geography, time windows, and ticket class, allowing events to be customized to a locality with maximum return from each locality. Also, tiered-ticketing options, such as premium viewing (4K, HDR, multiview), are possible, along with bundled merchandising options, rewatch rights, and exclusive content.

Most important, artists/publishers retain 100% ownership/rights to the content, backed by secure blockchain contracts to control authorized views and transactions. Eluvio says it charges no distribution or content-management fees but simply adds a “modest” percentage on top of ticket or merchandise/digital sales.

Other features include customizable integration of sponsor logos, private viewing experiences, interactive activations, and VIP experiences. Also possible are dynamic advertising and personalized merchandising, including integrated online merchandising storefronts and interactive on-screen points that allow users to click “hot spots” to buy during the event.