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Wowza History

Wowza History

Wowza Media Systems is a streaming solutions provider committed to powering live video for today’s most innovative companies. With more than a decade of experience deploying 38,000+ streaming implementations, our full-service platform is the gold standard for live streaming technology.

So how did we get here? It all started with a theory.

Building a Business to Build On

Co-founders David Stubenvoll and Charlie Good first teamed up to start a business in 2007. They hypothesized that successful businesses often grew as offshoots of others, so why wait for the perfect idea? As long as they were quick to pivot and eager to learn along the way, they were certain their venture would thrive.

So, the two entrepreneurs got to work on their first concept: a video blogging platform. They agreed that if they couldn’t make enough money to support a daily Starbucks habit after three months, they’d move on to the next idea.

But first, Charlie and Dave worked to refine the internal infrastructure powering their business. Because the industry-standard Adobe Flash Media Server couldn’t adapt to their needs, Charlie coded a new solution.

Three months of video blogging went by, and they transitioned their strategy to focus on video messaging for social media. One aspect of their offering, however, remained constant: The 220 kilobyte Java servlet that Charlie had created.

At conferences and tradeshows, the media server prompted more interest than the very products they were selling. This revealed a stark void in the industry: the lack of flexible streaming infrastructure technology for professionals. And thus — over beers at a Coyote Ugly Saloon — Dave and Charlie decided to bet all their chips on the very software that their business was built on.

Rebranded as Wowza Media Systems, they released their streaming server software for General Availability (GA) in 2007. Wowza was cash flow positive within the first month and has never stopped evolving.

Rock-Solid Streaming for Business Innovation

Our technology delivers reliable, secure, low-latency video delivery for companies worldwide. Here’s a look at what we offer today.

Wowza Streaming Engine:
Stream on your terms and to any device. Our downloadable media server software powers live and on-demand streaming, on-premises or in the cloud, with fully customizable software.

Wowza Video:
Quickly build live streaming applications with our integrated video platform. Our solution gets you up and running quickly, and comes with CMS, analytics, and more.

Wowza Professional Services:
Rely on our team to install and configure your solution based on industry best practices. Get expert guidance on integrating our technology and optimizing your architecture. We offer a full suite of customized solutions — no matter what you’re trying to build.

Putting the Stream in Mainstream

It all started with the Wowza Streaming Engine software. But today, we’ve evolved into a full-service platform. Wowza leverages more than a decade of video-streaming knowledge and a technology ecosystem made up of software, cloud services, and hardware to help organizations realize business success.

Making live video work for any use case and at scale requires two things: reliable streaming infrastructure and a solutions-oriented partner. Our platform combines these to deliver tailored workflows and expert support.

Investing in the Future

In 2021, Wowza teamed up with Clearhaven Partners to further drive value for customers. The partnership provides Wowza with the resources required for technological innovation and continued business growth.

While Wowza’s strategy remains focused on delivering the industry’s most reliable video streaming solution on the market, we’re now poised for next level success with Clearhaven’s investment and guidance.

More than 1/3 of CDNs globally use Wowza’ software,* and our technology powers or partners with more than 60% of the providers on Gartner’s Enterprise Video Content Management Magic Quadrant. Our promise is simple: If you can dream it, Wowza can stream it.

*Based on vendors listed in Gartner’s Market Guide for CDN Services