Cover Story recommendations across streaming platforms . In my view , the main issue is that these guides are not fully integrated within TVs or STBs , so you still have to launch an app ( or use your phone ) and then switch back to your TV to find what you want . This leaves a big gap in the discovery experience ,” he admits .
“ Guide apps can be helpful for consumers looking for the right content ,” agrees NPAW ’ s Sudworth . “ They serve as a central content registry where consumers can find out what platform has a specific title available , and they provide content recommendations of their own based on the user ’ s preferences . But we see two issues with these Apps : First of all , they are mostly not integrated into the streaming platform , so you need to use a different medium for searching for the right content than for consuming the content . And the second issue that we see is , that the motivation to sign up for these Apps is pretty low , but then they cannot recommend content based on your profile . So , it is actually a pretty oldschool way of searching for relevant content . A kind of digital-form printed TV programme guide ,” he adds .
“ They act like vertical search engines ,” suggests Synamedia ’ s Eude . “ They are very practical , taking a broad-brush approach with a UX geared towards efficiency and exhaustivity , but they are not so useful in terms of personalised discovery .” According to ThinkAnalytics ’ Naik , they are “ very ” useful . “ Consolidated guides glue the viewing experience for binge viewing and missed episodes , for example watching every Mission Impossible or Star Wars back-to-back . This would be really difficult without universal search or recommendations across multiple service providers even if you knew exactly where and when to find each piece of content ,” he adds .
“ In our minds , leading with a contentcentric UX together with universal search forms the basis for what TiVo has been doing for the last decade – bringing content together into one user experience that seamlessly allows for discovery both through the remote control and by using your voice ,” suggests Xperi ’ s Cosgrave . “ With so many apps and consumers now knowing where the majority of content is available we believe this is the only useful way to consume content .” AGGREGATED . As to whether there is a demand for more and better discovery that could offer an advantage to service providers , Donath is unequivocal . “ Yes . An operator is in a good place when its customers feel that the aggregated service has everything that ’ s desirable in it , highlights what ’ s new and makes pre-qualified recommendations based on known tastes and preferences . Otherwise , the viewer will simply go directly to Netflix , for example , with no touch point with the
“ We ’ ve seen micro-bundles have a positive effect .” - Tim Pearson , NAGRA
operator , and the customer will only think of the operator as provider of the household ’ s broadband or phone service , a utility with no added value . The goal for any aggregator is to be the trusted starting point for the consumer as they embark on their entertainment journey .”
Lotfi agrees . “ Better , more personalised content discovery experiences have the proven
ability to help video providers increase content consumption and elevate KPIs . In A / B testing conducted by a leading US streaming service , personalised images representing programme choices from Gracenote were presented to some viewers in the programme guide . Exposure to the images capturing different moods , themes , settings , scenarios and subjects of the programming resulted in an 11.2 per cent increase in the number of hours watched per viewer and a 7.7 per cent increase in titles watched .”
“ Consumers are always looking to discover new and exciting content — and content operators are always looking to offer new content that reaches new audiences ,” notes Pearson . “ AI-based search and recommendation engines have been used for some time , and those such as XRoadMedia ( a core partner of NAGRA Open TV Platform ) have finessed their approach to really learn consumer behaviour to ensure that their predictive viewing habits and the like are more reflective of the fickle nature of viewing consumers .” GAP . “ Absolutely ,” asserts Ghariani , “ and we ’ ve been working hard in the past few years to bridge this ‘ discovery gap ’ with Netgem TV , by simplifying the user experience with a smart recommendation engine and universal search across all the content available on the service , including third party apps such as Netflix , Amazon Prime Video and YouTube . We also combine results with Freeview and FAST channels and , not unlike the consolidated guides , we have also added features like top 10 picks to make the discovery content driven . For service providers , the main advantage of a better discovery is to create ‘ stickiness ’. In a highly competitive environment , customer retention is more than ever a key differentiating factor . Some actors try to ‘ lock in ’ customers on lengthy contracts . Netgem TV believes more in ‘ natural stickiness ’ best achieved by offering a large choice , simplifying the discovery , and doing this at the best possible price .”
“ There certainly is ,” agrees Sudworth . “ Those providers that can differentiate themselves by providing superior content recommendation and discovery will quickly generate more user engagement and be able to retain users more effectively . Consumers want to spend their time watching content , not looking for it . So , any platform that can facilitate that will have the upper hand . The challenge here is the fragmented landscape of the content-right owners .”
“ As content libraries grow , and overall fragmentation continues , consumers will begin to feel even more frustrated at having to ‘ work ’ to find content ,” suggests Eude . “ Service providers need to ensure they are top of mind for consumers , and need to attract the leading content providers to their platform in order to remain a one-stop entertainment hub . This is a challenging problem to solve given content discovery starts with metadata aggregation .” “ Yes ; there is always a need for better content discovery ,” states Sudworth . “ One of the areas that TiVo focuses on is making sure that when personalisation is implemented , it is in an all-encompassing , holistic way that is spread right through the user experience . Just implementing a recommendations carousel doesn ’ t cut it but when a service provider fully embraces personalisation they see real results .” DESTINATION . What ’ s the destination of the direction of travel that sees content recommendations from multiple content services on an operator ‘ home page ’? Is a universal UI inevitable or impossible ? “ The trend is that entertainment is getting increasingly complex ,” says Donath . “ There ’ s no easy way to
“ Consolidated guides offer some good features to simplify discovery .” - Mathieu Ghariani , Netgem UK
manage and switch between
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