Monitor Playback Score & Failures: Enhance Video Startup and Performance

Playback Metrics refer to a set of measurements that evaluate the performance and success of video playback on streaming platforms. These metrics provide insights into how effectively videos are being accessed and viewed by users.

Key components of playback metrics include:

Playback Success Score

The Playback Success Score quantifies the success of video playback attempts using a scoring system:

100: Successful playback without errors.
50: Assigned when a viewer exits before playback begins (Exit Before Video Start or EBVS), acknowledging that some exits are typical user behavior.
0: Indicates a playback failure.
N/A: Excludes exits occurring in less than one second, recognizing them as likely unintentional.

Importance

This score is crucial for understanding how often viewers can successfully engage with video content. A high Playback Success Score indicates a reliable streaming experience, while lower scores can highlight issues that need addressing. Understanding this metric helps platforms improve user satisfaction and reduce churn rates.

How to use Playback Success Score

You need to monitor trends over time to identify improvements or declines in playback reliability.
You can analyze scores in conjunction with user feedback to pinpoint specific issues affecting playback.
Use this metric to inform technical adjustments and enhance overall video delivery performance.

API usage

Using the List overall values API you can retrieve overall values for a Playback Success Score. This would be a GET request where you need to pass playback_score as the metricId along with other query parameters to receive a response containing the required data.

curl --request GET \ 
     --url ‘https://v1.fastpix.io/data/metrics/playback_score/overall' \ 
     --header 'accept: application/json' \ 
     --user '{Access_Token}:{Secret_Key}

Refer to our API reference for details on additional query parameters.

You can use this API to also get the overall value for all other metrics. But, first you would need to know the metricId for the metric that you are looking for.

You can also filter the metric values using the filterby[] attribute. Simply pass the dimensions and their corresponding values you want to filter the views by. An easy way to do that is first calling the List dimensions endpoint to retrieve all available dimensions that can be used in your query.

Playback Failure Percentage

The Playback Failure Percentage measures the proportion of video views that terminate prematurely due to errors. It is calculated by dividing the number of failed playback attempts by the total number of video views.

Importance

This metric provides insights into the reliability of video streaming services. A high Playback Failure Percentage indicates frequent interruptions, which can lead to viewer dissatisfaction and reduced engagement. Understanding this metric is essential for troubleshooting and improving streaming quality.

How to use

To leverage the Playback Failure Percentage:

Regularly track this percentage to identify patterns or spikes in playback failures.
Correlate it with changes in content delivery systems or updates to identify potential causes of failures.
Use this data to prioritize fixes and enhancements in your streaming infrastructure.

API usage

Using the List overall values API you can retrieve overall values for a Playback Success Score. This would be a GET request where you need to pass playback_failure_percentage as the metricId along with other query parameters to receive a response containing the required data.

curl --request GET \ 
     --url ‘https://v1.fastpix.io/data/metrics/playback_failure_percentage/overall' \ 
     --header 'accept: application/json' \ 
     --user '{Access_Token}:{Secret_Key}

Exits Before Video Start

The Exits Before Video Start Percentage gauges how frequently viewers abandon a video before it begins playing. It is calculated by counting the number of initiated views that did not start and dividing by the total number of initiated views.

Importance

This metric helps identify issues related to loading times and viewer engagement. A high percentage may indicate problems with video startup performance or user interface design that leads viewers to exit before viewing content.

How to use this metric

Analyze trends over time, especially after implementing changes aimed at improving video startup times.
Investigate specific instances where viewers exited before playback to understand potential causes.
Use findings to optimize loading performance and enhance user experience on your platform.

API usage

Use the List overall values API to retrieve overall values for Exits Before Video Start. This would be a GET request where you need to pass exit_before_video_start as the metricId along with other query parameters to receive a response containing the required data.

curl --request GET \ 
     --url ‘https://v1.fastpix.io/data/metrics/exit_before_video_start/overall' \ 
     --header 'accept: application/json' \ 
     --user '{Access_Token}:{Secret_Key}

Video Startup Failure Percentage

The Video Startup Failure Percentage represents the proportion of video views that encounter an error preventing users from seeing the initial frame. This is calculated by dividing the number of startup failures by the total number of video views.

Importance

Monitoring this percentage is crucial for assessing the reliability of the video startup process. High failure rates can severely impact user experience and lead to increased viewer frustration and abandonment.

How to use this metric

Track changes in startup failure rates following updates or optimizations in your streaming service.
Correlate startup failures with specific content types or delivery methods to identify patterns.
Implement targeted improvements based on data insights to enhance initial user experiences and reduce failure rates.

API usage

You can use the List overall values API to retrieve overall values for Video Startup Failure Percentage. This would be a GET request where you need to pass video_startup_failure_percentage as the metricId along with other query parameters to receive a response containing the required data.

curl --request GET \ 
     --url ‘https://v1.fastpix.io/data/metrics/video_startup_failure_percentage/overall' \ 
     --header 'accept: application/json' \ 
     --user '{Access_Token}:{Secret_Key}