Accelerating Global OTT Delivery with 24×7 QA and 50% Infrastructure Savings for a Media-Tech Leader

About the Client

 
Our client is a leading North American media-tech conglomerate operating a flagship Over-the-Top (OTT) streaming ecosystem offering subscription video on demand (SVOD), advertising-based video on demand (AVOD), and free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services. The client’s media assets include live events, movies, series, and sports, streamed on smart TVs, mobile, and connected devices in North and Latin America, Europe, and Australia. With over 130 million monthly active users, an average 30-minute playback duration, and annual revenues nearing USD 8 billion, our client competes in a highly competitive OTT landscape.

Opportunities 

In the OTT industry, what was once a race for content is now a sprint toward smarter delivery. Fuelled by technological breakthroughs, cloud-native streaming architectures, and intensifying competition, the sector is redefining how content is created, delivered, and consumed. As audiences grow more discerning, it’s no longer just about what you watch, but how and why you watch it. The industry is evolving from static pipelines to agile ecosystems, where technology isn’t just a support act—it’s the star of the show. 

Key Drivers Shaping the Future of OTT:

• AI-powered personalization, edge computing, and adaptive bitrate streaming are enabling intelligent content delivery and real-time analytics.

• Consumer expectations are evolving toward seamless, multi-device experiences, zero-latency playback, and hyper-personalized, on-demand programming—all at marginal cost.

• Global regulatory shifts are compelling platforms to ensure region-specific compliance, especially around Digital Rights Management, geo-access, and data privacy.

• Competitive pressures from regional players and content aggregators are pushing established interfaces to adopt hybrid monetization models – SVOD, AVOD, and Freemium—while differentiating through exclusive Programming and localized experiences.

Persistent hurdles like device heterogeneity, latency in playback, buffering, and geo-restriction/DRM limitations continue to erode user experience and monetization. That’s why media delivery quality and platform reliability have become strategic imperatives for growth.

To stay ahead, organizations must reimagine their infrastructure—building agile, compliant, and experience-first streaming ecosystems that are scalable, resilient, and intelligent. This transformation is essential for future readiness and sustained relevance in a dynamic, user-driven media landscape.

For our client, serving a huge customer base, these ever-evolving dynamics present both opportunities and challenges. This means navigating the dual challenge of keeping viewers hooked while smartly managing digital catalogue costs and deepening engagement

Challenges

• Inefficient QA and oversight hinder international scalability and user engagement.

• Current crowd testing lacks reliability and scalability for multi-region rollouts, as the previous vendor failed to meet critical SLA and KPI benchmarks.

• Fragmented governance causes delayed issue resolution and poor visibility. Media delivery delays and ecosystem downtime reduce user satisfaction and retention. 

• Absence of scalable device labs limits testing across fragmented device and OS ecosystems.

• Geo-restricted and bandwidth-heavy content lacks adequate validation.

• Unreliable simulators and poor remote lab management lead to missed defects, delays, and compromised user experiences.

• Network variability across 5G, broadband, and regional ISPs remains largely untested. 

• Lack of dynamic network simulation and geo-fenced environments restricts the validation of adaptive streaming, Content Delivery Network behavior, and monetization flows.

Without immediate intervention, through vendor transition, restructuring, and enhanced testing support, the client risks service disruptions, quality inconsistencies, and stalled international growth.

LTM’s solution 

 
LTM implemented a comprehensive managed QA services framework tailored to support the client’s multi-region OTT expansion. Key initiatives of our global OTT delivery solutions included:

• Vendor transition: Shifted from the previous crowd testing vendor to a robust 24×7 managed QA model, enforcing SLA-driven quality gates throughout 10+ major platforms and 17 international regions

• Centralized device lab infrastructure: Deployed a 1000+ sq. ft. lab housing 300+ physical devices (smart TVs, gaming consoles, ROKU, etc.) to simulate geo-restricted and bandwidth-intensive transmission scenarios from India.

• Distributed governance layer: Established a governance framework supported by Project Management tools and an advanced device management portal, enabling transparency, stakeholder coordination, and accelerated issue triage. 

• Remote access integration: Facilitated secure, instantaneous access to lab endpoints for geographically distributed teams, enhancing collaboration and operational agility.

LTIMindtree implemented a multi-layered, hybrid device testing ecosystem with GenAI enablement.

• Global device lab expansion: Extended infrastructure to include Macro and Micro Labs with 100+ devices covering India, the USA, UK, and other key regions.

• Remote access via strategic tools: Leveraged Witbox, Suite.st, and STB Tester to facilitate geo-restricted content testing without physical presence. 

• FusionIQ automation workbench: GenAI-powered Ecosystem for intelligent test design, scripting, and execution spanning OTT workflows.

• Streaming automation architecture: WDIO/Appium-based framework tailored for Living Room devices, eliminating dependency on OCR/image-based automation.

• AI-Assure and AI-TDM modules: Delivered scalable, low-maintenance automation through intelligent assurance and test data management.

• Domain Expertise Integration: Embedded specialists to address geo-restriction handling, Media assets compliance (COPPA, GDPR), and monetization validation. 

 
We have proven simulated real-world network conditions using NETEM, Linux traffic control, and Cisco Packet Tracer to validate adaptive bitrate streaming, CDN failover, and geo-restricted content delivery under throttled 5G and ISP variability.

Business Benefits

• LTIMindtree’s OTT platform QA transformation accelerated delivery spanning global markets, enhancing quality, speed, and compliance.

• Enabled 24×7 global QA coverage, boosting release velocity by 30%, throughout 17 regions.

• Achieved 40% reduction in test cycle and defect turnaround time through remote access and real-time triage. 

• Delivered 50% savings in infrastructure overhead via centralized labs and remote Hardware unit management.

• Expanded device and platform coverage by 3x, significantly reducing post-production issues and platform-specific escalations.

• Cut manual QA dependency by 40% using GenAI-led test design and intelligent automation workflows.

• Ensured regulatory compliance (COPPA, GDPR) and accurate monetization, mitigating penalties and revenue leakage risks. 

• Simulated real-world network conditions (NETEM, Linux tc, Cisco Packet Tracer) to validate adaptive streaming and CDN failover under throttled 5G/ISP scenarios.

Conclusion

LTIMindtree’s strategic QA transformation empowered the client to scale its OTT operations globally with enhanced quality, velocity, and regulatory confidence. By replacing fragmented crowd testing with a robust 24×7 managed QA model, the client gained full control over streaming validation throughout 17 regions and 10+ platforms. 

The hybrid device testing ecosystem, featuring real devices, GenAI-led automation, and real-world network simulation, enabled proactive issue detection, geo-compliance, and optimized viewer experiences covering smart TVs, mobile, and connected endpoints. 

This foundation positions the client to deliver immersive, low-latency content at scale while unlocking future opportunities in monetization, AI-driven personalization, and next-gen media innovation.