Mercado Libre’s Play platform delivers free ad-supported streaming with on-demand and live content, avoiding integration and operational complexity by using the flexible, compatible Bitmovin Player.
Bitmovin Player
Argentine e-commerce technology company Mercado Libre serves individuals and companies buying, selling, advertising and paying for goods and services online through its main platforms, Mercado Libre Marketplace and Mercado Pago. MarketPlace matches buyers and sellers, where customers either bid for items or pay a set price for the products on offer. Mercado Pago is the associated payment platform for sales, operating as a secure payment system to diversify users’ payment options.
Mercado Libre is also committed to running an innovative business and customer services that make commerce and payments accessible to a wider group within the Latin American market. Its online commerce and payments system is currently one of the largest in its region, reaching 18 countries including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru.
Overcoming Streaming Complexity
When the company launched its most recent service Mercado Play, they made a free ad-supported streaming platform available, with on-demand and live content that includes access to the Disney+ catalogue. The company aimed for a top quality viewing experience across various devices. They initially explored various open-source player options, but faced considerable complexity when trying to integrate and keep the software running smoothly.
Eventually they chose the Bitmovin Player. The flexibility of Bitmovin’s SDK gave them the chance to launch rapidly, which was crucial for Mercado Libre due to the competitiveness of the LATAM market. Furthermore, as Mercado Play sits within the Mercado Libre app, the SDK’s flexibility meant it also met the demands dictated by this main app.
Accessing Mercado Play through the Mercado Libre main app.
Playback Workflows
Mercado Libre was looking for a way to enable desirable playback workflows, such as casting – wirelessly sending video from one device to another such as between a TV and a smart phone – client-side ad insertion (CSAI) and server-side ad insertion (SSAI), across SDKs with minimum operational complexity. Bitmovin’s Player makes these functions possible through its Playback, Advanced Ad workflows with CSAI, and Advanced Casting features.
As well as taking advantage of adaptive bit rate streaming and DRM support, Mercado Libre has been able to use the Player to test their streams on physical devices, including Smart TVs, and customise the universal UI to match their brand and design on web, TV and mobile devices.
They can also stream in closer to real time with low latency DASH and HLS playback - Bitmovin’s SDKs, including Android, iOS, Android TV, tvOS and Fire OS, support MPEG-DASH, HLS, Smooth Streaming and Progressive MP4 playback. The Player’s extensive device support will also address a particular challenge of the LATAM market, ensuring consistent performance.
Quality and Efficiency
Since deployment, Mercado Libre has been able to reduce the complexity of its operations and maintenance efforts across SDKs, leading to greater efficiency. The Player delivers high playback quality, with custom ad insertion workflows, and a favourable user experience as demonstrated so far by Bitmovin’s QoE metrics.
Pablo García, VP Loyalty & Entertainment at Mercado Libre commented, “Working with Bitmovin has given us more than just a player – they are our technology partner. Bitmovin's flexible SDKs allowed us to integrate a superior video player directly within our existing app, enhancing users' viewing experience. The company’s expertise and innovations have enabled us to deliver high-quality playback and sophisticated ad workflows across all platforms and devices.” www.bitmovin.com
