NPAW to present smart CDN Balancer, new analytics capabilities at NAB 2022

NPAW, the global leader in video business intelligence and predictive analytics for streaming services, will be introducing CDN Balancer, a smart system to balance loads between content delivery networks (CDNs) based on quality of experience, as well as expanded analytics capabilities for video streaming at NAB 2022 (April 23-27, Las Vegas).

In a first for the multi-CDN industry, CDN Balancer is powered by NPAW’s real-time, vendor-agnostic quality of experience insights. By processing up to 15 billion video plays globally every month, NPAW is the only multi-CDN balancing provider that can detect video performance issues and consumption patterns to optimize video delivery for each user, region, and device.

From buffering to drops in bitrate, CDN Balancer takes into account everything affecting video playback and picks the best CDN accordingly. It consists of two separate tools: CDN Selector and CDN Active Switching, which can be used separately or in combination.

With CDN Selector, customers can create and enable multiple CDN balancing configurations based on a comprehensive set of rules that permit deep customization. Leveraging machine learning, it can identify the right CDN by measuring CDN performance at the end-user level to make the best choice for every single request.

Services can prioritize CDNs to deliver the best possible quality of experience. But they can also take into account pricing and service-level agreements to control costs and ensure the fulfillment of each CDN provider’s quota.

On the other hand, CDN Active Switching automatically selects for every video segment the CDN providing the highest video quality. Using real-time bitrate throughput information collected locally, it detects CDN and bandwidth evolutions before they can impact video playback. It is then able to switch between CDNs seamlessly and in a transparent manner multiple times in a single video session.

CDN Active Switching also includes the possibility to activate WebRTC extensions between peers to increase overall performance while lowering costs. It is an ideal solution for big movie launches or live streaming events and channels, for which huge user concurrency can be a challenge.

“CDN Balancer is the most powerful, advanced, and robust multi-CDN management solution for video streaming,” says Ferran G. Vilaró, CEO and Co-Founder of NPAW. “Thanks to our extensive quality of experience data and cutting-edge technology, it enables smart content distribution to reduce infrastructure costs while delivering unparalleled user experiences.”

NPAW will also be presenting a series of expanded analytics capabilities for video streaming. Chief among them is the company’s new Application Analytics solution, the only tool in the market combining video analytics and application analytics to offer streaming providers full visibility of their users’ journey.

With Application Analytics, streaming services can understand how users navigate their app’s different sections and features. These pre-video user behavior insights are key to optimizing UI/UX and increasing user engagement. From testing how to best promote content to identifying the main drivers of app usage, Application Analytics gives services the tools they need to enhance their end-to-end video app experience.

“We are thrilled to present the industry with all the new capabilities we’ve been working on,” says G. Vilaró. “They represent yet one more step in the continuous evolution of the NPAW Suite of apps, one aimed at helping services make the most of their streaming business with data on their side.”

NAB attendees can find out more about NPAW’s new products by visiting the company’s booth (W10122) in the West Hall. Digital TV News