How To Save 30%+ On Panopto Renewals
- Ibiso David-West
- Oct 10
- 3 min read
When Panopto launched in 2007, it spun out of Carnegie Mellon University as one of the earliest purpose-built lecture capture and video management platforms. Over the following decade it entrenched itself in higher education, especially in North America and Europe, and later expanded strongly into the Middle East and Asia. Today, Panopto is arguably the default “safe choice” for universities wanting to capture, store, index, and stream lecture content at scale.
In North America, leading research institutions, state universities, and liberal arts colleges (Harvard, Princeton, UCLA, Duke, UTSA etc) have long used Panopto for hybrid and flipped classrooms.
In Europe, many universities chose Panopto early as a reliable, standards-compliant video repository integrated with LMS systems. Examples include Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Newcastle and Exeter.
In the Middle East and Asia, Panopto has become popular where funding allows, particularly in Gulf states, Singapore, South Korea, and leading Indian institutions.
Because Panopto was among the first to build not just capture but video indexing, search, and integration capabilities, it secured standard adoption during the shift to digital lecture delivery.
Competition Arrives: A Saturated Lecture Capture Landscape
As universities began digitising lecture delivery en masse, accelerated by pandemic pressures, other vendors seized the opportunity. The market quickly became crowded with alternatives vying for share. The key players now include Echo360, YuJa and Kaltura.
While many institutions initially adopted Panopto, others switched or experimented, drawn by lower entry pricing, new features or perceived flexibility. Some universities even run multi-vendor stacks. But Panopto often has stayed in the mix, thanks to its incumbency, integration depth, and perceived reliability.
What’s New at Panopto (2024-2025)
New Leadership: In April 2025, Panopto appointed Stephen Laster (formerly of D2L) as CEO, signaling a push toward a stronger AI- and video-first strategy.
AI Expansion: The late-2024 acquisition of Elai brought AI text-to-video, avatars and voice cloning into Panopto’s platform, positioning it beyond capture into full video creation.
Private Equity Pressure: Since its 2021 acquisition by K1 Investment Management, Panopto has faced aggressive sales targets and leadership turnover, creating uncertainty for universities relying on stable partnerships.
Evolving Pricing Model: New pricing changes tie directly to the latest AWS cloud infrastructure costs, including:
Cold storage tiers for archived video
Premium AI add-ons for transcription, translation, and generative tools
Bandwidth surcharges during peak usage
Lock-in contracts with annual price escalators
Bottom line: Universities are now paying not just for lecture capture, but for layered AI, storage, and streaming costs, a model that can inflate spend quickly.
The Risks of an Aggressive Vendor Stance
Under its PE-backed management, Panopto is under pressure to hit aggressive revenue targets. That typically translates to:
Upsell push on new AI modules or feature sets
Contractual escalation clauses with limited flexibility
Frequent turnover among sales and renewal teams
Higher risk of surprise increases or clause changes
For universities, that means the vendor relationship becomes less predictable. If a renewal negotiation is mishandled, an institution can suddenly find itself locked into overpriced contracts, with limited recourse.
From a procurement or IT leadership perspective, that’s worrying, especially in times of tight budgets, shifting priorities and pressure to optimize spend.
How To Save 30%+ on Panopto Renewals (Without Cutting Licenses)
Wyn has helped universities across North America and Europe cut 30-40% from Panopto renewals without reducing licenses or usage allowances. The approach includes:
Auditing usage to uncover overprovisioned licenses and storage
Optimizing storage tiers by moving older content to cold or archival storage
Unbundling AI features so transcription, translation, and avatars are optional, not mandatory
Creating competitive leverage by benchmarking against latest Echo360, YuJa and Kaltura pricing
Negotiating better contract terms with capped price increases, audit limits, and exit flexibility
These savings return funds directly to university budgets, helping preserve jobs, fund research, and protect teaching quality during a period of financial strain in the sector.
If your Panopto renewal is coming up in the next 18 months, speak with Wyn to see how much you can save. Remember, Wyn’s model is “no savings, no fee”, so if your institution already has a great deal with Panopto, you won’t owe us anything.