How search aggregators benefit streaming services & the consumer
Discoverability is essential for online video streaming services today, where competition is high. And there are many ways to increase awareness and visibility of your content and service, including well-thought-through marketing strategies and campaigns that can build a strong online presence. Partnerships are also a fantastic way to extend marketing efforts and boost discovery.
Streaming services partnering with online search aggregators like JustWatch and PlayPilot is a great example. In our latest white paper, research analyst firm Omdia highlighted how this type of partnership can be particularly advantageous for video services, “With an increasing number of consumers relying on online searches to help decide what to watch, presence on online video comparison guides will be crucial in driving viewership.”
Search aggregation services effectively scan multiple video streaming services to surface movies and TV shows that are available. They don’t host the content themselves but instead provide links to services that do. A user can browse or type in the name of specific content they are looking for. The search aggregation service will then share information on which streaming services are currently hosting the content, whether a transaction is required, and a link to the service itself. They are particularly useful for consumers who subscribe to multiple streaming services as it eliminates having to search through each service individually.
Magine Pro partner, FlixOlé, a Spanish à la carte cinema service that offers subscribers unlimited access to hundreds of Spanish film titles, recently partnered with JustWatch. Sophie de Mac Mahon, General Manager, says: “Integrating our metadata into their system had a very positive effect on business and communication. On the one hand, since the beginning of this association, it brings us an important source of traffic directly from its page to our content, being the sixth source of traffic for Flixole.com. It also served as a tool for journalists who could refer to us as the place to see the movies they were writing about. When the marketing budget is limited, it’s essential to be present in the search aggregators to reach our potential subscribers.”
We were also joined by Sophie, alongside Rishi Kapoor, founder and CEO of paus, and Omdia, in our recent webinar, OTT Discovery: Expert insights on how to stand out amongst the crowd, where we discussed how today’s audiences discover new video services and content and what OTT providers can do to stand out amongst the crowd. Magine Pro’s CEO, Matthew Wilkinson, during the discussion, talked about how streaming services can benefit from partnerships with aggregators. Matthew says, “Enabling consumers to search for specific content within the likes of PlayPilot or JustWatch and have your content visible without the consumer being an existing subscriber to your service generates a huge opportunity for operators to increase conversion rates. Search aggregators like JustWatch and PlayPilot are also more open agnostic; they are not platform-specific like some universal search options. Generally speaking, they have much broader coverage in terms of service and discoverability.” Adding, “There’s also a wider benefit and opportunity for operators partnering with search aggregators. Aggregators like these offer a huge data point, as they can monitor what content people search for, where and when it was last available and at what price point, which can help inform a streaming services content strategy. Some also support paid marketing, which is great for services that want to boost their content visibility further as it is instantly discoverable.”
The Magine Pro OTT platform offers flexibility for all our partners. We make it easy for our clients to work together with their partners and integrate efficiently with services like PlayPilot and JustWatch. As Sophie de Mac Mahon from FlixOlé points out, “The integration is already created, and the daily updates are working perfectly. Magine Pro platform has streamlined this process, and it is worth being there and almost effortless.”
For more practical insights on improving discoverability, and to learn more about the benefits of partnering with search aggregators, check out our latest white paper and webinar.
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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 flexible 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.
WEBINAR | OTT Discovery: Expert insights on how to stand out amongst the crowd
In 2021, online video is firmly at the centre stage of a global audio-visual industry that was once dominated by pay-TV and physical home video. The rapid propagation of online video services means it’s a more competitive market for up-and-coming OTT services than ever before.
Watch our latest webinar, where we explore how today’s audiences discover new online video services and content and what OTT providers can do to stand out amongst the crowd.
Join Magine Pro, Omdia, Digital TV Europe and experienced OTT operators for in-depth analysis and discussion on consumer behaviours around online streaming services and content discoverability, based on original research by Omdia on behalf of Magine Pro.
The session features:
- A first look at Omdia’s research into consumer behaviour and discoverability.
- How consumer behaviour is evolving; the key trends and differences between European countries and the US.
