How to launch a TV channel?

In the past, if you wanted to launch a television channel, you only had two options:

  1. Invest millions of dollars in infrastructure and equipment to broadcast your channel on an open TV station
  2. Reaching an agreement with a cable TV company, which would also require a high initial investment and operating expenses

For decades, these were the only two routes to starting a TV channel. However, in recent years, a new option has emerged: launching your channel online, a much easier and more accessible process for both big brands and other creators.

While broadcast or cable TV is the right option for some content creators, starting an online TV channel is currently the best option for most. It eliminates the need to raise large capital, reduces expenses in several areas and facilitates the monetization of your content more effectively (which is the main objective when creating a TV channel).

That said, the right technology is still necessary to bring your channel to life, reaching the widest range of platforms possible. That's where AD Digital and Amagi come into the picture.

With our cloud platform, we help creators, owners and aggregators launch, distribute and monetize their content on online TV platforms such as Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Pluto and Sling TV. We also support distribution to traditional cable TV and broadcast TV channels.

Since the founding of Amagi in 2008, the company, part of the digital natives, has supported more than 500 companies in creating their channels in more than 40 countries. Currently counting on clients such as CuriosityStream, Discovery Networks, Fox Networks, Tastemade, Vice Media, and Warner Media, as well as many other creators and brands.

In this article we will explain, in four steps, how to start your TV channel in an uncomplicated way, offering a better experience for you and your audience:

  1. Evaluate your content
  2. Determine the type of television channel you want to broadcast your content on
  3. Deliver content to the desired platform
  4. Monetize the channel with dynamic ad insertion (DAI)
 

Step 1: Evaluate your content

The first step in creating a TV channel is to understand how your audience will relate to your broadcast content. Most creators already have a clear understanding of what they have to offer, so this step won't take long. If you have already made your background, proceed to step 2.

Before you answer the central question of Step 2 (choosing which type of channel to start), you should be able to answer the following questions:

  1. How many hours of content do you have?
  2. What type of content?
  3. How does your audience prefer to consume this content?
  4. What platforms does this audience already use?
  5. Do you plan to offer any content via live streaming?

Question 1 and 2: How many hours of content do you have and what type of content?

The number of hours and type of content is a determining factor in whether you should run a channel or offer a video on demand (VOD) experience.

For example, 60 hours of soft, peaceful music with nature footage is enough for a linear TV channel because most users play it in the background. If it's looped all week, most of them won't care.

On the other hand, audiences wouldn't appreciate 60 hours of a cooking show on repeat, so it wouldn't perform well on linear TV.

Globally, many of our Amagi customers have thousands of hours of content. If this is your case, linear TV is clearly a good option. If you have fewer hours of content, it doesn't mean you can't start a linear television channel; it just means you need to be more careful when scheduling your television times and choosing which platforms to distribute on. 

Questions 3 and 4: How does your audience prefer to consume this content and which platforms do they already use?

A linear television channel serves a more passive traditional TV experience, contrasting with the more active stance that the audience takes when we talk about video on demand. VOD popularity is at its peak right now, but linear TV usage is also growing on FAST TV (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) platforms like Roku, Samsung Plus, Vizio, Hulu, and many more.

Passive (linear) experience

The classic way of watching TV (also called linear television). Viewers sit back and watch the scheduled content running on their chosen platform. They can change channels, but do not have a pause or fast forward option (unless they use DVR technology). Some examples are Pluto TV and Samsung TV Plus.

Active Experience (VOD)

Video on demand (VOD) allows them to discover and choose content they want to watch on streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime on any device (example: cell phone, laptop or TV). Here, the audience can choose any available content option with the option to pause, forward or rewind.

Do you know if your audience prefers to consume your content on previously scheduled dates or to watch everything you offer at once? Depending on your answer, you may decide to start a linear TV channel, a video on demand (VOD) channel, or both.
If you have a graph or data that indicates which platforms your audience already uses, this can help with planning your distribution. For example, if you already know that your audience is niched in a specific location, then starting a local TV channel or finding an online platform could be a good start.

Question 5: Do you plan to offer any other content via live streaming?

If you have live content, then you need to choose a technical solution that can support live streaming. Luckily, our cloud platform can easily handle streaming live content like news and sports.

