For streaming teams, platform reach and cost discipline become one operating problem.
Streaming's profitability push frames this episode as a practical check on how OTT services decide what to rebuild, scale, or shift to managed services.
Sharp talk on streaming’s hidden machinery.
The gist
The Faultline Podcast turns trade-publication reporting into candid conversations with people across streaming and media technology. Its interviews move from product strategy and codecs to cloud workflows, ad insertion, managed services, and industry culture.
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About The Faultline Podcast
The Faultline Podcast converts specialist media technology coverage into long-form conversations with the people behind the streaming market. Its center of gravity is B2B video. The show tracks OTT services, TV app development, codecs, ad insertion, managed services, cloud workflows, content operations, and the shifting economics of pay TV and direct-to-consumer streaming. Tommy Flanagan usually frames each interview with a mix of trade-publication context and dry skepticism. Then the conversation gets practical. A Dolby and MainConcept episode examines how Dolby Digital Plus Pro plugins fit into FFmpeg workflows while raising the legal and technical tensions around protected codec IP and open source tooling. A Mediagenix conversation moves from scheduling and content lifecycle systems to a North American acquisition and the details behind a WideOrbit business transfer. With MTech Sport, the show links mobile networks, 5G, LTE Broadcast, XR sport, AI, cloud production, and the cultural resistance that can slow new workflows inside broadcasters. Accedo episodes return to profitability, platform expansion, app development, and the strategic pull toward managed services. A GALSNGEAR interview widens the frame toward training, networking, speakers bureaus, sponsorship, mid-career women, and leadership development inside the media technology sector. The 24i discussion looks at front-end TV apps, customer acquisition costs, syndication, FAST launches, and competitive pressure from AI-assisted app development. Witbe brings the conversation into quality assurance, DAI problems, black screens, repeated ads, and the messy mechanics of streaming reliability. The show is candid without becoming chaotic. It can be playful, sometimes teasing, but the questions keep circling back to how products are sold, implemented, measured, and differentiated. Listeners get company narratives, trade-show signals, product-roadmap hints, and a useful feel for where vendors think the market is heading. The best fit is an industry listener who wants more texture than a press release and more personality than a technical white paper.
Made for: Built for media technology professionals, streaming operators, vendor teams, analysts, and anyone tracking how OTT and broadcast infrastructure actually changes. It assumes comfort with industry acronyms and trade-show context.
What sets it apart: Faultline pairs trade-publication skepticism with unusually direct vendor conversations. It presses past product announcements into costs, workflows, customers, technical constraints, and the people responsible for execution.
In their own words
The Faultline Podcast is an audio companion to Rethink Technology Research’s Faultline service, a weekly news publication that examines the video market in cynical focus like no other – critiquing pay TV, OTT, SVoD, and the minefield of supporting technologies.If you’re in the business world and deal with video content, Faultline is a service you need: www.rethinkresearch.biz // Faultline trials @ https://bit.ly/38c2VOX
Why you'd press play
A TV energy claim gets Tommy Flanagan's sample-size questions before you can cite it in a meeting.
Press play if you want
- hear Flanagan ask a TV app CEO what a managed service actually includes
- understand how an ad break can leave you staring at a frozen stream
OTT platform strategystreaming profitabilitymanaged servicesvideo app developmentbroadcast and streaming workflowsaudio and video codecsFAST channel qualitymedia technology trade shows
Talks about
Best episodes of The Faultline Podcast
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A focused review of FFmpeg, Dolby audio workflows, and the licensing work behind open source integration.
Dolby Digital Plus Pro plugins put a practical media-tech problem in focus: how Dolby audio processing can sit inside an open source FFmpeg workflow while still protecting codec IP and preserving the intent of the Dolby format.
A candid Mediagenix conversation traces the business mechanics behind media technology, acquisitions, and the content lifecycle.
Mediagenix's place in media technology is framed through the practical machinery of a content business. The conversation links customer scale with day-to-day operations, moving from major broadcasters to smaller companies that still need a workable system.
A grounded look at why sports-media technology succeeds or stalls across devices, networks, and institutions.
The Faultline Podcast's conversation with Matt Stagg, founder and senior digital consultant at EmTech Sport, makes sports-media technology feel less like a buzzword stack and more like a question of infrastructure, devices, and audience reality.
A grounded conversation on Exido’s consumer focus, long-running TV technology partnerships, and move toward end-to-end managed services.
Michael Lentz, CEO at Exido, frames the company’s 20-year television-technology run through the earlier work in neural networks, machine learning, and image recognition that helped shape it.
