sep oct joomag | Page 13

Consumers seek better streaming bundles
Is Hollywood reinventing
a ‘ Bundling 2.0 ’ of the best
content to watch ? Hub Intel
says US consumers are savvier
than ever in navigating TV and
movie sources to get what they
want . But it ’ s not easy .
Multiple streaming services are
still needed to replicate the ‘ allin-one
’ of cable TV days of yore ,
and viewers increasingly sense
the many monthly subscriptions
are outpacing their ability to
keep track .
The growth of FAST services
and more sports content
migrating online continue
to complicate the viewing
landscape . Hollywood is
responding with new bundles
from distributors ( Comcast ,
Charter etc ) and streamers
( Disney +, Netflix , Max etc ), bringing together services into more simplified bundles to improve loyalty . Will these efforts work ? Hub ’ s annual Best Bundle study tracks the services that form the foundation of consumers ’ bundles , the ones that serve as add-ons , and how these metrics change over time . Key findings include :
• Consumers use more than seven TV sources to juggle their viewing needs . Hub ’ s 2024 survey reveals that consumers are indeed pulling together more than a handful of TV sources – both traditional and digital – to get what they want . In fact , this year saw a bounce back to an average of 7.4 services used , after a dip in 2023 . The number of viewers ‘ stacking ’ three or more of the
major streamers ( Netflix , Prime Video , Disney +, Hulu & Max ) grew to half of users in 2024 , with even more growth coming from the nearly two-thirds of people using FAST services ( like Tubi or Pluto ) to round out their TV diet :
• Juggling multiple services propels “ revolving door ” churn . Despite growth in using multiple services , consumers aren ’ t necessarily keeping them for the long term . ‘ Revolving door churn ’ is seen in roughly a third of viewers who say they intend to both add and drop services in the next six months . These people are chasing specific programmes or a promotional deal and then cancel services until something else catches their eye .
• Helping consumers bundle services in more meaningful
ways will improve loyalty . Short-term subscriber mentality makes managing multiple services more challenging than ever and creates opportunities for studios to better bundle subscriptions . Nearly three quarters of consumers find a service that could help to manage multiple subscriptions in one place as appealing .
“ Consumers are overwhelmed by the fragmented landscape of streaming services and are well-positioned to migrate to more streamlined solutions ,” said Jason Platt Zolov , consultant for Hub . “ New streaming bundles recently announced are a step in the right direction – and those which communicate a clear price / value solution will be well-positioned to help stabilise challenges with churn .
keep their services , some of the top reasons are the availability of high-quality movies and TV shows as well as a vast library of films , according to Futuresource ’ s Living with Digital survey . “ When asked about whether they would prefer to access all video & TV apps via a single interface , 20 per cent strongly agreed , as opposed to just 5 per cent who strongly disagreed .”
“ Part of the improvements being seen across content discovery involves how services are
“ Subscription fatigue is a real issue , and managing subscriptions across different platforms is cumbersome .” - Shy Shriqui , Vubiquity now utilising AI . Nearly half of respondents are comfortable with services using their viewing history to build a better personalised recommendation list . Whilst recommendations based on viewing history are key , it ’ s important to ensure that new content is also easily discoverable . The approach being taken by some services to license content previously just within the walled garden of a subscription service ( i . e ., Disney + on the BBC ) is allowing a new and wider audience to engage with shows they may have not previously have been open to ,” he notes . “ Clearly curation is where it ’ s at ,” says Gunnarsson . “ It ’ s the number one challenge – with a huge ever-increasing volume of titles available – and multiple major services offering content – the lack of coherence , apart from a handful of select titles that are advertised , means customers are largely left on their own to find content . The provider that can enable the best possible UX with effective content curation and discovery is the one that should be best placed to take advantage of the many challenges faced by TV and Video .”
“ Content discovery is undoubtedly one of the most critical areas in need of innovation ,” offers Shriqui . “ Coming from the UX side of the streaming industry , I ’ m surprised by how poor the streaming experience has become with the fragmentation of D2C services . As a user , I find it challenging to keep track of all my subscriptions . Subscription fatigue is a real issue , and managing subscriptions across different platforms with varying credentials is cumbersome . The discovery experience is even worse . I believe telcos and pay-TV distributors have an opportunity to bring convenience to this fragmented landscape . This is one of the key areas of focus for the solutions we provide at Vubiquity : aggregated self-care to simplify subscription management and metadata aggregation to enhance the discovery experience ,” he adds .
EUROMEDIA 13