FROM THE INDUSTRY
Event television may be another route to big revenues. Pay-per-view events need to be must-see television (at least to some segment of the audience) to work, but when they do it is good value for the network and there is a feelgood factor about the service itself. Technology Marketing informs potential subscribers about your great content, but you need the right technology platform to deliver it. More than that, you need the right platform to drive the marketing. Your TV platform needs to be able to add reels, push trailers and other dynamic ways of presenting your content on a weekly basis. You must promote the newest or hottest content frequently on the screen, and the platform must make this easy to design and implement. Analytics are vital to any successful service. You should be tracking audience numbers by channel and by programme. But the data can also tell you how often subscribers are using your platform. If you have a user who has not logged on for a couple of weeks, use direct marketing to get them back. Offer them a special deal. Make them aware of programmes they may have overlooked. Send targeted, personalised marketing messages by whatever means will attract their attention, inside and outside the app. Keep it dynamic to keep it engaging. Aim to upsell, not just to retain. Streaming services are a very attractive proposition for network operators. As with any media offering, content is king. As with any business, you have to market to win consumers: in this case by telling them all about your content. The third leg of the tripod is the technology, and that has to provide all the tools and data that the marketers need. It is the three parts together – content, technology and marketing – that will lead to success.
You have to make it easy for subscribers to stay, so first you have to have a common look and feel, with distinctive branding across every platform. Again, this is a fundamental of the MwareTV offering, that all platforms are supported and apps can be created and customised using simple, no-coding drag and drop. At the time of launch, potential audiences need to understand what is available. Operators should have made tactical decisions to achieve an initial offering that will excite them. Once the service is online, you learn from the statistics. Your analytics must show you what content is sought after and what is not, which drives how you develop further. Make it simple to renew subscriptions. Auto-renewal is always attractive for the service provider, although some markets have made it illegal and others may find it inappropriate. However you do it, find ways to make it easy. Again, this must be a part of the technology platform. Introduce offerings in stages. Adding to the service makes it feel dynamic, and gives you another reason to engage with subscribers. Tell them you are adding new things, in app or on other platforms. Selling content is not like selling broadband – you have to keep telling audiences that they need your service.
At the time of launch, potential audiences need to understand what is available. Operators should have made tactical decisions to achieve an initial offering that will excite them.
FAST
There is much talk at the moment about FAST: free, ad-supported streaming television. People always get excited when the word “free” appears. In truth, for service providers, FAST needs a lot of up-front investment. You are paying for the content, then selling the advertising, in the hope that revenues eventually cover cost. But as FAST grows in popularity – there are hundreds of FAST channels in the US, for instance – then each ends up with a very small audience. Even if you can achieve a reasonable cost per thousand, if you don’t have a lot of thousands or your advertisement fill rate is low, then the gross income is still small. It may be that you find a hybrid model that balances the offering for you. That might be some good premium channels, plus FAST offerings to offer a wider choice. There is also the marketing benefit of so many free channels on your service.
MARCH 2024 Volume 46 No.1
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