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Episodes
- 1
Mrugesh Desai & Tommy Flanagan - Accedo Playback Special
Hidden gem["Tommy Flanagan says Netflix's ad-supported tier has 70 million active users, but the service is still in only 12 countries and still faces ad-growth questions.", "Neil Van Zyl and Mergesh Jassai frame the episode around OTT profitability, self-audits of cost structures, hybrid monetization, and new revenue paths such as merchandising and ancillary experiences.", "Tommy argues that AI was overused as a label before real use cases appeared, while Mergesh says personalization remains broken and TV apps are behind Spotify DJ and TikTok-style feeds.", "The discussion ends on device fragmentation, Roku multi-view, and Excedo's quality-as-a-managed-service launch, including a North American pay TV operator that moved its QA team over."]
Jan 8, 2025·43m·3 clips - 2
Dolby & MainConcept Special: Deep Dive on Dolby Digital Plus Pro Plugins for FFmpeg
Hidden gemThe Faultline Podcast episode on Dolby Digital Plus Pro plugins for FFmpeg focuses on broadcast audio workflows released just before IBC 2024.
Dec 3, 2024·33m·2 clips - 3
Meryem Fawzi - Mediagenix
Hidden gemTommy Flanagan, editor of Faultline, interviews Meriem Fawzi, senior business consultant and solution architect at Mediagenix, about Morocco's mix of linear TV, Netflix, Prime, OSN, Shahid, and FAST.
Sep 10, 2024·32m·2 clips - 4
Matt Stagg - MTech Sport
Hidden gemThe Faultline Podcast episode with Tommy Flanagan and Matt Stagg focuses on sports broadcasting technology, XR, edge computing, and AI-driven fan engagement.
Jul 29, 2024·38m·3 clips - 5
Michael Lantz - Accedo
Hidden gemFaultline Podcast host Tommy Flanagan and Exido CEO Michael Lentz frame the episode around Exido's 20th birthday and its move from TV apps toward managed services.
May 17, 2024·47m·3 clips - 6
Amy DeLouise - GALSNGEAR
Hidden gemAmy DeLouise, founder of Gals and Gear, explains how the initiative gives women access to technology training, networking, and beta-testing opportunities across media and entertainment.
Apr 1, 2024·34m·2 clips - 7
Sebastian Braun - 24i
The Faultline Podcast host Tommy Flanagan interviews Sebastian Braun, 24i’s SVP of product management, about aggregation, personalization, security, and streaming-market fragmentation.
Mar 25, 2024·33m·2 clips - 8
Mathieu & Yoann - Witbe
Hidden gemTommy Flanagan interviews Witbe CEO Mathieu Planche and COO Johan Inar about the company’s 17-year path from IPTV channel-change testing to AI-based ad monitoring.
Mar 18, 2024·42m·2 clips - 9
Lu Bolden - Bold New Solutions (BNS)
The Faultline Podcast interviews Lou Bolden about Bold New Solutions, a 15-person consultancy that relaunched active operations in 2022 after being formed in 2015.
Mar 12, 2024·26m·1 clip - 10
Greening of Streaming - The TV Energy Hackathon Reveal
Hidden gemThe Faultline Podcast examines Greening of Streaming’s preliminary hackathon results with host Tommy Flanagan, editor of Faultline, and co-host Quentin Wittberg interviewing founder Dom Robinson and secretariat member Ben Schwartz.
Mar 7, 2024·48m·3 clips - 11
Stefan Lederer - Bitmovin
Mar 4, 2024·35m - 12
The Return of Gideon Gilboa - LiveU
Feb 29, 2024·39m - 13
Brad Carter - Cerberus Tech
Nov 21, 2023·43m - 14
Guido Meardi - V-Nova
Nov 13, 2023·38m - 15
Frank Miller - Varnish Software
Nov 7, 2023·27m - 16
Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen – id3as
Sep 26, 2023·34m - 17
Olga Kornienko - EZDRM
Sep 11, 2023·45m - 18
Marty Roberts - Brightcove
Sep 6, 2023·29m - 19
Thibault D'Orso - Spideo
Aug 7, 2023·50m - 20
Stein Erik Sørhaug - Vimond
Apr 11, 2023·34m - 21
Dr. Neale Foster - 24i
Mar 27, 2023·33m - 22
Jamie Mackinley - MetaBroadcast
Mar 13, 2023·35m - 23
Pierre Donath - 3SS
Feb 27, 2023·47m - 24
Gideon Gilboa - LiveU
This episode covers the acquisition of Veset by Play, a Japanese OTT infrastructure provider, and discusses the commoditization of cloud playout services.
Feb 13, 2023·39m - 25
Julien Signes - Synamedia
Analysis of Netflix's credential sharing clampdown and its technical implications for streaming services.
Feb 6, 2023·40m - 26
Simen K. Frostad - Bridge Technologies
Host Tommy Flanagan interviews Simon Frostedt, chairman of Bridge Technologies, about the video market and broadcast technology.