- How today’s audiences are discovering new online video services and content, and what OTT operators can do to influence how customers behave.
- Expert OTT operators share their experiences of improving service and content discoverability and discuss the opportunities and challenges for new operators.
Webinar speakers include:
Matthew Wilkinson is CEO of Magine Pro, which enables partners operating globally to build thriving OTT businesses with live TV and Video-On-Demand platforms. Matthew is responsible for the sales, innovation, delivery, and development of the Magine Pro product globally.
Matthew has over 18 years of experience in Telecom & IT, working with clients in the IT & Cloud, and Media Domains, with deep experience in software development & delivery, SaaS and enterprise solutions, and previously held various leadership roles in strategy & delivery.
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Rishi is an experienced professional in film distribution both UK and Internationally. A former executive at Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and Disney. After many years working on distribution deals with Netflix, Amazon and Apple, he turned his attention to the Independent film space, supporting independent filmmakers at paus.tv.
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As part of Omdia’s media and entertainment team, Tony Gunnarsson covers the global online video sector, with a specific interest in direct-to-consumer video services, across both subscription and transactional video, as well as online video aggregation.
His main research interests are in the premium, paid-for subscription online video (SVOD). Tony provides analysis of the key developments in the global online video market, consumer insights, and business intelligence.
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Stuart is Editor of Digital TV Europe and digitaltveurope.com, the leading source for news and analysis on the digital video business internationally.
With 20 years’ experience as a leading journalist covering pay TV and digital media, Stuart is an authority on topics ranging from the growth of OTT TV, multiscreen and multi-play offerings to the IP-based convergence of video and data services.
Stuart is a familiar face on the industry conference circuit as a moderator.
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Watch the webinar: OTT Discovery: Expert insights on how to stand out amongst the crowd
Run time: 69 minutes
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You can also download our latest white paper now, OTT Discovery: How to stand out amongst the crowd, which features Omdia’s full report, as well as, an overview of product features and marketing essentials for new online streaming services to drive awareness, cultivate brand credibility and trust and increase conversion rates.
To find out more about Magine Pro’s 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.
Subscribe to the Magine Pro e-newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news, partners, products, and find out which industry events we’ll be attending next.
Q&A: FlixOlé’s, María José Revaldería on the realities of running a video streaming service
Director-General of FlixOlé, María José Revaldería provides an insight into the conception and growth of Spanish Cinema streaming service, FlixOlé.
Director-General of FlixOlé, María José Revaldería provides an insight into the conception and growth of Spanish Cinema streaming service, FlixOlé.What inspired the creation of FlixOlé as a video streaming service?
One of the objectives of FlixOlé’s launch was to give young people access to the best films that Spanish cinema has created in its entire history, with the idea of promoting curiosity and knowledge to new generations on the national cultural heritage throughout the movies.
From an operator’s perspective, how big is the market opportunity for a thematic streaming service like FlixOlé?
FlixOlé has the most extended Spanish film catalog in the world; we believe the market is wide enough with ante extended to all Spanish film lovers around the world.
What opportunities or challenges have you faced as you’ve built the brand?
Our biggest challenge was the film restoration process. Recovering movies, we had to ensure the highest quality sound and images. At the same time, the platform had to have a sensitive price to be affordable to all pockets.
How important was it to understand your launch market and target audience prior to launch?
We as a company have been dedicated to film distribution and production for several decades, we were aware of consumer taste and viewing habits, which helped us to create an appealing content environment.
What positive early traction did FlixOlé achieved after launch? And have promotional partnerships played a role in this?
The alliance with a partner that distributes TV ́s, which included a FlixOlé subscription in its final price, was decisive to the growth of subscribers and income.
Later on, we launched FlixOlé with the third-largest telecom TV operator in the country, which was a determinant of continued growth.
What are FlixOlé’s long-term growth plans? And how does a platform provider like Magine Pro enable you to meet those goals?
We are currently dealing with several telecom operators to offer our service, and thanks to our partner Magine Pro the integration of our service is possible in the best conditions.
