White Paper | Why the Smart TV experience is essential for OTT
Smart TV or Connected TV technology is changing how subscribers of online streaming services experience entertainment. Viewers are no longer confined to smaller mobile screens or need to necessarily invest in secondary devices such as set-top boxes or game consoles to watch and share content on the big screen at home. This makes having a presence on Smart TV platforms increasingly attractive for OTT operators.
The challenge lies in developing apps for Smart TVs, which require a specialised understanding of the technology and its various ecosystems. This can be a complex and daunting prospect for OTT service providers who may lack the expertise or resources to do so. That’s where Magine Pro steps in – we provide comprehensive solutions for TV apps, both native to Smart TVs and those that require secondary devices, that simplify the process for our partners.
In our latest white paper, ‘Go big or stay small? Why the Smart TV experience is essential for online streaming services’ we explore why Magine Pro is best positioned to help OTT operators capitalise on the big-screen experience, enabling them to reach more viewers and grow their OTT business. In addition, we discuss why offering native Smart TV apps is essential for online streaming services. We also dive into the complexities of building TV apps, including how we at Magine Pro can enable big screens for our partners and their end users. And share insights from one of our partners, Passionflix founder Tosca Musk, on the realities of running a specialist streaming service on multiple devices, including the big screen.
Download the Smart TV-focused white paper now and discover the following:
- The rise in big-screen streaming and why Smart TV is essential for online streaming services.
- How TV apps are developed to deliver an optimal end-user experience.
- Case study that explores QR Codes and the Smart TV experience.
- Q&A with Passionflix founder Tosca Musk
And much more…
Find out more about Magine Pro’s extensive library of technical resources and experienced team that enable our partners to deliver seamless streaming experiences on all devices, including the big screen, here. You can also head over to our experience page to learn more about our partners.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Magine Pro e-newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news, partners, products, and to find out which industry events we’ll be attending next.
Strategic partnerships & growth in OTT
Our latest white paper explores how strategic partnerships provide avenues for growth in OTT. The white paper features an industry report by Omdia, alongside insights from Magine Pro partners who share their experiences on how partnerships have improved their service discoverability, acquisition and growth.
Omdia’s recent report, which features as part of the white paper, highlights why partnerships are key to delivering sufficient online video growth and, specifically, the impact of bundling and aggregation partnerships with the likes of telcos and Pay-TV operators. But what does that mean for smaller niche players, or even new market entrants, who are only beginning to build a foundation within the market?
At Magine Pro, we believe partnerships of all kinds can benefit discoverability, acquisition and growth, including well-considered brand partnerships. For smaller niche players, brand partnerships that support their marketing efforts can considerably impact growth and even long-term market ambitions. Omdia also highlighted the benefits of brand partnerships within the report, stating, ‘Partnering with other industry-related brands and operators has the potential to elevate marketing efforts, increase audience reach and extend costs further.’
Collaborating with other brands can be essential to most marketing strategies, and partnerships should be entered into based on relevance to a streaming service, content and most importantly, potential audience. In our white paper, Advancing OTT audience capture: how strategic partnerships provide avenues for growth, we share what we believe to be key considerations when choosing a brand partner, including:
LIKE-MINDED BRANDS
Collaborate with industry-relevant companies, particularly those with comparable brand values and established audiences.
LIKE-MINDED BRANDS
AUDIENCE AWARENESS
A partnership should expand your audience reach. To benefit from the collaboration, you may share similar target audiences but preferably different markets.
AUDIENCE AWARENESS
ALIGN GOALS
Do your goals align? Be clear on what you’re hoping to achieve from the partnership to create and execute a successful campaign.
ALIGN GOALS
CREATIVE CROSS-PROMOTION
Consider whether there are opportunities to run cross-promotional campaigns that involve expanding marketing efforts, reach, creativity and costs.
CREATIVE CROSS-PROMOTION
ADD VALUE
Keep your existing audience in mind. Will this partnership add value for your customers? And be clear in your customer communications about how the partnership benefits them.
Download the white paper now to learn more about strategic partnerships in OTT. You can also watch the accompanying webinar, Why partnerships are key to delivering online video growth, on-demand. Join Magine Pro, Omdia, and Paus for an open discussion around Omdia’s research into aggregation. The webinar speakers also explore the benefits and experiences of brand partnerships for streaming services.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Magine Pro e-newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news, partners, products, and to find out which industry events we’ll be attending next.
