Scaling Volume and Tech Readiness Can Make or Break Your Global Ambitions
In a never-ending race to capture audiences across the globe, streaming providers are finding that scaling isn’t just some midlevel challenge to factor in—it’s quite often the defining factor of success.
At the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in 2024, longtime executives from Paramount, Google Cloud, and Evergent joined together to pull back the curtain on the technical, operational, and market challenges facing the streaming industry as it navigates global expansion. Their stories of high-stakes moments and hard-earned lessons shed light on what it takes to thrive in a fiercely competitive, boundary-free market.
When the World Watches at Once
Imagine this: It’s minutes before one of the world’s biggest communal live events, the Super Bowl, and millions of fans across the globe are scrambling to authenticate, register, and log into a streaming platform. According to Phil Wiser, Executive VP and Global Chief Technology Officer at Paramount, which streamed the 2024 edition of the big game, these final moments are the ultimate stress test for infrastructure. “The Super Bowl is the biggest driver of new subscribers,” Wiser said. “But the ramp-up in those last 5–10 minutes before kickoff pushes our registration and billing systems to peak load.”
For a streaming provider, failing to scale at this moment could spell disaster. “If we don’t get that right, it can have a material impact on the overall business,” added Wiser.
Such challenges arise across all live sporting events, not just the annual behemoths. Evergent’s Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Vijay Sajja, described how sports streaming fundamentally changes user behavior: “In a digital stadium, millions of users might log in within five minutes. Without the right tech stack, you risk outages, user frustration, and even government backlash.”
As part of the joint session at IBC titled “Under the Hood of D2C Business Model Transformation,” the importance of scalability was a topic returned to on several occasions, underscored by stories of unprepared platforms buckling under unexpected demand. As Sajja noted, “We've seen services launch without properly planning for success, only to find that their tech stack couldn’t handle the scale once things took off.”
This issue, of course, extends beyond sports. A recent report from Streaming Media highlights how device fragmentation complicates global scalability. Streaming providers must deliver high-quality experiences across an increasingly diverse range of devices, from smart TVs to mobile phones. Ensuring consistent performance at scale requires sophisticated infrastructure capable of managing high data volumes while minimizing latency and buffering.
Hybrid Monetization: A Balancing Act
Scaling isn’t just about infrastructure—it’s about business flexibility. The journey of SonyLIV in India serves as a prime example of evolving monetization strategies. As Sajja described, what began as a primarily ad-supported service quickly transformed into a hybrid powerhouse, incorporating subscription models, pay-per-view events, and live sports. “Hybrid monetization was their path to profitable revenue,” he said, adding that platforms must offer “flexibility in their back office to serve different users with different needs.”
Yet, flexibility alone isn’t enough. Delivering on these diverse models requires infrastructure that can support a range of offerings across geographies. In regions like India or Jordan, for instance, what works for one market often doesn’t translate to another.
The High Cost of Overbuilding
While under-preparation can sink a platform, over-customization comes with its own pitfalls. “Streaming is in the middle of unwinding a lot of custom software that’s been built,” Paramount’s Wiser noted. He reflected on how major players initially built proprietary tech stacks to gain competitive advantages but soon found the maintenance costs unsustainable.
There’s a reason solutions such as our full-stack, scalable monetization platform are more in demand - and necessary - than ever before. Evergent’s adaptable offerings free up media and entertainment companies to focus on what matters most: content and user engagement.
Data: Power or Pitfall?
Data-driven strategies are a cornerstone of modern streaming, but the panelists warned of its limitations. “Data is oversold,” Wiser said. While data enables personalization and smarter content strategies, excessive investments in analytics teams don’t always translate to growth. Instead, platforms need to balance data with compelling content and actionable insights to deliver real value to users.
The Cloud Advantage: A Foundation for Innovation
Anshul Kapoor, Head of Media & Games Market Development at Google Cloud, underscored how cloud-based platforms are reshaping the streaming landscape. By leveraging the cloud’s scalability and security, providers can meet consumer expectations for seamless 4K live sports streaming and personalized content delivery. Kapoor pointed to Paramount’s success as an example of starting with the right foundation: “The customers who succeed year after year are those who plan for innovation and scale from the beginning.”
Moving Forward by Scaling Smart & Staying Agile
The future of streaming, as those executive panelists at IBC agreed, will require not just better technology, but smarter strategies. Hybrid monetization, flexible back-office systems, and cloud-based scalability will define the winners in this increasingly crowded field. For those aiming to capture audiences globally, the key takeaway is clear: Prepare for longterm, future-proofed success before it arrives.
Whether it’s live sports, hit TV shows, or the next global sensation, streaming providers need to meet that moment when the world presses “play.” To learn more about how Evergent can help, setting up some time with our team of experts is a fantastic first step.
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