SAN FRANCISCO OPERA’S MISSION TO REACH MORE PEOPLE
San Francisco Opera first opened in 1923. Today, the opera company hosts classic and contemporary works, educational programs, and community events to bring the transformative power of opera to a broad audience.
San Francisco Opera has a long history of embracing innovation—in its performances, talent, and services for patrons. The Opera’s vision is to “crack the code on producing big art in the 21st century.”
As a result, San Francisco Opera is testing new ways to broaden its reach geographically and to younger generations through video. As early as 2006, the company hosted its first free live simulcasts to local institutions. More recently, however, the company struggled with its video strategy due to a piecemeal delivery system that was difficult to implement and maintain.
9 performances
hosted each year (operas and concerts).
3,146 seats
in the War Memorial Opera House.
30,000 attendees
watched a live performance simulcast for Opera at the Ballpark at Oracle Park
SEARCHING FOR A SCALABLE, USER-FRIENDLY SOLUTION
For streaming live performances, San Francisco Opera first placed a video player directly on its website. However, this strategy often caused the website to crash, as crowds waiting for a performance to start would frequently refresh the Opera’s homepage.
San Francisco Opera was already using Brightcove Gallery to let viewers watch performances on demand up to 48 hours after a live event. The team at San Francisco Opera found Brightcove Gallery’s user interface to be intuitive and easy to customize. The team also appreciated that Brightcove’s interface provided opera viewers with straightforward navigation.
As a result, the Opera decided to build on its partnership with Brightcove to deploy a reliable live streaming solution.
Brightcove and SFO identified three objectives for the program:
- Provide both on-demand and live streaming options across several channels and device types to meet audiences where they are.
- Offer a user-friendly tech solution that’s easy to navigate for older patrons.
- Implement video infrastructure that can handle local, national, and even international audiences without crashing the Opera’s website.
DEPLOYING AN INTUITIVE STREAMING SOLUTION
Today with Brightcove Beacon San Francisco Opera live streams the third performance of each opera it hosts to audience members near and far.
A Reliable Streaming Experience for a Global Audience
While experiencing an opera in person is unmatched, sometimes it’s just not possible—older opera-goers have said they prefer streaming performances from home to navigating downtown San Francisco. With Brightcove Beacon, the San Francisco Opera can live stream performances to local, national, and even international viewers. Thanks to cameras placed throughout the theater, live stream viewers can experience different angles for a highly engaging and dynamic performance.
Brightcove is a cloud-based solution capable of delivering, regardless of whether it’s five people or five million people.
Bill Murray
Web Manager at the San Francisco Opera
A User-Friendly Experience for the Opera and Attendees
With Brightcove, San Francisco Opera has swapped out an unreliable, fragmented video
solution for one that’s easy for users to manage. Highly responsive support from the Brightcove
team also means San Francisco Opera can troubleshoot any issues that arise quickly and
seamlessly.
With Brightcove, opera patrons also have more viewing options. San Francisco Opera can serve live streams through multiple delivery channels, including desktop, mobile, and connected TVs. Brightcove’s user interface also makes it easy for older audiences and younger tech natives alike to find and watch performances.
WATCHING THE OPERA ACROSS THE GLOBE
Today, San Francisco Opera is accessible to anyone who wants to experience a performance. The opera company’s live stream performances attract a diverse and engaged audience, with viewership across the country and around the globe. With live streaming, San Francisco Opera cements its legacy as an innovative institution for the arts.
25 countries
on average live streaming SFO performances.
2X audience
live streaming doubles the size of SFO audience
Dynamic Viewer Experience
Multiple camera angles and ultra-high-quality streams enable viewers to experience performances as if they’re in person.
