Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The new challenges in OTT

01/07/2022

iWedias J r me Vial takes a look at the OTT landscape

By Contributor

Published: July 1, 2022

iWedia's J r me Vial takes a look at the OTT landscape

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>

The world of OTT has been in a state of rapid evolution for the past couple of years, and the Covid-19 pandemic only accelerated this growth as consumers turned to streaming services in huge numbers for entertainment and news during lockdowns.

The first - some may say only area that TV operators must address is their added value to customers. Operators do not necessarily have the brand recognition that Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other platforms do for video services; they are simply the shop window' for many streaming brands. Only a few provide their own content and even they are fighting an uphill battle, so they need to focus on improving and enriching the quality of the user experience (UX).

First and foremost, quick and simple content aggregation from all platforms is key for the subscribers to an operator's pack. Customers do not want to search for a film or TV show on several individual platforms, so the value for operators here is to enable customers to search across multiple platforms in one pass to find that piece of content. We have seen a few solutions that offer this feature being deployed and they clearly provide a very strong value for the end-users, but once again operators must make sure they spend time on the user interface.

Then, an efficient recommendation engine is also a big value service, if done properly. There has been some very good progress in this field, and a recommendation engine improves over time with growing data. Nonetheless, a user will still get the random and perhaps bizarre recommendations' made by a streaming service! Operators need to use content metadata, live content and customer profile data, and harness technologies such as AI to pinpoint viewing preferences in order to make more accurate recommendations that will be welcomed by the customer.

One of the big attention points for operators currently is that of targeted advertising. While undoubtedly a highly complex technical undertaking, it is a fantastic opportunity for operators to differentiate themselves from international streaming platforms and create new lucrative revenue streams. Again, user experience will be key to make it a solid value-add.

In addition to specific service offerings such as those mentioned above, operators should also make sure they are providing a comfortable, painless user experience (UX) to their customers. Users do not necessarily realise that they are having a good experience, but they certainly know - and act accordingly when it's a bad one. A well-designed interface with easy commands and simple to use search functions will reward operators with engaged and loyal customers.

With the growth in the market for voice assistance, this is an area of opportunity for the operator that pushes its own device into the household to provide a reliable and resilient voice command solution. Technologies are also available today to develop smart UIs that will adapt over time to the user's profile and behaviour.

Similarly, operators that can provide a fluid and seamless journey between platforms on different devices will win loyalty. If a customer pauses an episode of a Netflix show on their home television and later opens the Netflix app on a mobile device, the viewer wants to pick up the show at the scene where it was left - not go back to the start of season one, episode one. Operators need to be able to do this as elegantly as the streaming platforms do.

All these UX elements and value-added services require significant technical integration with the video back-end, which is where specialist integration companies like iWedia come in. The vast complexity of systems needed to deliver a quality OTT service should not be underestimated, so look for companies with global expertise that can help to demystify and simplify it.

What is the future of OTT? People have grown used to multiple platforms, so from that perspective on-demand content is likely to remain strong. Above all, operators should focus on improving and differentiating their customers' experience in order to provide the best possible service.
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/opinion-features-2/the-new-challeng...
See more stories from tvb

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

28/01/2026

OpenDrives Announces New Funding, Appoints Trevor Morgan CEO

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/01/2026

AWARN Alliance Backs ATSC Sunset, NextGen TV Security Measures

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/01/2026

More Than Two Dozen Groups Tell FCC to Reject Nexstar-Tegna Deal

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/01/2026

Screen Australia refreshes Market & Audience approach to increase the impact of local content

28 01 2026 - Media release Screen Australia refreshes Market & Audience approach...

28/01/2026

Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonardo Dugan

Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...

27/01/2026

Akamai and Yospace Deliver Seamless, Personalised Ad Experiences to Tens of Millions of ABEMA Users

Click for Japanese version Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...

27/01/2026

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Sundance Institute Name Winners of Science-In-Film Initiative's Feature Film Prize and Artist Grants

L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...

27/01/2026

B-LINE Is Here to Help: Backline Launches 24/7 Music Industry Mental Health & Crisis Support Line in Partnership with Spotify

Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...

27/01/2026

Netn Vega's Genre-Bending Sound Hits a Crossover Moment on Spotify's RADAR

With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...

27/01/2026

25 Ontario Named One of Torontos Best New Buildings

January 14, 2026 We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...

27/01/2026

Full-Building Lease Secured at Speers Road

January 22, 2026 First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...

27/01/2026

Another Gold for First Gulf and 351 King Street East

January 23, 2026 First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...

27/01/2026

Clear-Com Empowers Reykjavik City Theatre with New Upgrades

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

27/01/2026

Hubbard Broadcasting Renews Partnership With Nielsen in Albany and Albuquerque-Santa Fe Markets

Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement in...