WHITE PAPER | Partnerships advancing OTT audience capture
Partnerships ultimately provide mutual value to all parties involved if selected and executed effectively. Being able to reach & aggregate audiences upstream (i.e. through a Telco partnership) or downstream (i.e. through brand partnerships) increases the effectiveness of your customer acquisition spend and impact. It also offers wider benefits, including brand reach, customer loyalty and lifetime value.
Download the white paper now and discover:
- Original Omdia research explores how aggregation can drive growth for smaller players, focusing on three core types of partnerships, including Telco bundling and virtual Pay-TV operators as aggregators.
- Discover the advantages of strategic brand partnerships for OTT and how to choose the right partner.
- Magine Pro partners share their own experiences and insights into how partnerships have improved their service discoverability, acquisition and growth.
AND MUCH MORE…
Download the white paper: Advancing OTT audience capture: How strategic partnerships provide avenues for growth here.
You can also watch our recent webinar on-demand now. Join Magine Pro, Omdia, and Paus for an open discussion around Omdia’s research into aggregation as well as the benefits and experiences of brand partnerships for streaming services.
To find out more about Magine Pro’s OTT partners, including Paus, head to our experience page. You can find out more about our flexible OTT solutions and how we can help you build and launch a successful OTT business here.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Magine Pro e-newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news, partners, products, and to find out which industry events we’ll be attending next.
How To Drive Awareness & Video Service Discoverability: Part Two
In part two of How to Drive Awareness & Video Service Discoverability, we look closely at the importance of proactive subscriber care and specifically what digital channels are essential to boosting brand awareness and increasing conversion rates.
Subscribers are much savvier today than when streaming services first launched. Omdia’s recent report highlights users are becoming increasingly accustomed to the notion of subscribing and cancelling online video services regularly to meet their content needs. Those fluctuations in subscriptions are driven by multiple factors, including promotional activity, content titles and seasonality such as holiday periods or key events such as sports tournaments and the release of new seasons of must-watch drama series. So how can video streaming services turn subscribers from seasonal sign-ups to long-term loyalists?
Omdia states, “The dominant global players in streaming video know that the key to success is to proactively encourage users to make the most of the subscription, including making personalised profiles, by watching content on more than one device, and of course, to ultimately make them watch more content and more often. To thrive in a fierce online video streaming market, proactive subscriber care is a must.”
Proactive Subscriber Care
Proactive subscriber care should be forefront throughout the lifetime of the subscription, including during sign up onboarding. Communicate clearly how to best use the service from day one, educate subscribers on features, watch content on different devices, and most importantly, what to do if they encounter issues. And keeping subscribers regularly informed about new content releases, features and promotions should be ongoing.
Subscribers that feel valued or part of the journey with new streaming services are more likely to show loyalty and stick around. Consumers having a positive association with your brand can be just as effective on retention and growth rates as regularly updating your service with new content.
At Magine Pro, we advise our partners to build a reliable digital ecosystem that features all relevant acquisition and retention channels to support their marketing efforts and proactive subscriber care plan. We also integrate with Mandrill and MailChimp to enable them to regularly communicate with their users, via email and targeted in-app messages.
Digital Channels
Social Media
Social channels are undoubtedly one of the most important in the digital ecosystem for new online video services. As Omdia’s research suggests, ‘over 23% of consumers rely on recommendations from online platforms and social media when deciding what to watch.’ It’s, therefore, crucial to leverage social platforms throughout the funnel to drive awareness and build buzz around your content and service. The real-time nature of social posts makes it a great way to connect with users around current events or popular trends. It’s also a useful way to gather user feedback on content and service features and, when managed well, can help build a loyal user community.
Reach out regularly via email to your subscribers to inform them about promotions, new service features and content. Email is an essential channel for onboarding, and it’s also a great way to engage with subscribers and re-engage dormant users regularly. Build a comms strategy to support customer service and your marketing efforts, and send personalised emails where possible. For example, you can send targeted campaigns about specific content to users based on their previous viewing habits.
In-app Messages
In-app MessagesWhen timed well and positioned carefully, in-app notifications are a great way to communicate promotions or new/upcoming content on your service with users. We recommend using pop-ups to promote content that can be watched immediately or added to a user’s watchlist to enjoy later. Be mindful with the timings pop-ups appear to avoid inconveniencing users and be aware that only those using the app will receive the notification.
