Bruno Giner on Insights-Driven Streaming at Streaming Media 2025
▼ Summary
– NPAW provides end-to-end data intelligence to unify user digital experiences and support business decisions through content delivery optimization and quality tracking.
– The company evolved from data provision to using AI and machine learning to process insights and automate user experience optimization.
– NPAW emphasizes that AI-driven algorithms can handle decisions like personalized recommendations and CDN selection without human dashboard monitoring.
– Algorithms manage CDN selection by tracking perceived quality and choosing the best delivery option to improve experience and reduce costs.
– NPAW focuses on delivering the right quality level at the best possible price by predicting issues and optimizing based on user context and ISP data.
Bruno Giner, VP of Global Sales at NPAW, recently shared his perspective on insights-driven streaming optimization during an interview at Streaming Media 2025. He emphasized the critical role of data intelligence in shaping user experiences and driving business decisions across the video streaming ecosystem. Giner’s discussion with Streaming Media contributing editor Timothy Fore-Siglin explored how NPAW leverages data to unify digital experiences, automate processes, and enhance customer engagement.
NPAW’s core mission centers on digital experience intelligence, which integrates user behavior data from video platforms to inform strategic and automated decisions. The company provides end-to-end solutions, including infrastructure monitoring, content delivery optimization, and quality-of-experience tracking. Fore-Siglin highlighted NPAW’s longstanding industry influence, noting its participation in thought leadership panels, and invited Giner to elaborate on the company’s evolution.
Originally a data and quality-of-experience provider, NPAW has shifted toward generating actionable insights. Giner explained that the focus now lies on understanding not just how user interactions occur, but why they happen, enabling direct optimization of the end-user journey. Artificial intelligence plays a pivotal role in transforming raw data into meaningful outcomes, a development Giner described as “very exciting to witness.”
Fore-Siglin pointed out that while real user monitoring (RUM) offered valuable information, aggregating it into actionable steps proved challenging. He asked whether AI and machine learning help bridge this gap. Giner affirmed that data processing capabilities have advanced dramatically, allowing NPAW to track numerous events and KPIs in real time. By combining metrics like session frequency, titles watched, and genre engagement, the company creates a comprehensive, democratized view of user behavior.
Giner stressed that AI and machine learning are essential for translating insights into tangible results. Relying solely on human analysis of dashboards is no longer feasible. Instead, NPAW invests in building intelligent agents that present processed information to human teams, who then apply strategic and creative judgment, areas where human input remains irreplaceable.
The conversation turned to data standardization and the role of agentic AI in creating tailored dashboards. Fore-Siglin observed that while customized dashboards can be visually impressive, their practical value depends on how the data is used. Giner agreed, noting that analytics should serve a clear purpose. He cited personalized recommendations as an example: algorithms automatically curate content for users without requiring manual input or dashboard interpretation.
Fore-Siglin shared a personal anecdote about infrequent social media use, where algorithmic recommendations sometimes miss the mark. Giner acknowledged that even advanced systems aren’t perfect, but emphasized their growing sophistication in predicting user preferences.
Reflecting on the early days of content delivery networks (CDNs), Fore-Siglin asked how actionable insights differ for CDNs versus content owners. Giner explained that machines now manage many backend processes, assessing perceived quality and its impact on user experience. By analyzing video playback chunk by chunk, algorithms can preload content from the optimal CDN, improving experience proactively while also addressing financial efficiency.
Fore-Siglin linked this to cost-driven routing in telecom, questioning how trust is maintained when multiple CDNs are involved. Giner clarified that NPAW prioritizes perceived quality and contextualized experience over arbitrary cost models. Using data about user location, ISP, and device type, the system predicts potential issues and selects CDNs that balance quality and cost, ensuring users receive the intended experience without unnecessary expense.
In Giner’s words, the goal isn’t to maximize quality at all costs, but to “deliver the right level of quality at the best possible price.” This approach ensures both viewer satisfaction and operational efficiency, aligning technical performance with business objectives.
(Source: Streaming Media)