Jan 30, 2023·35m - 27
Peter Docherty - ThinkAnalytics
Jan 23, 2023·35m - 28
Talal Shamoon - Intertrust CEO
Jan 16, 2023·52m - 29
From the archive - Dr. Abe Peled's Fireside chat
The host introduces the podcast and teases upcoming guests, then plays a recorded fireside chat with industry legend Abe Pellett about video technology and his career.
Jan 6, 2023·52m - 30
The pod returns with IBC 2022 run-down
Sep 30, 2022·14m - 31
Media Distillery leapfrogs targets via Liberty win, Rethink TV's Content Recommendations Engine report is finally here, Broadpeak rides renewed wave of Euro satellite interest
Jun 30, 2022·25m - 32
Roku upsets the apple cart with mandatory CDN and ad-rate hike, LA says heaps of cash in ads as Bitcentral busts out of news, BuyDRM comes out swinging with Samsung win
The hosts discuss recent industry events including OTT conferences and music festivals, with a focus on video market trends.
Jun 23, 2022·27m·1 clip - 33
Faultline's back from jetsetting to SME Boston, Greening of Streaming rocks Westminster but where's the data, CDN's pricing intracacies confound
Jun 9, 2022·25m - 34
Pirate pub piracy session preps Faultline for Streaming Media East panel, Content recommendations fortunes wane as Rethink TV preps investigation, Wowza sums up codecs as Nokia gets sassy
May 19, 2022·24m - 35
Netflix has six months to pull off ads, Full Throttle hunts desparate MVPDs, Tachyum flings power and performance claims for universal processor
May 12, 2022·19m - 36
We're back from NAB's proper love-in, Amazon gets burnt by snoopy ads, HESP's licenses point to limited low latency take-up
May 5, 2022·25m - 37
Faultline flings cupid-arrows in 24i's Filter acquisition, Volumetric video vitriol escalates, Streaming aggregation vision of the future?
Apr 7, 2022·26m - 38
RDK Lightning looks rather poopy, Nielsen embarasses itself by declining hefty offer, SVoD catalogs' value questioned
Mar 24, 2022·26m - 39
Synamedia; big up the Staines massive; and a look back on a slightly strange MWC 2022
Mar 17, 2022·25m - 40
Mobile World Congress Snapshot Solo Special
Mar 3, 2022·9m - 41
Microsoft can do better in cloud energy metrics, Spotify gets snooty about audio codec potential, Qualcomm ditching Velos sets stage for AV1 IP antics
Feb 24, 2022·24m - 42
Greening of Streaming gets a wriggle on, TVadSync preps ATSC 3.0 backup plan, Comcast CEO proper wrong about video inflation
Feb 10, 2022·26m - 43
Harmonic breaks up a Google vs. Red Hat catfight regarding cloud strategies, Comcast Technology Solutions takes wraps off Video AI ever so slightly, Nokia's green claims probed by a spreadsheet
Hosts discuss a slow news week and a bizarre interview, then recount a humorous incident where a Harmonic executive refereed a debate between Google and Red Hat experts during a telco cloud webinar.
Feb 3, 2022·23m - 44
A changing of the guard in the PR world, Vodafone goes UEI for voice, Comcast never did Multicast-ABR it turns out, and Euro wrangling in DSA advertising has global impact
Jan 27, 2022·25m - 45
Say It Now breaks Faultline's event dry spell, albert and LoCaT kick off a year of green tech focus,
Jan 20, 2022·22m - 46
V-Nova gets Brazilian goldrush! Operators fully grasp multi-AP, says Rethink TV! Nvidia's Omniverse in metaverse dominion play!
Jan 13, 2022·21m - 47
CES an OLED orgy but Faultline looks ahead to 2022, CES' weirder side unveils big want for Amagami Ham Ham nibbling cat toy
Jan 6, 2022·17m - 48
Facebook calls for codec pollution solution, WBA's WiFi 6E trial was neat but an MDU test would have been neater, Broadpeak quietly wins M-ABR deal with DAZN
The hosts discuss the week's news in video technology, including press releases, interviews, and insights from LinkedIn discussions.
Dec 9, 2021·22m - 49
V-Nova pulls off VR razzle dazzle in Temple Meads mad dash, 2GTHR's gets up close and personal with intimate music video platform, Ateme reckons HDR mess is great for business
The hosts discuss technical difficulties, missing IBC conference, and a face-to-face briefing with a CEO about video technology.
Dec 2, 2021·21m - 50
Cable Cowboy does a ramble and Nested hasn't a clue, WiFi 6E's slow emergence does not detger vendors, Russian operators get smart TV preinstallation monopoly win
Nov 25, 2021·23m