Push Notifications
You can also reach out to users when they aren’t using the service via push notifications. They are a helpful way to communicate a short-term promotion, new content or remind users that the content they have added to their Watchlist is coming to an end. Push notifications also enable you to add deep links, which can open a specific page in your service.
Download our white paper now, OTT Discovery: How to stand out amongst the crowd, to find out more about the benefits of proactive subscriber care and essential channels in the digital ecosystem. This white paper also includes partner case studies that highlight their in-market experiences. You’ll also discover what new streaming services can do to boost brand awareness, drive discoverability and increase conversion rates through marketing efforts and service features.
And if you missed part one of this blog series, ‘How To Drive Awareness & Video Service Discoverability’, you can catch up here and learn more about the benefits of promotional incentives.
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Want more advice and support on driving awareness & discoverability? Get in touch with the Magine Pro team and find out how we can help. You can also learn more about our branded OTT solutions and services here.
How To Drive Awareness & Video Service Discoverability: Part One
In 2020, online video overtook pay-TV subscriptions on a global level for the first time, according to Omdia’s recent report, which suggests that the competition for a share of the viewer’s time and wallet is at an all-time high. For new market entrants to be successful, they need to cut through the noise and increase discoverability.
Promotional offers are an effective way for streaming services to heighten brand awareness and increase subscriber numbers. Offering exclusive trial offers can help persuade a potential customer to sign up or subscribe long-term for a discounted rate. They’re also a great way to re-engage dormant users, boost marketing campaigns and promote new content within your service. As highlighted in Omdia’s report, users are experimenting increasingly with new streaming services and, aside from content, are primarily encouraged by aggressive promotional activity, price cuts and offers.
There are various types of promotional offers to consider that can increase awareness and conversion:
- Joint promotions with a partner, benefitting from shared costs and reach expansion.
- Classic percentage discounts on subscription sign-ups OR for select content (TVOD).
- Exclusive sign up offers that are short-term for specific marketing campaigns.
At Magine Pro, we enable our partners to easily set up and manage campaigns and promotional offers via the CMS Console. Prices can be changed by a predefined amount or by a certain percentage, and the duration of the offer/code can also be set.
In part two, we will share more insights from our latest white paper and talk specifically about proactive subscriber care that can turn subscribers from seasonal sign-ups to long-term loyalists.
Download our white paper now, OTT Discovery: How to stand out amongst the crowd, to find out more about the benefits of promotional offers and partnerships, including partner case studies that highlight their in-market experiences. You’ll also discover what new streaming services can do to boost brand awareness, drive discoverability and increase conversion rates through marketing efforts and service features.
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Want more advice and support on driving awareness & discoverability? Get in touch with the Magine Pro team and find out how we can help. You can also learn more about our branded OTT solutions and services here.
WHITE PAPER | OTT Discovery: How to stand out amongst the crowd
In 2020, online video overtook pay-TV subscriptions globally for the first time, which means the competition for a share of the viewer’s time and wallet is at an all-time high. We explore what new streaming services can do to cut through the noise and stand out from the competition in our latest white paper, OTT Discovery: How to stand out amongst the crowd.
The white paper includes:
- Original research by Omdia exploring how today’s consumers discover content and new online streaming services and, in particular, what these services can do to influence how consumers behave.
- Overview of marketing foundations for new online streaming services to drive awareness, cultivate brand credibility and trust and increase conversion rates.
- Essential streaming service features that enhance the end-user experience, promote content discovery and increase subscriber engagement and retention rates.
- Specialist Magine Pro partners, including FlixOlé and paus, share their marketing experience and insights on discoverability and subscriber growth.
- Expert opinion on the future of OTT and what it means for content and discoverability.
AND MUCH MORE…
Download the white paper: OTT Discovery: How to stand out amongst the crowd here.
You can also watch our recent webinar, OTT Discovery: Expert insights on how to stand out amongst the crowd on-demand now. Join Magine Pro, Omdia, Digital TV Europe and experienced OTT operators for in-depth analysis and discussion around Omdia’s research on consumer behaviours relating to online streaming services and content discoverability.
