{"id":30399,"date":"2023-11-10T10:20:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T15:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/?p=30399"},"modified":"2026-01-06T05:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T10:20:17","slug":"azure-media-services-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/azure-media-services-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Azure Media Services Retirement & Replacement: Tips for Streaming Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Microsoft has planned to shut down one of its magnificent, media playing services, AMS on June 30, 2024.  Azure Media Services are among the many services provided by Microsoft, that ease the delivery of any media operations of an organization. But now they have realized that it’s not their core component and must shift their focus to the strategic areas of growth.   The effects of this shutdown are already evident since many Azure web pages are broken and out of maintenance. But no worries, some best alternatives help you to smoothly run your online video streaming needs without any hindrance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing up this issue will let creators onboard on the best solutions with promising support, that help you to seamlessly run your workflow without affecting your revenue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a creator, you must be on the ball. Stay tuned, we are here to help you with sorting out this unexpected turn of events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What Is Azure Media Services (AMS)?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Azure media services help you to encode, store, and stream video and audio at scale for creators and other media professionals. It also encourages users to manage, deliver, and transform media content with a cloud-based workflow anywhere across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even businesses can host videos on demand; they can also live stream to their audience in real-time. Azure cloud services ensure that the video data remains secure and accessible from all over the world by any of your team members. AMS also facilitates encoding and transcoding so the videos can be played across devices in multiple resolutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Azure Media Service is Retiring: Migrate all your content Instantly with VPlayed without any data loss<\/div>\n
Migrate to VPlayed<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Why Is Azure Media Services Being Retired?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AMS will be retired as these services never did financial justifications for Microsoft\u2019s investments. Also, there was no aggressive marketing strategy from Microsoft to promote AMS, and it couldn’t compete much with the other platforms in the market, especially in front of Amazon\u2019s Media Services. As per Microsoft’s recent updates, they will shift their focus to other areas of their company that promise secular growth in strategic areas, and long-term competitiveness of the company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a business leader and creator, it’s common to face overwhelming challenges, especially when in survival mode. However, shifting focus to growth mode, as advocated by influential figures like Jeff Bezos, can lead to progressive outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>When Will AMS Be Retired?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft will stop Azure Media Services on June 30, 2024. However, the shutting down of AMS did not come as a surprise since Azure\u2019s CTO, Hanno Basse, already resigned last year. After the sudden resignation, on July 7, an update was issued, indicating that Microsoft had thoroughly reviewed various approaches to its media strategy over the years. Following extensive discussions, the decision was made to discontinue Azure services<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Services To Disappear After AMS Gets Retired<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So what are the services that will be discontinued, and how we as the customers are going to survive the transition is a big question? But where there is a will there is a way isn\u2019t? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So dear creators and business tycoons! Here is what you need to know : <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customers who are currently using the service are advised to complete the service transition before June 30, 2024. After which you will no longer be able to access your Media Services accounts. Added to that, your other documents related to the  Media Player will retire on the same day too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So before the day comes it’s a high priority that you seek the best azure media alternative<\/a> and switch to a platform that offers similar or better services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is the list of services that will be discontinued, scroll down to check what kind of services you will be missing if you fail to find an alternative platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>On-Demand Encoding<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Encoding transforms the raw video data by compressing and reducing its size. The process removes redundancy from the video, removing unnecessary frames. With AMS gone, businesses or users will no longer have encoding services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Live Streaming<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Azure live streaming is an essential tool for video-based businesses since it lets them communicate with their audience in real time. With AMS not functioning anymore, businesses will opt for other platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>On-Demand Streaming<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On-demand streaming enables businesses to host videos on their channel and let them get streamed by their audience. With the absence of AMS, businesses can\u2019t provide on-demand streaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Content Protection Workflows<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

AMS provides security for the video content to keep it safe against unauthorized access. Businesses won\u2019t have these security layers, making their data vulnerable to potential threats and thefts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Azure Media Player<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Businesses won\u2019t be able to play or stream the videos anymore. Their viewers can\u2019t access the azure media streaming feature once it is shut down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What Steps Should Existing AMS Customers take?<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that we’re aware of the services you’ll be missing, let’s guide you in efficiently managing this transition. Here’s what you need to do as a customer before the retirement date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Look For An Alternative<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

VPlayed helps you quickly start streaming or hosting video content within minutes. Businesses can host their videos on demand and provide live streaming capabilities to engage with their audience in no time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 It offers an array of best solutions like video streaming solutions like :<\/p>\n\n\n\n