Nielsen recently published the total audience report for the US for Q4 2014.

There were some interesting insights:

  • 268 million people in the US are watching video over the internet – that’s almost as many as scheduled TV.
  • As of November 2014, over 40% of US homes had access to an SVOD service.
  • 13% of homes have multiple streaming services.
  • 65% of those SVOD homes access SVOD services via video games consoles or tablets; nearly a quarter do so via their smart TVs.
  • The average time spent consuming media per day has increased by almost 29 minutes in the last three years while smartphone usage time has increased by 32 minutes.

It’s a clear trend that can be observed around the world. A large number of households now have access to multiple platforms/technologies and multiple screens. Combine this with the fact that more people are using the internet and their mobile devices than ever before – whether that’s to access social networks or on-demand music and TV services, MCNs with the latest health tips or just, errrr, cat memes – and you have a new dilemma for broadcasters and content providers: a battle not just for viewership but for consumers’ time and attention.

Attracting audience attention and improving engagement were among the topics we discussed during our half day innovation event in London last week. As everyone in the TV industry knows, content is the foundation of what consumers look for in their ideal TV solution. But how do you get people to watch your content? And then when they’ve watched your content, how do you keep them engaged and make them loyal?

Understanding viewer habits requires analytics across content, content consumption patterns and customer attributes. How do you know who tuned in to watch the last season of “Mad Men” after reading the review in the New Yorker? And who binge-watched “Alla Sverige backar” (the Swedish version of the “The Great British Bake Off”) after watching the original British show? Or “The Imitation Game” on an iPad, just because it was recommended by Benedict Cumberbatch fans on IMDB?

Providing a good consistent experience and having content available anytime, anywhere on any device without restrictions is what loyal viewers appreciate. Seamless access across platforms and devices is considered a hygiene factor nowadays. But, how do you address it without knowing where your viewers are, what kind of platforms they use and what content they’re watching on different devices? The kids might watch “Brave” on an iPad, while your teenage son watches episodes of “Banshee” on his Samsung Galaxy phone, while moving from the 3G mobile network to the wifi hotspot in Starbucks.

And what happens to the viewer experience when you split a two hour movie into pieces to watch it like a series during your daily commute? Having that information not only allows you to ensure good quality of access to different devices in different locations, but also to make sure that the content is packaged in the most suitable way for your target viewer group. Quality of delivery, sound and image and consistency across every platform and every screen is key.

What actually gives the experience a little bit extra is personalization – to create content based on viewers preferences, offers and packages based on individual usage patterns and ensuring that promotions are delivered at the most suitable moment. You are sitting on a pile of data, coming from all systems and devices. The challenge is to develop valuable insights from this data and act on those insights quickly. Your processes and organization need to be agile and flexible but without losing sight of the end-to-end experience you are providing.

It is a tough task, but as Orpheus Warr, CTO of Channel 4 said during his presentation, providing that memorable experience might be more straightforward than you think; but you have to consider everything from the brand, the user interaction flow and the technology to do it successfully.

Stan Dimitrov, Product Marketing Manager, Online Video Services