Cover Story
Voyage of discovery
Streamers have overturned the world of browsing TV consumption and destination viewing once determined by a paper or electronic guide . How does the consumer now find what they want ? Are they happy with this ? How do they find something they didn ’ t know they wanted ? Colin Mann spoke to a range of industry experts .
In an age of media consumption where streamers compete with aggregators , how does the consumer now find what they want ?
“ In reality , in typical daily behaviour , if there is no external input or influence , such as a recommendation from a friend about a great movie or show , when a viewer sits down hoping to enjoy some entertainment , the first thing they go to is the service or channel they watched most recently ,” suggests Pierre Donath , chief product officer and chief marketing officer at 3 Screen Solutions ( 3SS ). “ You go back to where you left off , hoping to find something appealing in the same place . And this is where the frustration often starts .”
“ Even if you get a rave review for a particular show from a friend or workmate , accessing that programme is not always straightforward ; not everyone subscribes to all services and has access to Netflix , Prime Video , Disney + and BBC iPlayer , for instance . But this is how it ’ s always been , even when we got our TV advice from magazines and the guides that come with the weekend newspaper which were never tailored to the TV channels you were able to access .”
“ What ’ s the best way to find the content you want ? It ’ s to be able to benefit from an interface that embraces aggregation , and that offers information and recommendations that reflect your personal tastes , interests . The ideal solution for the consumer is a service that enables cross-source search and discovery , but with a local flavour that ’ s informed by where the viewer is and what subscriptions they have . Operators and virtual operators are in the best position to provide this valuable service for consumers ,” he says . ABUNDANCE . “ Viewers around the world are faced with an abundance of choice today ,” notes Kamran Lotfi , VP of product , Gracenote . “ Not only in terms of original and library content to watch but also aggregator platforms and streaming services to watch on . This has led to a paradox . Despite a wealth of programming and providers , viewers often express frustration over how difficult it can be to find good content to watch . To address this , video services are increasingly leveraging a ‘ content-first ’ approach . This involves leading viewers along the discovery
“ They go to the service or channel they watched most recently .” - Pierre Donath , 3 Screen Solutions journey by building pre-awareness and interest in forthcoming programming and then promoting it in different ways once it is available to drive viewership ,” he adds .
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