To find out more about Magine Pro’s thematic OTT partners, including FlixOlé and paus head to our experience page. You can find out more about our flexible OTT solutions and how we can help you build and launch a successful OTT business here.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Magine Pro e-newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news, partners, products, and to find out which industry events we’ll be attending next.
WHITE PAPER | Thematic Services: the future of OTT?
In our latest white paper, Thematic Services: the future of OTT? we explore the rise of thematic OTT services and discuss the opportunities and challenges they face.
The white paper features the results from Digital TV Europe’s Annual Industry survey 2020, where industry experts share their opinion on the relative appeal of specialist streaming, including what they think leads consumers to sign up to a subscription service, and how likely thematic services are to attract customers.
Independent analysis firm Omdia also share original research giving a unique consumer perspective on thematic OTT services, alongside forecasts on consumption and revenue share. We also look into how strategic marketing and technical agility can enable thematic OTT services to penetrate global markets and build a sustainable business. And María José Revaldería, Director General of FlixOlé provides an insight into the conception and growth of the Spanish Cinema streaming service. María also offers advice to others considering launching a thematic OTT service.
Register your details here to receive the white paper, Thematic Services: the future of OTT? in your inbox today.
To find out more about Magine Pro’s thematic OTT partners, including FlixOlé, PassionFlix and Docsville head to our experience page. You can find out more about our flexible OTT solutions and how we can help you build and launch a successful OTT business here.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Magine Pro e-newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news, partners, products, and to find out which industry events we’ll be attending next. You can book in a meeting now on our events page; meet the team and demo our OTT services firsthand.
How to build a profitable OTT business
As the OTT market has grown considerably in recent years, new market entrants face fierce competition. But you don’t have to square up to the likes of Netflix or Amazon Prime to get a good piece of the proverbial pie. At Magine Pro, we believe there’s still plenty of room in this growing market for new services to set themselves apart from the mainstream competition.
In our latest white paper, we look into the opportunities for new market entrants who want to independently monetize their live, linear and/or VOD content. Download it today and find out why we think niche services that appeal to particular audience interests are the way forward. We also outline the best types of content for OTT, monetization models that make the most sense, as well as, global distribution and how Magine Pro can help you get your OTT business off the ground!
Within the white paper, you’ll also find out more about Magine Pro’s OTT solutions and services, including our VOD encoding and quality assurance capabilities and our Pioneer and Premium OTT products. Hit the link below to download now and get in touch with us to discuss how we can help you. Alternatively, book a meeting and meet the team at IBC this September in Amsterdam and demo our services for yourself on stand 14.C25.
Download white paper
The key to building a successful OTT business
Disney’s recent acquisition of BamTech, the OTT video platform arm of MLBam, should come as no surprise, and likewise, Disney’s announced the creation of a stand-alone streaming service and removal of their content from Netflix. It is only another example of more networks and content owners embracing the direct-to-consumer strategy, bypassing traditional distributors, and bringing the number of OTT streaming services and competition to an all-time high.
With deals like Disney’s, the blurring of boundaries between content owners and distributors is ever increasing, as is investments in programming and original content by traditional distributor-only’s and tech players, with Netflix taking the lead with their $8bn content investment for this year alone, followed by Amazon’s $4.5bn, HBO’s $2.5bn, Alibaba’s $2.4bn and Apple’s $1bn.
For a new entrant streaming service, wishing to win the consumer’s eyeball time and monthly streaming budget, both of which are finite, the consequence of this highly competitive development is the requirement of potentially vast investments in content and marketing. But by using an end-to-end managed service OTT platform such as Magine’s, new OTT streaming entrants can minimize the CAPEX and OPEX required for the setup and operation of an OTT service, enabling capital to instead be funneled into content and marketing, ensuring they stay ahead of the competition, as well as eliminating the risks associated with technology investments.
It’s undeniable that competition in video streaming services is fiercer than ever but based on Magine’s experience of working with and launching a wide array of services, we’ve put together a white paper on what we consider key to building a successful OTT business.
Within the paper we cover how to attract and keep your audience engaged, reduce churn and expand into new markets, alongside the importance of choosing the right tech solutions, analytics and monetization models for your content and business. Download the white paper today and read more on what we regard as critical to launching an OTT service and how our global solutions can help get you off the ground.
Download the white paper here or contact us directly to talk more about Magine’s solutions business@magine.com.
