How high-quality metadata drives consumer engagement

With video streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ on the rise, there is more content available for viewing than ever. These streamers (or Over The Top players) are investing significant sums of money on original programming and buying content from other studios (see figure 1). The vast volume of content has made it difficult for viewers to find the right content to watch.

As per a recent Cisco report, there are so many TV shows, movies, documentaries and other video content available to watch that it would take someone more than 5M years to get through them. Although it is incredible the rate at which content is being created, this huge influx of options has also made it challenging for viewers to process and find the content they actually want to watch.

This presents a big challenge for content creators and distributors who have invested heavily in creating content – how to drive consumer engagement and help them sort through the data presented in order to find the right programmes or movies based on their preferences? 

What drives consumer engagement?

Consumers demand a seamless experience when it comes to using a Pay TV operator or a video streaming service and they want a seamless entertainment discovery experience — whether it is finding a related title to the one they just watched or getting more information about a specific programme (e.g. cast & crew, movie trailers, soundtrack details). 

It is also becoming more common for customers to sign up to a Pay TV operator and multiple streaming services (see figure 2 below).In the UK, it is not uncommon for customers to have a set top box with  access to Netflix, Amazon and content from other streaming services within the platform.

In these cases, consumers expect to  be able to search seamlessly across the different subscription services using a single user interface that informs them of viewing or buying options.

This can be facilitated through the use of a recommendation engine and intelligent search that is powered by a rich set of metadata. 

In simple terms, metadata should include rich, descriptive entertainment programming information that supports and drives content discovery. It should contain summaries, descriptions, titles, cast & crew, running time, release date and much more. These data points help drive consumer engagement through recommendations, content discovery, and social media interactions.

Navigation is the new battleground for consumer engagement

Helping consumers navigate the deluge of content to find something they want to watch is as important to the viewers as the content itself.

User interface and navigation provided by their pay-TV operator is strongly aligned with their level of engagement and readiness to recommend the service to others as measured by their Net Promoter Score (NPS). Consumers who rate their operator’s user interface highly are also less likely to cancel their  subscription with their content providers.

“Consumers positive about their pay-tv navigation spend 35% more with their provider”

Across all 12 markets analysed, the average consumer’s spend on all services from their main TV provider is £63 per month. For those users who feel strongly that their operator’s navigation is ineffective, this drops to £54 per month. However for viewers who strongly rate their provider’s user interface, the amount spent jumps to £74 per month, a 35% uplift compared with the dissatisfied viewers.

Recommendations:

Great user experience leads to happy customers. Operators wanting to attract the most valuable, engaged customers should:
1. Stack services and aggregate content from multiple sources to be the go-to platform for viewers, helping ensure they can always find something to watch.

2. Deliver content across devices and screens, including the traditional operator-provided set-top box connected to the main TV, and “bring your own device” streaming boxes and Android TV devices, smartphones, tablets and PCs.

3. Provide best-in-class user interface, recognising the importance of effective navigation and UI for driving consumer engagement and satisfaction.

4. Personalize the experience with effective recommendations, simplifying the content discovery journey for consumers and helping ensure they can quickly and easily find something great to watch.

5. Enable new features and technology like voice control to tap into the highest-spending, most engaged consumers.