 

Step 2: Determine the channel type

In practice, there are four types of TV channels you can get:

  1. Open channel
  2. Cable TV channel
  3. Your own TV app
  4. Channel on an existing FAST platform

If you already know what kind of television channel you want to start, proceed to Step 3.

Open channel

Managing your own TV station requires an investment of millions, a massive technical infrastructure and a broadcasting license. You will probably need good consultancy to guide this analysis of the local market.

You will also need a very large team with appropriate technical training to handle transmission.

For most content creators, establishing a local television channel is not feasible. And even when it is, the costs involved may not justify the venture compared to FAST. That said, AD Digital and Amagi can support and facilitate the launch of something from traditional TV channels. Discover our portfolio of solutions to find out more.

Traditional Cable Channels/MVPDS (Multichannel Video Programming Distribution)

MVPDs offer multiple channels as a package to subscribers through cable television or satellites. Some examples of MVPDs include Claro, Sky, DISH, Comcast, DirecTV, and Cox.

First, as a content creator, you need to make a deal with a cable company. In many cases, your content needs to be of very high quality to be taken into consideration. And even after the agreement is signed, all technological issues are your responsibility.

Furthermore, there is the impact of advertisers adopting the digital market. Many of them are already embarked on an online movement. (In 2021, we saw over $14 billion of investment in connected TVs in the US, an increase of almost 60% from the previous year).

While cable or satellite channels can still be a good option, they are generally only viable for large companies with a presence on multiple platforms.

Create your own app

Platforms like Fire TV or Roku TV allow you to build apps for your own television channels.

This is a good option for those who already have an established audience. However, you will have to continue gaining an audience once your app is built. You also need to consider hiring developers to build and maintain your app, in addition to the cost of video hosting.

The television networks CondeNast and Tastemade are good examples, after all they started on YouTube. After attracting millions of viewers, they created their own apps to host their programming.

FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) on existing platforms or applications

FAST services support linear, live and on-demand channels. They can work on multiple devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs. In practice, they are a type of OTT (over-the-top) TV because the content is delivered via the internet, rather than via cable or a broadcast signal. Some examples of FAST providers on the market include Roku, Vizio, Sling, Xumo, Fubo TV, Plex, Hulu, Twitch, Samsung TV Plus, and more.

FAST is typically the best option for content creators who have digital assets on platforms like YouTube, who are already generating revenue from those platforms, and are confident that their video content will perform well on TV.

To create a FAST channel, you need to make an agreement with the host platform, most of them have a screening or pre-qualification process. They want to know that their content is relevant and interesting to their consumers.

Once you've made a deal with a FAST channel, you need a technical partner to help you build your cross-platform channels. This is where AD Digital and Amagi can support you, through technical partnerships with over 50 FAST platforms and over 100 AVOD and D2C platforms.

This brings us to step 3.

 

Step 3: Deliver the content to the desired platform

Content consumption happens on video service platforms (VSPs) where people tune in to watch that content. Some examples include YouTube, Roku TV, and Sling TV.

We support content creators in delivering their content to the final recipient platforms (VSPs) with which they have agreements. To carry out this process and monetize the channel on a VSP, it is necessary to follow the technical specifications for video formatting, metadata delivery, etc. You also need to host the content and have enough bandwidth to ensure uptime even if you suddenly receive a large influx of new viewers.

If you have a small library of content and can only deliver it to one or two platforms, you can handle the technical aspects of delivery with a small team of proficient professionals. But if you have hundreds of hours of content, or want to run your channel on more than one platform, meeting the different specifications of each can be a lot of work for most internal teams.

Working with us, the idea is to transform your channel management into a simple process. Without much in-depth technical knowledge, and being able to program all your channels (and platforms) from a single interface.

Data ingestion

It doesn't matter where you store your content: whether it's on a hard drive, YouTube, Vimeo or Google Drive – if you can share it with us, we can ingest it. This includes live TV content, recorded video, audio, graphics, captions and metadata.

We then transcode your files according to the specifications of the FAST platforms you have agreements with. In layman's terms, this means that we make your videos and metadata compatible with the software the platform uses, along with any necessary variations, so that they can be played on different types of devices (Android vs Apple, laptop vs TV, and so on ).

