Wowza

Wowza
Name	Wowza
Type	Private
Industry	Streaming media
Founded	2005
Founder	David Stubenvoll; Charlie Good; Peter G. McL
Headquarters	Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Wowza Streaming Engine; Wowza Streaming Cloud; Wowza GoCoder

Wowza is a private company specializing in live and on-demand streaming software and services. It provides server software, cloud services, SDKs, and tools that integrate with content delivery networks and media platforms. Wowza's offerings are used by broadcasters, enterprises, education providers, and sports organizations to deliver low-latency, scalable audio and video streaming.

Overview

Wowza operates in the streaming media sector alongside companies such as Akamai Technologies, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google, and Fastly. Its product stack interoperates with protocols and standards associated with MPEG-DASH, HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), RTMP, SRT (protocol), and WebRTC, and integrates with CDNs like Cloudflare, Akamai, and Limelight Networks. The company targets customers across industries including broadcasting firms like NBCUniversal, sports organizations like National Football League, educational institutions like Harvard University, and enterprises that use platforms such as Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform.

History

Founded in the mid-2000s during a period of rapid change exemplified by events such as the rise of YouTube and the proliferation of smartphones including the iPhone (1st generation), Wowza emerged to address gaps left by legacy media servers like Adobe Flash Media Server and RealNetworks. Over its corporate history it evolved alongside industry developments exemplified by the standardization work of Moving Picture Experts Group and the adoption strategies of Apple Inc.. Wowza expanded product lines in response to cloud computing trends driven by Amazon EC2 and container orchestration propelled by Docker and Kubernetes.

Products and Services

Wowza's flagship offerings include software and managed services used to create, process, and deliver streams at scale. Core products have included server software comparable to platforms from Adobe Systems, managed cloud services like offerings from Akamai and Amazon Web Services, and mobile SDKs that sit alongside toolkits from Google and Apple Inc.. The company provides encoder compatibility with hardware from Teradek, Harmonic Inc., and Haivision, and integrates with player frameworks such as Video.js, JW Player, and Bitmovin. Professional services and support align with enterprise procurement practices used by firms such as IBM and Oracle Corporation.

Architecture and Technology

Wowza's architecture implements streaming workflows that interface with standards bodies like IETF and W3C and codecs standardized by MPEG and supported by chipmakers such as Intel and ARM Holdings. Components handle ingest, transmuxing, transcoding, DRM integration with providers like Widevine and PlayReady, and packaging for distribution via CDNs such as Cloudflare and Akamai. The stack is designed for deployment on infrastructure platforms including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure, and for containerized environments managed by Kubernetes and Docker Swarm.

Use Cases and Customers

Wowza's technology supports use cases across live events, corporate communications, education, telemedicine, and surveillance. Broadcast customers range from legacy broadcasters like BBC and CNN to streaming-native services such as Twitch and OTT platforms inspired by Netflix distribution models. In education, deployments mirror virtual learning initiatives at institutions like Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology that stream lectures. Enterprises use Wowza in scenarios similar to unified communications solutions from Cisco Systems and Zoom Video Communications.

Security and Compliance

Wowza supports DRM and security integrations comparable to implementations used by Netflix and HBO including token-based authorization, TLS/SSL encryption, and DRM systems like Widevine and Microsoft PlayReady. Compliance considerations often align with regulatory frameworks encountered by customers operating under regimes influenced by laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation and standards from organizations like ISO and NIST. The platform can be configured to meet enterprise security controls common to customers of Salesforce and SAP.

Reception and Industry Impact

Industry analysts and trade publications that cover companies like Gartner, Forrester Research, and IDC have included Wowza in discussions of streaming infrastructure alongside competitors such as Akamai, Cloudflare, and AWS Elemental. Case studies and conference presentations at events like IBC (conference), NAB Show and Streaming Media East have showcased deployments for sports rights holders and educational broadcasters. Wowza's influence is evident in the broader streaming ecosystem's focus on low-latency delivery and hybrid cloud architectures advocated by vendors like Red Hat and VMware.

Category:Streaming media companies