Upgrading OTT User experience through Service variation

Over-the-top (OTT) streaming has transformed the way we consume media, offering users a wide range of content at their fingertips. In this crowded market, how can streaming providers stand out and offer unique experiences to their users while navigating other platform challenges? Depending on the platform that you choose to build your streaming service upon, there will be OTT features or tools that help you to step up your game in creating premium looks and feels for your product and service.

‍

In this blog, we discuss different real-life cases and examples from the industry as large and from our own customers - how they utilized the Service variation feature on the Accedo.one platform to tackle the issues as well as upgrade the OTT user experience. 

‍

Addressing different OTT regional content rights

‍

Different regions have different content rights, which can make it challenging for streaming businesses to offer consistent content across different markets. By creating regional content catalogs and utilizing device IP data, streaming businesses can conform to different content rights while still offering a tailored user experience. 

‍

For example, Disney+ offers different content in different regions. In a subset of countries worldwide, Disney+ offers a streaming service called Star - a separate section of the app with more mature content, with Star+ available in Latin America and Hotjar available in India*.

‍

An Accedo One customer, OutTV, an LGBTQ+ streaming service, promotes different content in various regions due to content rights. By using Service Variations, OutTV is able to offer tailored content to specific regions, while maintaining a consistent user experience across the platform.

‍

‍

Making use of limited-scale tests

‍

Testing product updates can be a daunting task for streaming providers – after all, nobody wants to risk alienating their user base with technical issues. However, testing new features or settings on a limited scale can help streaming businesses avoid major issues and adjust their apps gradually with a lower risk. With Service Variations, streaming services can perform OTT testing for new features or settings on a limited scale before rolling them out to the entire user base.

‍

We all love the "Skip Intro" feature on Netflix. But did you know that Netflix tested** the feature on a small subset of users before rolling it out to everyone? As a result, Netflix was able to identify and fix any issues with the feature before it was widely released.

‍

Providing the right content with user targeting

‍

With so many streaming options available, how can providers make sure they're catering to the right audience? By adjusting the user experience based on user input, streaming businesses can better target specific user groups. By using Service Variations, businesses can offer tailored user experiences and increase user engagement and retention rates. 

‍

Service variation can greatly benefit sports streaming services, such as SportLib. Utilizing the powerful UI of Accedo One, SportLib is able to ask users which team they support as they sign up. This allows SportLib to promote content related to that team specifically, increasing user engagement and retention rates. 

‍

Change it up with Seasonal branding

‍

Seasonal branding can be a powerful way for OTT providers to engage their users during special occasions and holidays. With the Service Variations feature, streaming businesses can adjust the look and feel of their service to specific devices, pages, or individual content pieces. This way streaming providers can unlock a whole new way of operating the service when scaling across multiple territories, expanding content catalog or launching on the new platforms.

‍

Another Accedo One customer, Hallmark Movies Now, implemented seasonal branding during Christmas by changing the app's color scheme to red and green. This created a festive atmosphere and as a result  increased user engagement during the holiday season.

‍

This option to customize OTT app appearance or user interface is, of course, not limited to the holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving or Valentine’s Day, but can also come in handy when creating themed pages based on the specific business case. 

‍

‍

In conclusion, the Service Variation feature can be a powerful tool for OTT businesses when it comes to personalizing and optimizing the user experience for different user groups, while achieving various business goals. By utilizing this feature, OTT streaming platforms can better engage their users, increase retention rates, and ultimately drive revenue.

‍

Service variation is a feature offered by white-label SaaS OTT platform, Accedo One, and is available for Accedo One customers at no extra cost. Curious to learn about how you can harness Service Variations to your advantage? Book your demo with a video expert at Accedo One today. 

‍

^{* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_(Disney%2B)}

^{**https://money.cnn.com/2017/03/17/technology/netflix-skip-intro-button/}

‍