It may be hard to admit, but it’s true. Online TV has disrupted the way we do television. The TV viewing landscape is clearly not the same anymore; younger viewers are increasingly watching content on all of their various devices. And although TV as we know it won’t be going away anytime soon, studies do show a decline in traditional TV viewing among every age group except those over the age of 65. So, what does this mean for you as a content owner or provider? It’s about time you delivered more content online!
But before you launch your over-the-top (OTT) service, it’s important to understand what you need to do differently to succeed online. After all, OTT video doesn’t play by the same rules as traditional TV. From encoding across different devices to delivering over the Internet to the way you advertise and the user experience you provide, your new OTT service will need to act and look much differently than anything you do over-the-air. And yes, your current workflow may be impacted too. Here are a few things you should know to really stand out from other emerging OTT service providers.
Unlike the TV experience, which has always relied on linear channels to entertain, online video is built for on-demand viewing. Your new OTT service doesn’t have to fit neatly into a broadcast schedule; instead your online content needs to adapt to fit every screen. This might seem more complicated, but it’s actually great news for you as an emerging OTT content provider. Today’s viewers are busy, so allowing them to access your content when and where they want just makes sense. And that’s the beauty of OTT service. You’re giving your viewers what they want.
Consumers are also shifting away from communal viewing. They want to watch their favorite shows anywhere and on multiple devices, and not necessarily always huddled together on the living-room couch. For OTT providers, here’s your chance to personalize the experience for each and every viewer with targeted ads and bonus content. Opportunities like this are unique only to the OTT market, and emerging content providers who embrace them all are sure to experience success!
If nothing else, creating unique, intuitive and engaging experiences should be the focus for every emerging OTT provider. Mobile devices have revamped the way consumers think a user interface should look and act. Clunky set-top box grid guides are quickly replaced by data-rich swipe and search apps. Apps can be heavily personalized and updated every hour, every day consistently to keep users engaged.
Another way pay-TV differs from OTT delivery is how each model generates revenue. Pay-TV operators have to lock consumers into long subscription contracts because of the equipment that’s rented out. OTT customers don’t rent equipment. They own their devices, which means no more unnecessary contracts. That’s yet another win for the world of OTT!
Emerging OTT providers can also experiment with a dual revenue model that combines advertising and subscriptions. Hulu is a good example of this. The bottom line is there are plenty of revenue opportunities in the world of OTT delivery. All you need is an online video platform that’s robust and flexible enough to keep up with your audience.
Ready for some good news? There’s no need to launch your OTT service alone. An experienced online video partner can help you launch faster and more efficiently than anyone else. And with a trusted partner, you can bypass all the complexities and uncertainties involved with delivering online.
Selecting the right online video partner though can be just as complex as it is to deliver content across the fragmented world of devices. Unfortunately, some vendors have to piece together a solution with several outside partners to deliver your experience, which further complicates workflows.
But why go through all that guesswork? Launching a successful OTT delivery service requires getting it done right the first time around. That means working with the power of one partner that can offer you one end-to-end solution, which includes:
• One format to encode high-quality live, linear or on-demand video to every device
• One place to secure and store all your digital video files
• One framework to quickly develop multi-platform apps on mobile, tablet, game consoles and browsers
• One robust engine for monetization through advertising, subscriptions and pay per view
• One set of analytics that helps you track and improve video performance
• One digital rights management offering to protect content on any device
• One worldwide content delivery network to stream high-quality video to viewers everywhere
With the power of one partner and one solution, you can finally focus on your content and on delivering compelling experiences rather than dealing with multiple partners and logistics. It’s time to get started and let the power of one help you launch your OTT service today!
Discover how to leverage the power of one partner and solution to launch your OTT service. Download our white paper: It’s About Time You Launched Your Over-the-Top Service.
