So, CMCD v2 is officially a “”thing.”” The spec is done (or it will be, once we stop finding new ways to break it). The party’s over, right? Wrong. The real party is just getting started. We’re here to tell you that CMCD v2 isn’t just an incremental improvement; it’s a generic player-server interface that enables an explosion of new use cases—a new era we call the Rise of the Planet of CMCD v2. This year, we didn’t just write the spec; we put it to the test while the ink was still wet. We implemented the CMCD v2 into the Common Media library, dash.js, and Shaka Player, and created the cmcd-toolkit—a fully open-source data collector and analyzer. Our mission was clear: create the very first CMCD v2 deployment in production to analyze the results for the “Ultra-Low Latency Live Streaming at Scale” IBC Accelerator project. In this presentation, we’ll share the lessons: how this real-world deployment helped us refine the spec, and the insights we gained from measuring a live L3D-DASH implementation and how you can use the cmcd-toolkit today. But the story doesn’t end there… In the process, we had a profound realization: CMCD v2 together with CMSD can be seen as a generic interface between player and server. This unlocks complex use cases far beyond QoE. We’re talking about Content Steering, remote player debugging, and even watch parties. Suddenly, CMCD v2 became a game-changer for a whole new set of applications. In the Rise of the Planet of CMCD, the apes win—and this community couldn’t be happier. This talk is for the builders, the tinkerers, and everyone who wants to join the player data revolution. —– Disclaimer: Nico bears no relation to, and has no prior affiliation with, any of the monkeys previously presented. Furthermore, he wishes to state for the record his profound lack of interest in the content of any conversations the ‘contemplative monkeys’ may have had during their dating period. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. This talk was presented at Demuxed 2025 in London, a conference by and for engineers working in video. Every year we host a conference with lots of great new talks like this – learn more at https://demuxed.com”