Blog

Netskrt is Growing: New Markets, Partnerships, Events, and Talent

Introduction
Growing Footprints
Strategic Partnerships

- Leadership Appointments
- Events

Introduction

It’s been a busy few months since our $10 million Series A funding announcement! With new ISPs and industry partnerships across global markets, we’ve even upgraded the Netskrt headquarters in Vancouver while growing our awesome, globally-distributed team.

Here’s what’s been happening in Netskrt’s expanding world:

Growing Footprints

We’ve been hard at work helping hundreds of ISPs across the US, UK, Canada, Italy, and Brazil improve QoE and network efficiency to the last mile. For many ISPs, it’s becoming more common for traffic requests to increase by 25% (or more!) during major live sports and other streaming events, and our ability to reduce capacity on backhaul connections and improve viewer QoE has been greatly beneficial. The US and Canada continue to be strong markets for ISPs of all sizes looking to maximize their network efficiency, but ISPs and other network partners in the UK, Italy and Brazil are starting to emerge. We’re learning that up to 40% of Brazilian regions rely on smaller ISPs that are generally not well equipped to handle high spikes in network traffic, resulting in much lower streaming quality (and the eternal buffering wheel) for millions of subscribers. While every country’s networking landscape and challenges are unique, poor streaming quality in last mile regions seems to be a common scenario around the globe. The Netskrt team has been busy connecting with ISPs in the UK, Canada, Italy and Brazil to see how we can help. Expect to see our constellation of happy ISP partners (and even happier subscribers) expanding further in the coming months.

Strategic Partnerships - Content Providers

Content providers have closed billions in exclusive live sports streaming deals so far this year, with much more to come (like the coveted NBA deal) – and this is just for US-centric leagues. Viewer demand for live sports content is growing like crazy, and the ‘live streaming tsunami’ will soon go global. This will be a boon for sports fan subscribers and ISP networks alike–the ones that have adequate capacity, that is.

With the surge in sports licensing deals, we’ve been establishing other strategic relationships with key industry players that mutually benefit our ISP partners.

Expansion into the UK

As part of our expansion into the United Kingdom, we are delighted to announce our recent partnership with ISPA UK! Through this partnership, we look forward to helping UK ISPs achieve greater network efficiency, especially when it comes to live sports streaming.

"ISPA is pleased to welcome Netskrt to its growing list of partners. ISPA is dedicated to fostering innovation and providing critical support to the UK internet industry. Netskrt's last-mile CDN and locally-embedded cache solutions align seamlessly with our mission to enhance connectivity across the UK. As the demand for content and bandwidth only increases, Netskrt is helping our members and the sector deliver high-quality connectivity to consumers and businesses."

Krystian Heald, Head of Partnerships at ISPA

Complementing our existing partnerships with FISPA and WISPA, our ISPA UK partnership will bring more opportunities to engage in local ISP communities through thought-leadership, networking, and industry events, such as the ISPA 2024 Conference happening in October – more info below!

Leadership Appointments

As part of our expansion efforts, our dedicated team has also grown! We’re excited to welcome Dave Prail, our new VP Content, to the Netskrt team.

Dave brings 20 years of industry knowledge and expertise in the CDN and OTT space. His proven track record of acquiring and managing strategic accounts will help Netskrt strengthen our partner relationships, expand our market reach, and achieve our growth objectives.

Steve Miller-Jones, VP Product Strategy, said, “Having Dave on the team will absolutely help cement Netskrt as a trusted last-mile CDN for both ISPs and content providers looking to maximize streaming quality and efficiency for their rural subscribers. We’re excited to expand our global impact and hit the ground running.”

Industry Events

We’re hot off the heels of Mountain Connect 2024 in Denver where we hosted a networking dinner for regional ISPs, and we’re already preparing for more. We’re excited to announce Netskrt’s attendance at several upcoming industry events in the US, Canada, and EU:

Connected Britain at ExCeL, London, September 11-12

About:
Learn about the future of connectivity in the UK: Connected Britain brings together key industry speakers to discuss advancements in telecommunications technology.

Meet us there:
Netskrt will be exhibiting at booth #5c (near the cafe!). Our Co-founder Lars Cavi, and VP Product Strategy, Steve Miller-Jones, are excited to engage UK telco professionals looking to reduce capacity and improve streaming quality for their networks – please stop by to meet Lars and the team!

IBC at The Rai, Amsterdam, September 13-16

About:
IBC is the premier global conference for media and entertainment, showcasing the latest trends in broadcasting and digital media.

Meet us there:
Netskrt VP Product Strategy, Steve Miller-Jones, and our new VP Content, Dave Prail, will be attending the event and for networking and meeting with content providers from around the globe and from industry groups including the SVTA, CDNA and GoS. Please do contact us to arrange a meeting if you’ll be there!

SVTA Q3 Membership Meeting in Antwerp, September 17-19

About:
The SVTA is holding its Q3 membership meeting in Europe, immediately after IBC in the quaint city of Antwerp in Belgium. This meeting is the first one to incorporate the DASH-IF group with the SVTA.

Meet us there:
Netskrt VP Product Strategy, Steve Miller-Jones will be representing Netskrt at the membership meeting.

ISPA Conference 2024 in Manchester, October 22

About:
ISPA’s October conference brings together broadband industry leaders, government representatives, and regulators to discuss critical topics facing the UK’s internet sector.

Meet us there:
Netskrt Co-founder, Lars Cavi, is planning to attend this conference. More details to follow soon!

WISPAPALOOZA at the Paris/Horseshoe Event Center, Las Vegas, October 14-17

About:
WISPAPALOOZA is one of the largest conferences for the ISP industry, providing a forum for networking and education while showcasing the latest technology for broadband services.

Meet us there:
Netskrt will be exhibiting at booth #401! Our VP ISP Business Development, Kevin Walsh, will be there to discuss how we’re helping hundreds of last-mile ISPs bolster their networks for the surge of live sports streaming.

NANOG 92 at The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto, October 21-23

About:
NANOG 92 is a meeting for network operators and professionals focussed on network technology, operational practices, and internet infrastructure policy.

Meet us there:
Netskrt Co-founder and CEO, Siegfried Luft is planning to attend this conference. More details to follow!

Salotto at Allianz MiCo, Milan, December 10-11

About:
Salotto is the premier networking event for the Italian IP community, bringing together over 1,300 delegates representing more than 400 companies across various telecommunications sectors.

Meet us there:
Netskrt is planning to exhibit at this event as we expand into the Italian connectivity market – stay tuned for further details and booth info soon!

The Netskrt team is proudly distributed across the US, UK and Canada, with a new headquarters location in Vancouver (same building, new suite). We’re always on the move at industry events around the world, eager to improve internet connectivity by strengthening our personal and professional networks. If you’re heading to an industry event, please reach out – We’d love to connect with you! Thanks for reading, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook to stay informed.