Streaming Video Alliance Members Approve the Open Caching Request Routing Specification 

Published Specification From the Alliance's Open Caching Working Group can be Leveraged Immediately to Build Compliant Products 

Fremont, CA(08 Dec 2016)

The Streaming Video Alliance (SVA), a global industry forum comprised of leading companies from the online video ecosystem, today announced a significant industry milestone, the publication of the Open Caching Request Routing Functional Specification. This specification was approved by the membership -- the first full specification published in the Alliance's history -- and can be applied by vendors to build compliant products.

The approved specification illustrates the valuable industry collaboration that exists within the Alliance. The Open Caching Working Group, which includes Arris, Cedexis, Cisco, Comcast, Concurrent, Ericsson, Hughes, IBM, Ineoquest, Intel, Level 3, Limelight Networks, MLBAM, Mobolize, Nagra, Neulion, Nice People at Work, NBCUniversal, Nokia, Qwilt, Sky, Telecom Italia, Verimatrix, Verizon, Viasat and Yahoo represents industry players from the end-to-end ecosystem: content providers, commercial CDNs and Major ISPs. The specification for open caching will have widespread impact on how streaming video is delivered to tens of millions of consumers around the world. 

"The Working Groups have been the heartbeat of the Alliance, where we come together from our respective industries to tackle challenging issues," said Joe Inzerillo, Streaming Video Alliance Board President and EVP, CTO at MLBAM. "The new open caching specification is an excellent example of the progress we're making and is concrete proof of the efforts to identify a solution and subsequently implement it in a trial."

With the request routing specification approved, Alliance members can move forward with proof of concept trials, and the Open Caching Working Group will continue defining more aspects of the system. Prior to the request routing specification, the Alliance's Open Caching Working Group delivered the Open Caching Guiding Principles and Open Caching Functional Requirements. 

"This is a major milestone for streaming and the Alliance," said Alon Maor, CEO of Qwilt and Chair of the Open Caching Working Group. "The Request Routing specification is a powerful example of the kind of thoughtful and innovative collaboration that can happen in the Alliance. We are proud to have been part of this breakthrough team effort that has opened the door to a new architecture that will become a fundamental part of streaming infrastructure in the future."

Open caching technology enables the industry to leverage a new layer of compute and storage at the closest distance possible to the subscribers, allowing for low-latency and high throughput video delivery, which ultimately reduces infrastructure costs and improves Quality of Experience (QoE) for customers. 

The Open Caching Request Routing Functional Specification can be downloaded here on the Alliance's website. The document describes the high level functional specification of open cache request routing and the interfaces through which request routing may be performed from an upstream CDN or content provider to an open cache system.

Members of the Alliance include: Adobe, ARRIS, Cedexis, Charter Communications, Ciena, Cisco, Comcast, Concurrent, Conviva, Encompass TV, Ericsson, FOX Networks, Hughes Satellite Systems, IBM, IneoQuest, Intel, Irdeto, Level 3 Communications, Liberty Global, Limelight Networks, MediaMelon, MLBAM, Mobolize, Nagra, NBCUniversal, NeuLion, Nice People at Work, Nokia, Nominum, OWNZONES, Qwilt, Sky, System73, Telecom Italia, Telstra, ViaPlay, ViaSat Inc., Verimatrix, Verizon, Vubiquity, Wowza Media Systems and Yahoo.

For more information on the Alliance, the Working Groups or to inquire about becoming a member, visit www.streamingvideoalliance.org.

About the Streaming Video Alliance 
Founded in 2014, the Streaming Video Alliance's (SVA) charter is to encourage deeper collaboration across the entire online video ecosystem, which will include the development of standards and best practices for an open architecture that will operate across the entire online video value chain. The SVA is currently focused on identifying issues and solutions related to open architecture, quality of experience and interoperability. For more information, please visit www.streamingvideoalliance.org.