specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Castr
providerId: castr-live
created: '2026-07-11'
modified: '2026-07-11'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Live Streaming
- Video Hosting
- VOD
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of Castr spend. Castr is billed as a subscription (Starter through
  Events/OTT, plus custom/enterprise), where each tier bundles a fixed set of
  allowances - concurrent streams, multistream destinations, upfront (ingest)
  bandwidth, player (delivery) bandwidth, and video storage. The documented REST
  API is included with the subscription rather than metered separately, so the
  cost drivers are the plan fee and staying within (or upgrading past) the plan's
  bandwidth, storage, and concurrency allowances. Annual billing lowers the
  effective monthly rate versus monthly billing.
notes: >-
  Per-unit overage rates (if any) beyond plan allowances are not reconciled here;
  verify current tiers and overage handling on the Castr pricing page. The
  dominant cost levers are choosing the right tier for concurrency and bandwidth,
  and controlling delivery (player) bandwidth and stored VOD volume.
sources:
- https://castr.com/pricing/
- https://castr.com/live-video-api/
- https://developers.castr.com/docs/getting-started
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: Castr
serviceCategory: Media and Video Streaming
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription
  billingFrequency: Monthly or Annual
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Purchase
  - Usage
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Castr
  ServiceCategory: Media and Video Streaming
  ProviderName: Castr
  PublisherName: Castr
  InvoiceIssuerName: Castr
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
  PricingCategory: Subscription
meters:
- name: subscription
  description: Recurring plan fee for the subscribed Castr tier.
  unit: subscription
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - plan
- name: upfront_bandwidth
  description: Ingest/multistream bandwidth consumed against the plan allowance.
  unit: bytes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - stream
- name: player_bandwidth
  description: Viewer-delivery bandwidth consumed against the plan allowance.
  unit: bytes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - stream
  - video
- name: storage
  description: Video hosting storage consumed against the plan allowance.
  unit: bytes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - folder
- name: concurrent_streams
  description: Peak simultaneous streams relative to the plan's concurrency ceiling.
  unit: streams
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - account
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track upfront and player bandwidth, stored VOD volume, and peak concurrency against plan allowances per account.
- name: Allocation
  description: Name streams, folders, and webhook integrations per workload/team so bandwidth and storage map to internal cost centers.
- name: Optimization
  description: Right-size the plan to real concurrency and bandwidth needs, prune stored VOD, limit multistream destinations to those in use, and prefer annual billing to lower the effective monthly rate.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign owners per stream/account and review monthly bandwidth and storage consumption against the plan before an upgrade is forced.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com