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Read the Q&A in full in our latest white paper, Thematic Services: The future of OTT? and find out what advice Maria offers those considering starting their own streaming service.
To find out more about FlixOlé, a streaming service offering unlimited access to the world’s largest library of Spanish movies on multiple devices, check out our case study. For more information on Magine Pro’s OTT solutions and services, head over to our website.
OTT services: Classic content makes a comeback
The linear TV schedule is flooded with Christmas film classics this time of year. Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu also pad out their libraries and curate categories dedicated to the season’s favorites. What often starts as an afternoon couch slouch with the family enjoying ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ can soon turn into a mega classic movie marathon.
It’s not just during the Christmas period either, recently there’s been a more noticeable effort by some of the leading streaming giants to cater to the classic film enthusiast crowd. Some services even have dedicated categories and sections to make it easier for users to discover the classic content they want to watch.
Those looking to launch their own OTT service certainly shouldn’t overlook securing rights to older, classic content. There’s plenty of great content to source, even with the likes of Netflix and Prime snapping up some of the more popular picks, and as classic content isn’t as in demand as the latest releases, it can be easier and cheaper to obtain the rights for distribution.
Our partner FlixOlé, the home of Spanish cinema online, features thousands of titles, including classic Spanish films and series. In fact, FlixOlé was designed to encourage curiosity, preserve and introduce younger generations to Spanish cinema history. Thanks to restoration, FlixOlé users can enjoy classic content on demand in high quality (both HD and 4K) with clear sound.
Before you embark on securing rights to classic content though, you will need to consider quality and the cost of restoration. The quality of older content can be questionable, especially if it has yet to be digitized. Fortunately, at Magine Pro we are able to help our partners through part of the process by preparing VOD source files for distribution with our encoding and quality assurance services. Our proven process ensures classic VOD content is viewable in high-quality on all platforms and devices, including computer, tablet, and mobile. You can find out more about our encoding services here or get in touch to discuss your needs specifically.
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To learn more about FlixOlé, check out our case study. You can also head over to the OTT Platforms page to find out more about our branded OTT solutions and services.
Introducing FlixOlé, the home of Spanish Cinema by Magine Pro
Last year we partnered with Dinamedia, one of the world’s largest Spanish movie libraries, to build and launch their global SVOD service, FlixOlé. FlixOlé is available to audiences around the world and is home to thousands of Spanish and international film titles, including current and old classics that have been restored and digitized. We launched their Samsung Tizen app within two weeks, followed shortly after by the FlixOlé web service, iOS, and Android apps.
In preparation for launch, FlixOlé put a solid subscriber acquisition strategy in place. Alongside marketing and digital activities, FlixOlé formed a partnership with Spanish bank CaixaBank. Customers who signed up for loans received a Smart TV and FlixOlé subscription at a discounted rate. Subscriber acquisition strategies like this are fantastic for new OTT service entrants, in fact, more than 50% of FlixOlé’s initial subscriber base was a result of this partnership and the service continues to grow.
Earlier this month, Orange Spain also announced it was also adding FlixOlé to its Orange TV offer with a first-month-free trial for all new subscribers.
Head over to the home of Spanish cinema, FlixOlé now to sign up to the service directly and start watching fantastic films. You can also check out our case study to learn more about our partnership, Magine Pro tech and the build process.
Take a sneak peek at the FlixOlé film service powered by Magine Pro:
At Magine Pro, we enable our partners to hit the ground running with a branded OTT service that’s secure and scalable. Our Premium product enables our partners to launch in global markets and monetize their content with an off-the-shelf OTT service on web and native iOS and Android apps. We also provide Apple TV, Android TV and Smart TV apps for the big screen through our Premium X offering, alongside marketing and growth support to help our partners build their subscriber base.
You can find out more about Magine Pro’s global OTT platforms and services here and read more of our references. To get updates on our latest news, products, and blog posts, sign up for our monthly e-newsletter.
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Read more about FlixOlé in the press: