Twister Media Group

What Twister Media Group does

Twister Media Group, operating publicly as Once.net, is a private creative media and technology agency that has operated for approximately 30 years building scalable systems for real-time audience engagement. The company's core asset is 'Based,' a proprietary foundational technology platform comprising in-house database systems, orchestration infrastructure, APIs, CLI tools, SDKs, and documentation, designed for extreme concurrent-user scalability and supporting both cloud and on-premise deployments. On this foundation, the company layers a six-tier service framework: Foundational Tech (Based), Design Kit (UI library), Back Office Apps, End-to-end Apps, In-house Platforms (including the Tally audience-engagement platform and a Televoting System), and Managed Services.

The company monetizes through four principal streams: managed services for end-to-end audience engagement with embedded digital security and anti-fraud; custom application development tied to brand identity and live-data expertise; subscription-based licensing of in-house platforms such as Tally; and technology licensing via based.io, where the foundational stack is being opened to the wider developer community. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales with quote-based, multi-year contracts; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Twister Media Group's customer base is concentrated in three named verticals: broadcasting and live entertainment (anchored by a 20-plus year pan-European voting partnership with the Eurovision Song Contest, supporting peaks of 1.3 million concurrent users from 189 countries), government and security operations (AirHub drone fleet management using the Based platform), and publishing and media (a bespoke CMS and website build for EUobserver). No parent company, funding rounds, acquisitions, or leadership changes are disclosed in the available data.

Name

Twister Media Group

Legal name

Once.net

Website

https://twister.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Once.net is a 30-year-old private media and technology agency that builds scalable live-engagement infrastructure on its proprietary 'Based' platform, serving broadcasters (Eurovision), government (AirHub drone ops), and publishers (EUobserver) via enterprise multi-year contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Audience Engagement Technology

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Support, CRM & Retention Tooling (Helpdesk, Churn, Messaging) (MPAHAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creator Tipping, Donations & Micro-Payments (MPACAFAB), News & Content Aggregation Portals (BPAMAAAI)

Keywords

• Audience engagement platforms
• Live voting systems
• Scalable infrastructure software
• Media technology services
• Custom application development

Headquarters

HQ city

Beringe

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Managed Services: Full-service end-to-end support from concept to execution, handling every aspect of engaging large audiences with state-of-the-art digital security and anti-fraud systems. Provides reliability and peace of mind at massive scale.
2. Custom Application Development: Building fully customized, user-facing applications crafted to honor brand unique identity, leveraging expertise in scalability and live data from design to development.
3. In-house Platform Licensing: Purpose-built platforms including Tally (audience engagement platform for live media), offered as standalone solutions to deliver seamless, scalable experiences for millions of users.
4. Technology Licensing (Based.io): Foundational technology including database systems, orchestration infrastructure, APIs, CLI tools, SDKs, and documentation being brought to the wider developer community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Twister Media Group (operating as Once.net) is a creative media and technology agency that builds and licenses scalable technology platforms for live audience engagement. Its core offering includes the proprietary 'Based' foundational technology platform (database systems, orchestration, APIs, SDKs), the 'Tally' audience engagement platform for live media, and custom-built applications and managed services for broadcasters, governments, and publishers requiring extreme-scale live infrastructure.

Product overview

Once.net is a creative media and technology agency offering a platform-plus-services architecture. Their foundational technology (Based) forms the core, providing database systems, orchestration infrastructure, APIs, CLI tools, and SDKs. Built upon this, they offer a Design Kit (UI library), Back Office Apps, and End-to-end Apps. Their In-house Platforms include Tally (audience engagement for live media), Televoting System (used with Eurovision), and AirHub (drone operations). They also provide Custom CMS solutions for publishing clients like EUobserver, and Managed Services for full end-to-end support. The company specializes in connecting companies to large amounts of live information, supporting millions of concurrent users.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tally: Audience engagement platform for live media, supporting interactive live show tools.
• Based