Many playout solutions require you to transcode your own content or impose an up-charge. Through our platform, this support can be offered at no additional cost. Content ingestion is a fundamental step in preparing any Internet TV channel, so it needs to be taken into consideration.

During this process, you can add dynamic and static overlays, dynamic lower-thirds, subtitles, voice-overs, and other advanced secondary graphics to your programs.

Content Quality

With your content within the platform, it goes through quality control to detect and correct technical errors. During and after the transfer process, there is always a chance of minor technical glitches, such as a suddenly blank screen or moments of audio loss. Traditionally, finding and correcting these errors was done manually. This consumes time and money, and does not guarantee complete accuracy.

Furthermore, failure to comply with content quality guidelines can also attract fines from regulatory bodies. For example, for most video assets, it is mandatory to offer closed captioning for audiences with audio issues. CLOUDPORT automates the entire quality control process, eliminating the time and effort you would invest in carrying out this process yourself. Some quality control processes we automate include:

 

  • Frozen frame normalization
  • Detection of black frames in a playout
  • Detection and correction of noise and audio loss
  • Ensure synchronization between the video and its subtitles

 

You can also generate a low-resolution preview of each asset so QA teams can confirm everything is ready for broadcast.

Playout Scheduling

You can manage the programming of traditional channels, cable TV and web TV with the platform's playlist manager, which features drag-and-drop scheduling. This means you create programming schedules for all your channels from a single interface.

You can manage the viewing schedule remotely using a web browser. Here's a quick overview of how this works:

  • The platform pulls metadata from your content and displays it alongside your program details. This helps you search, sort, and filter the correct media to schedule in the calendar.
  • Then, you can create an agenda or electronic program guide (EPG) for several days. You can decide whether you want the content to run daily, on weekends, or any other custom pattern.
  • Then, the VOD and linear TV platforms receive the platform's EPG. It provides information about current and scheduled shows for your channel across devices in an easy-to-consume format.

Content delivery

Once your playlist is ready, the platform transmits its content directly to smart TVs, cell phones, tablets or laptops via fiber, satellite or IP in the pre-defined format (4K Ultra HD, Dolby Atmos, etc.) necessary for each of these devices. Once the channel is up and running, it maintains an uptime of 99.99%.

We have partnerships with platforms such as Roku TV, Samsung TV Plus, Pluto, Fubo TV, Apple TV+ and others to distribute their content to more than 200 million homes connected to TVs.

 

Step 4: Monetize the channel with dynamic ad insertion (DAI)

The goal – at least for most content creators – of creating a linear TV channel is to monetize your video assets. AD Digital and Amagi employ dynamic ad insertion (DAI) technologies to simplify the running ad process, from preparing your content (adding markers like SCTE, DTMF Cue Tones or Packet31) to inserting personalized ads to its viewers.

We can easily insert personalized ads into recorded programming, live TV and VOD. Amagi has partnerships with major ad networks such as SpotX, Google DFP, Pubmatic, The Trade Desk, Telaria and TripleLift, among others.

However, the scope goes beyond just the technical aspects of serving ads. We also provide deep analytics and insights into which content performs best, at what time, and with which audience. This way, you can continue to increase revenue by adjusting your content schedule based on real data.

You can even adjust your ad strategy on the fly if you notice a spike in viewership, for example.

You'll also have access to information about ad breaks, the total number of ad impressions, completion rates, and ad drops.

Keep growing your channels
TV with AD Digital and Amagi

In addition to supporting companies in distributing and monetizing their new channels, we help them expand beyond their reach. If we know of specific channels that your content would perform well, we are happy to bridge the gap between their team and yours.

We also want to make sure you're able to solve the problems you run into when creating and managing your channels. While our team is always ready to help with technical questions, you can count on our community for market tips and advice. For example, if you face specific programming challenges with a sports broadcast, we may introduce you to another content creator in the space who has faced similar difficulties.

We're also working on customer forums where multiple content creators in a related space come together to discuss common problems and how to solve them.

In short, AD Digital has teamed up with Amagi to provide both the technology and community to help you bring your TV channel to life, whether it's your first channel or your tenth. We'd love to chat about your content and how to best leverage it on linear TV platforms.

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