27/01/2026

Pebble Adds Paul Nagle-Smith as VP of Customer Fulfillment

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

27/01/2026

Study: Top Reason for Cancelling Streaming Service Is Programming

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

27/01/2026

U.K.'s Digital TV Group Taps Leslie Mackenzie as Chair

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

27/01/2026

Amagi becomes the first cloud-native SaaS company offerin...

Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...

27/01/2026

Miri Technologies Launches V410 Live 4K Video Encoder-Dec...

Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...

27/01/2026

UML Tsongas Center Upgrades with Ikegami UHK-X600 Cameras

The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...

27/01/2026

SipRadius provides simplicity and security for AV content...

SipRadius, specialists in secure, low latency media transport, will show the pro AV community its end-to-end solution for high quality content distribution and ...

27/01/2026

Hiltron to Showcase its Full Range of Satcom Solutions at...

Hiltron will highlight the fruits of its 45-plus years of experience in satellite communications system integration and product development at the annual GovSat...

27/01/2026

Broadcast and pro AV professionals cut costs and single-u...

Klvr will demonstrate how its Charger Pro solution is delivering cost reduction and performance benefits for live entertainment and pro AV markets at ISE 2026 (...

27/01/2026

Amino Showcases Single Player Digital Signage and Enterpr...

Amino, a global media technology leader in enterprise video and digital signage, today announced that its Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 booth (4N700) wil...

27/01/2026

ANI Expands Strategic Partnership with LiveU

ANI, India's leading news agency and a major content provider across the Asia Pacific region, today announced a significant expansion of its long standing p...

27/01/2026

VisualOn and The Channel Store Demonstrate Up to 65 Perce...

Independent analysis confirms faster encoding, lower CPU usage, and improved perceptual quality compared to CBR and CRF VisualOn, a leader in multimedia playba...

27/01/2026

EVS Officially Launches eShop

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

27/01/2026

Miri to Showcase New V410 Video Encoder/Decoder at ISE 2026

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

27/01/2026

FCC Settles Two Investigations, Renews Three TV Station Licenses

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

27/01/2026

UML Tsongas Center Upgrades to Ikegami UHK-X600 Cameras

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

27/01/2026

Australian Defence Force Secures Satellite Communications on SES IS-22

New agreement for uninterrupted UHF connectivity for Australian Defence Force through 2033, With Options Extending to 2041 Luxembourg, January 13, 2026 - Satel...

27/01/2026

SNL UK creative team expands as Pauli Lovejoy, Annie Hardinge and Kevin Fortune join series

Tuesday 27 January 2026 SNL UK creative team expands as Pauli Lovejoy, Annie Ha...

27/01/2026

When It Feels Real, Is It Still a Lie? The Art of Sarah' Premieres February 13

Back to All News When It Feels Real, Is It Still a Lie? The Art of Sarah' ...

27/01/2026

That Night premiering on Netflix March 13

Back to All News That Night premiering on Netflix March 13 Entertainment 27 January 2026 GlobalSpain Link copied to clipboard DOWNLOAD THE KEY ART DOWNLO...

27/01/2026

Netflix Revealed the Future of Mexican Stories Coming in 2026

Back to All News Netflix Revealed the Future of Mexican Stories Coming in 2026 Entertainment 27 January 2026 GlobalMexico Link copied to clipboard Among t...

27/01/2026

What's Next on Netflix from Japan: Expanding the Possibilities of Storytelling in 2026

Back to All News What's Next on Netflix from Japan: Expanding the Possibili...

27/01/2026

FOR-A to show cutting edge technology at FOMEX 2026

AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities...

27/01/2026

RT is Supporting 20 Arts and Cultural Events all over Ireland this February

RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to support a dynamic programme of cultural events taking place across Ireland this February. From visual art, film, music, ...

26/01/2026

New Directed By' Series Explores the Making of Music Videos and Kicks Off With Maisie Peters

Music videos play a huge part in how fans connect with their favorite songs, but...

26/01/2026

NAIDOC launches 2026 theme 50 Years of Deadly, marks major milestone

NAIDOC launches 2026 theme 50 Years of Deadly , marks major milestone 25 January, 2026 Media releases The National NAIDOC Committee has today unveiled its...

26/01/2026

Amagi Lists on Indian Stock Exchanges

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

26/01/2026

FCC Releases Tentative Agenda for Jan. 29 Open Meeting

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

26/01/2026

Dante Turns 20

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

26/01/2026

APTS, PBS Tell FCC Not to Set a Firm Date for ATSC 1.0 Sunset

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...