There’s a way to make it better
S04E06: Game of Streams (There’s a way to make it better)
Our Media Solution Specialist, Magnus Svensson, is sharing his reflections from the online streaming industry in this post. This is part of a monthly series so make sure to follow us here if you don’t want to miss an episode.
The summer has started, and the so-called Streaming War is getting more intense. Personally, I don’t like to call it a war, it’s natural competition on an attractive market. In Sweden we have seen new streaming services launched more or less weekly. Com Hem Play+, Telia Play, and Telenor Stream Mini have all seen the light as stand-alone streaming services without requirements for a mobile or IPTV subscription.
As soon as this has settled within the Swedish population, we’ll see cord shifting at a different pace, as you now have a cheaper alternative for your linear channels. A lot of households might still have TV included in their housing cooperative or long subscription commitments, but the cord shifting will happen.
Sweden is already way ahead of most other countries when it comes to online adoption. The latest figures from MMS (the official measurement institute) shows that 49% of video viewing is online viewing.
A question is still how much energy should be spent fighting on the domestic playground. The competition from the global streaming giants is still a bigger threat. And not only Netflix and Disney and other traditional video streaming platform, but we also have Twitch, TikTok, and other similar services that are the natural choice for younger generations.
I believe that local content is very valuable and has a place to fill and that people are willing to pay for this. So, it might be a better idea for the local companies to focus as much energy to produce high-quality local content and instead share big parts of the technical infrastructure.
If you believe that content is still King, you could start thinking out of the box. Netflix just released a video by Dave Chappelle (talking about police brutality and racism) on Youtube. The same time as Youtube might be the biggest competitor to Netflix, it’s also a very good place to gain more interest.
Interactivity and fan engagement
Once more and more people watch video online, it’s about time for the streaming services to step up and make the services more interesting than just a mimic of the traditional alternatives. With the new technology, it is possible to make a live event (for example sports or entertainment) to be more interesting and interactive.
Different content requires a different experience. Streaming a soccer game is not the same as streaming a movie, a series, or a news show. It’s about creating fan engagement and you have a lot to learn from gaming and esports. And with online streaming differentiation becomes possible.
First of all, the app experience should be built for the content, not one size fits all. As a sports fan, you would like to feel the engagement of the sport, the team, and the individual athletes. You would like to get access to statistics and information before the game, during the game, and after the game. Both as an overlay to the game, but also accessible separate or as a companion device.
Possibility to select and custom your experience based on the team of the athlete to like. Make it possible to follow your team before and after the games. Possibility to make micropayments in the form of gadgets, icons, avatars as well as simple online purchases of merchandise. What if you as a team supporter could influence the loudness of the simulated cheering from the stands? Pay a small fee, and the speakers at the arena are increased a small fraction for your team songs and applauds.
Interactivity with others during the games with chat-windows and “watch-together” possibilities. Let the viewers select between several commentators and sound options. Become a commentator and let other viewers listen to your comments on the game.
After the games, you could create virtual channels or playlist with highlights from the latest games, filtered on teams or popularity. Provide extra material and statistics after each game so that you could analyze the game in your own interest and share the results with your friends and followers.
As Thomas A. Edison stated, “There’s a way to do it better — find it.”
Hulu ads and Amazon linear
When it comes to interactivity and taking streaming to the next level a couple of promising announcements has been made. Disney and Hulu will introduce a new ad format that extends the traditional TV ads with technologies like QR codes and push notifications. It’s all about making a purchase simple at the same time as the commercial is displayed.
Disney is also looking to use the synergies of scale and created a new ad tech team
bringing together the existing Hulu and DTCI Advertising Product and Technology’s teams to develop strategies, technologies, tools, and products for the complete portfolio.
Also, Amazon seems to be planning to enhance the Prime Video service and as stated in job postings “redefine how customers watch 24/7 linear broadcast TV content.” and “building next-gen linear catalog systems to provide best-in-class Linear TV experience to Prime Video customers,”. I hope that this turns out as interesting as it hints…
To watch out for the coming months…
Disney+ is finally coming to Sweden! From September 15 it will be possible to get the Disney streaming service in Sweden as well as a few other European countries including Norway, Denmark, and Finland.
Already a month ago Disney announced that it had reached 54.5 million subscribers and forecast 60–90 million subscribers by 2024. And the Nordic countries will not be different. According to Mediavision, almost 1.5 million households said that they were interested in signing up for the service already in Q1 2020.
“Sabrina”, the new Android TV dongle from Google, might see the light soon. Rumors state that Sabrina will be launched with Android 11. This might be the device that could lead Google to the top when it comes to the big screen TV experience.
Stay safe!
Magnus Svensson is a Media Solution Specialist and partner at Eyevinn Technology. Eyevinn Technology is the leading independent consulting company specializing in video technology and media distribution.
Follow me on Twitter (@svensson00) and LinkedIn for regular updates and news.