Products and services

• Based Foundational technology platform built in-house including database systems, orchestration infrastructure, APIs, CLI tools, SDKs, and documentation. Designed for extreme scalability, high performance, and frictionless developer experience. Supports both cloud and on-premise deployments and is being brought to the wider developer community.
• Tally In-house audience engagement platform purpose-built for live media experiences, supporting televoting systems and interactive live show tools for millions of concurrent users.
• Televoting System Pan-European televoting infrastructure deployed for the Eurovision Song Contest for over 20 years, supporting peaks of 1.3 million concurrent users from 189 countries across phone, SMS, and online voting modalities.
• Custom CMS Platform Bespoke content management system and end-to-end web platform built for publishing clients such as EUobserver, tailored to specific editorial workflows with flexibility, scalability, and live data features that off-the-shelf CMS solutions cannot match.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports 1.3 million concurrent users from 189 countries during peak events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Eurovision Song ContestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner20-year+ partnership as pan-European voting partner managing televoting from early days with phone lines and SMS to online voting introduced in 2022. Supports peaks of 1.3 million concurrent users from 189 countries for live engagement.
• AirHubcoreTechnology or IntegrationAirHub relies on Once's foundational technology 'Based' to power its platform for live drone operations. The flexible infrastructure manages critical flight and operational data while supporting both cloud and on-premise deployments for diverse customers including government.
• EUobserverflagshipTechnology or IntegrationBuilt end-to-end platform for EUobserver including custom CMS and website, tailored to specific editorial workflows. Bespoke CMS offers flexibility and scalability beyond off-the-shelf solutions. Collaborating on innovative live data features for news delivery.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Telescope Inc. Telescope provides real-time audience engagement, voting, and second-screen platforms for live TV shows and events. Direct peer to Once.net's Tally and televoting systems, serving the same broadcaster and live-event customer base with interactive engagement tooling.
• Maestro (by MXP): Maestro (formerly part of MXP) delivers interactive second-screen experiences, predictions, and polling for live TV and sports broadcasters. Direct peer in the second-screen / live-audience-interaction category that overlaps with Tally's positioning.
• Grabyo: Grabyo provides cloud-based live video production, distribution, and audience engagement tools for broadcasters and sports rights holders. Direct overlap with Once.net's live-media infrastructure and engagement capabilities for enterprise broadcast customers.
• Monterosa: Monterosa builds interactive second-screen and live audience engagement experiences for broadcasters and brands. Comparable to Once.net in targeting the same live-broadcast use cases (voting, polling, real-time participation) for tier-1 media companies.
• Eko: Eko develops interactive video technology enabling branching narratives and audience participation for entertainment and brand experiences. Direct peer in the interactive-video and live-engagement category that Once.net's Tally platform targets.
• LiveLike: LiveLike provides SDKs and platforms for second-screen fan engagement, live polling, and synchronized viewing experiences for sports and entertainment. Comparable to Once.net's Tally platform and the broader live-engagement technology stack.

Broad incumbents

• Stingray Digital: Stingray is a publicly traded music, media, and technology company offering streaming, broadcast, and in-venue engagement solutions. Broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in audience engagement and media-tech infrastructure for enterprise customers.
• Brightcove: Brightcove is an established video platform technology provider serving OTT, streaming, and enterprise communications customers. Broad incumbent whose streaming and engagement capabilities overlap with Once.net's media-tech infrastructure layer.
• Stats Perform: Stats Perform (incorporating Sequence and Opta) provides real-time sports data, fan engagement, and interactive experiences for media and betting customers. Broad incumbent with overlapping real-time engagement and live-data infrastructure capabilities relevant to Once.net's positioning.
• IBM Watson Media: IBM Watson Media (now IBM Video) offers enterprise-grade live streaming, video AI, and broadcast workflow tooling. Broad incumbent competing in the same enterprise live-media and engagement infrastructure space as Once.net's Foundational Tech layer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Twister Media Group