MyCujoo delivers more exposure to sports clubs and their sponsors. They believe that every soccer match should be available to be watched and appreciated. Anytime, anywhere. The only problem? The live streams were not scalable worldwide.
Our impact: Scalable streaming for everyone
Based in Amsterdam, MyCujoo is a streaming platform focused on soccer. The spotlight shouldn’t only be on the professional soccer players. That’s why they broadcast matches from all over the world—from second division clubs, women’s soccer, indoor football and amateur clubs.
The challenge: A winning streaming system thanks to Google Kubernetes Engine
The old streaming system platform ran on Amazon Web Services (AWS) with some purchased technology. This tech had its limitations: it was hard to manage and to investigate when something went wrong. (Imagine when you’re in the middle of a penalty shoot-out).
Plus, the infrastructure needs to be as close to the user as possible. This means that users were limited to the places were AWS was available. So home WI-FI or 4G abroad was a dream that couldn't become a reality.
So, what do you do when you’re not satisfied with what’s on offer? You build your own! MyCujoo decided to develop its own streaming platform with Kubernetes and open source components. This enables you to stream with Kubernetes, even in places where there’s no Google data center. But what if there is a Google data center? Then the Google Kubernetes Engine would still be our preferred choice as it takes away the operational overhead.
The process: Google puts in its star player Incentro
Starting a streaming platform with the Google Kubernetes Engine is not as simple as it seems. There were three major challenges: cost efficiency, scalability and universal offering. It’s difficult to set up a cost-efficient live-stream, especially if you request high quality and scalability. In order to test with on-demand scales with as few idle resources as possible, a lot had to be built.
After some brainstorming, whiteboarding and planning, Incentro started to build the infrastructure while MyCujoo developed the software. Collaboration is key! This was MyCujoo’s first large-scale tech project in collaborating with an external party. Our dedication and MyCujoo’s culture created a great synergy and within two months the streaming platform was up and running.
"Incentro took MyCujoo's wishes seriously but they were also critical in a number of areas. This ensured the quality of the work."
Stephen Hoogendijk, Software Engineering Manager, 2019
The solution: Live streams on Google Kubernetes Engine
For everyone
Fast streaming for soccer fans worldwide, and not dependent on any specific Cloud platform.Quality and faster streams
Better livestream quality and a quicker time to your screen (from 40 seconds to 10).Always a step ahead
Continue to develop live data analysis and machine learning applications.
The result: 1-0 for MyCujoo
Now everyone is cheering at the same time, at the exact time of the goal. Thanks to the updated platform, it can now be used anywhere in the world. Everything can be fixed quickly because MyCujoo has ownership of the technology.
So, what's next? Well, time for the third half of course!