Endeavor Streaming
Introduction '''Endeavor Streaming''' is a multinational digital video broadcasting and technology company. Based in New York City, the company works with professional sports leagues and entertainment companies to distribute live and on-demand content. It also offers various business services.Operating as a subsidiary of the American company Endeavor, Endeavor Streaming was formed in January 2019 in part through the rebranding of '''NeuLion,''' which had been founded in 2004 and acquired by Endeavor in 2018.
History ===Predecessor companies===NeuLion, later Endeavor Streaming, was founded as a private technology company in 2004.Headquartered in Plainview, New York, among its co-founders were Charles Wang and Nancy Li. NeuLion merged with streaming company JumpTV in 2008.JumpTV Inc. changed its name to NeuLion, Inc. in 2009 and continued trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the new name. NeuLion then acquired Interactive Netcasting Systems, a Vancouver-based webcasting company, in November 2009, followed by TransVideo International in October 2010.By 2015, various NeuLion customers included the National Football League (NFL), Sky in New Zealand, and the EFL, among others. With competition in the sports streaming market increasing, NeuLion lost the NHL as a client in 2015 when the league moved its contract to BAMTech. NeuLion acquired DivX, Inc. in 2015 for $62.5 million, with former DivX CEO Kanaan Jemili becoming CEO of NeuLion. The acquisition gave NeuLion access to DivX's 4K Ultra HD technology, which NeuLion integrated into devices by companies such as LG, Samsung, and Sony.In 2016, the company partnered with the NBA, UFC, and Univision on trial streams of 4K games, with NeuLion's 2016 broadcast of UFC 205 becoming the first global pay-per-view event to be live streamed in 4K. When NeuLion acquired Saffron Digital in June 2016, Roy Reichbach was named NeuLion's President and CEO. In March 2018, NeuLion agreed to be acquired by Endeavor for USD$250 million, with NeuLion to become a privately held subsidiary. As part of the deal NeuLion retained 550 employees, including 125 at its Long Island headquarters it had moved into in 2016.The deal was finalized in May 2018 and NeuLion common stock was delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange.===Endeavor Streaming===Endeavor Streaming was formed by Endeavor Group in January 2019, with the new division including Endeavor's video streaming products and services and also absorbing NeuLion. The new subsidiary was described as a "direct-to-consumer streaming unit, which conducts front and back end operations for sports leagues" and other clients. Endeavor Streaming maintained contracts with former NeuLion clients such as Univision, Sky Sports, the NFL, NBA, UFC, and Big Ten Network. Endeavor Streaming announced it would be managing the WWE's WWE Network subscription service as well. On January 5, 2024, Endeavor Streaming began distributing Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's (TNA) subscription service TNA+. Endeavor hired Fred Santarpia to run Endeavor Streaming in November 2020. ''Business Insider'' wrote that Santarpia would oversee global expansion. In 2021 and 2022, it launched OTT platforms for networks and sports organizations in Europe, Japan, and the Philippines. In recent years, the company has also offered business consulting and predictive analysis on matters related to OTT platforms.
Products and services ===Vesper Platform===Endeavor Streaming describes itself as an over-the-top (OTT) platform provider, customizing streaming applications for networks and major sports franchises. In particular, it creates direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming services which are compatible with desktop computers, iOS and Android devices, and various streaming television systems.The company calls its end-to-end video streaming platform the Vesper Platform. The platform primarily distributes premium sports and entertainment content, live and on-demand. The platform also has a number of distribution and management features, including a monetization suite, analytics and data aggregation, machine learning, playback options, stream security, and subscriber management. There are also features to optimize content for viewers, such as localization of content and bookmarking between devices.To allow live shopping on its streaming platforms, Endeavor Streaming incorporated the platform AiBUY into its own platform in 2022.Also in 2022, partnered with Frequency, Endeavor Streaming created a platform to allow clients to directly customize their own channels, and launch and monetize their platforms on free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services, for example The Roku Channel and Samsung TV Plus. ===Consulting===Endeavor Streaming also offers services such as business consulting, analytics, and predictive modeling in relation to over-the-top (OTT) and direct-to-consumer (DTC) media streaming. Its DTC growth services division consults on scaling and topics such as churn rate, pricing, and marketing. In 2023, Endeavor Streaming published a whitepaper on streaming and market trends in collaboration with SportsPro.
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