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Streaming gets enviro nod

Tyson Ngubeni
By Tyson Ngubeni
Johannesburg, 30 May 2014
SA's operators are expected to adapt to high data demand by capitalising on streaming services.
SA's operators are expected to adapt to high data demand by capitalising on streaming services.

Convenience and on-demand availability are often touted as major benefits to online streaming services. However, researchers at US-based Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory and Northwestern University say opting for the technology in favour of renting or buying DVDs also presents major environmental benefits.

In a study published yesterday, the researchers focused on how US audiences consume film and television. It noted "video streaming appears distinctly favourable when compared to any DVD viewing that includes consumer driving, which significantly increases the energy and carbon dioxide emissions per viewing hour".

According to the study, the energy used to manufacture the DVDs, ship them to warehouses or retail outlets, and then deliver them to homes is much higher than that required to consume content through online streaming. The latter option eliminates the carbon dioxide emissions of shipping or driving, although it does involve energy to run data centres that host content, as well as user equipment for streaming.

Researchers estimated that if all DVD viewing in the US was shifted to streaming services in 2011, "a total of 20.4 billion hours of streaming would occur, where such a shift to streaming video represents potential energy savings of almost 30 petajoules and about two billion kilograms of avoided carbon dioxide emissions" - enough to supply 200 000 US homes with electricity for a year.

Meanwhile, the growth of music streaming as a preferred means of consumption was underlined this week by Apple's $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics - a company founded by music mogul Jimmy Iovine and rapper Andre Young (Dr Dre).

Fledgling local options

AlternaTV - a South African online TV channel, launched in July last year - aims to take advantage of growing smartphone and Internet penetration. Its pre-recorded shows include music content, as well as motoring, fashion, gaming and films.

Nico Nel, creative director at AlternaTV, says the channel has racked up more than 300 000 page views since its launch, of which about 20% are from US-based users. "People are often limited in the amount of time they can sit in front of a TV, so short-form on-demand content is what we are going for," he says.

Speaking to ITWeb recently, World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck said SA is still far behind developed markets when it comes to using modern methods of consuming TV and video, with ubiquitous broadband connectivity yet to be attained.

Tech analyst Liron Segev, from TheTechieGuy.com, acknowledged that SA's streaming services will become more widely adopted as network operators invest in long-term evolution technology. "We are already seeing the trends of video consumption in the form of YouTube so we are heading in that direction."

Analysts recently said local operators are expected to explore business models to capitalise on streaming services amid growing data demand and strained voice revenues.

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