Consumers are increasingly demanding video content on at any time, anywhere and on any device, but are overwhelmed by some 200 OTT choices, according to a new report from Ooyala. Yet, even with that many choices, millennials are not completely satisfied with their current OTT services, Ooyla says, citing a Morning consult report, and are finding the plethora of content only adds to their confusion. The OTT experience is suffering as a result.
Therefore, Ooyala predicts this customer issues will drive improvements in the OTT experience, including streamlined authentication, better content curation, personalization and easier search and discovery.
The better they can improve customers’ OTT experiences, the more of the market OTT providers will be able to command as content continues to move to the mobile platform. Citing an Ericson study, Ooyala expects mobile video viewing to account for 75% of mobile data traffic by 2022. Also, according to Zenith Media, mobile video consumption averages an estimated 28 minutes per day, according to Ooyala.
“TV viewing is continuing to go to a much more personalized, one-to-one experience,” said Belsasar Lepe, Ooyala co-founder and SVP of products and solutions, in the Ooyala State of the Broadcast Industry 2018 report. “Where previously you might have sat with your family and consumed your favorite show together, it’s going to be online and much more personalized with additional features such as virtual and augmented reality.”
Ooyla adds that previous analyses show that the video content is trending to short form and away from longer, more time-consuming productions.
Additionally, content distributors will seek to attract and retain customers by:
- Format experimentation – Content delivery services are experimenting with formats, such as vertical video or mobile-specific content series, to optimize the TV anywhere viewing experience;
- Social media – Major social-media platforms, including Facebook (, Twitter and Snapchat – all grasping the growing role of video online – are jumping into the streaming pool with big investments in long- and short-form video;
- Bundling – Skinny bundles are gaining traction, and distributors will end the year with more than three million U.S. subscribers to mini-bundles, per comScore. Look for more bundling experiments in 2018;
- IP technology – Traditional television companies – broadcasters and cable programmers alike – are going all-in on IP technology, focusing on the related metadata which providers believe will drive critical advances in every area of video delivery. The next-generation broadcast TV standard, ATSC 3.0, is an example. This embrace of data will be crucial to TV industry success during the next five years;
- Original Content – Distributors will have less patience for the time it has traditionally taken to build audiences and they may be quick to cancel shows – so look for shake-outs this year. Content creators will also pursue new revenue streams.
Image courtesy of flickr user Sander Spolspoel.
