
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.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
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...
26/03/2026
Wayne, N.J., March 26, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the latest product li...
25/03/2026
Live match directors Sarah Cheadle (Sky Sports), Rob Levi (TNT Sports), and Andrew Swift (BBC Sport) sit down with the Premier League's Rachel Nightingale t...
25/03/2026
The senior from Upstate New York is manning the mic while also interning for the athletic department's sports-information team
In the live-sports-video ind...
25/03/2026
Synamedia has announced ContentArmor Edge Watermarking, a server-side solution t...
25/03/2026
SES has announced meoSphere, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite network targeted for operation by 2030. The first phase will pair SES-developed software-defin...
25/03/2026
TVU Networks is working with Reuters on a phased migration from satellite to a c...
25/03/2026
Nielsen has announced three senior appointments. Seth Ladetsky has been named Head of Global Sports. Trevor Fellows will lead Nielsen's advertiser and agenc...
25/03/2026
Anoki and Amagi have launched In-Scene Ads powered by Anoki ContextIQ across Amagi's portfolio of in-content ad formats for Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (...
25/03/2026
Arkona Technologies will announce a series of enhancements to its BLADE//runner platform at NAB 2026 (Booth C.1808). The updates focus on usability and workflow...
25/03/2026
Daktronics has installed two tower displays and a video wall in the Lexus Club at Petco Park in San Diego ahead of the 2026 season.
Continuing to improve the ...
25/03/2026
MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems is celebrating its 50th anniversary as NAB Show 2026 approaches. The company was founded in 1976 by Vincent Jachetta, an N...
25/03/2026
IPC, a provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 de...
25/03/2026
Live production categories were led by NBC, FOX, and ESPN's NFL coverage...
25/03/2026
The Atlanta Braves and Spectrum have announced a multiyear distribution agreemen...
25/03/2026
(L-R) Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Roher attend The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre ...
25/03/2026
Directed By, Spotify's documentary-style series that pulls back the curtain ...
25/03/2026
BTS is so back., This week, the global pop superstars took the stage at New York City's Pier 17 for their first U.S. performance in four years.
Part of Spo...
25/03/2026
How you listen can shape what you hear. That's the idea behind the new Spotify Listening Lounge, an acoustic space at our London headquarters purpose-built ...
25/03/2026
Tape effects taken to the extreme
The latest release from New York-based developer Iconic Instruments is said to accurately recreate the saturation and comp...
25/03/2026
Launched alongside new Vocal Phrases bundle
Sonuscore's latest release has been designed specifically for composers working on fantasy TV, film and game...
25/03/2026
Latest update now live
The latest version of Steinberg's post-production-focused DAW has just arrived, and comes packed with new dialogue editing, sound...
25/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz joins FormFactor's MeasureOne partner program FormFactor and Rohde & Schwarz advance their partnership for on-wafer RF component character...
25/03/2026
L3Harris Technologies and RFTEQ Pty Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding to ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris delivers combat-ready Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery system, which deploys and retrieves Iver4 900 autonomous underwater vehicles through submarine t...
25/03/2026
The company expands leadership team under Chief Revenue Officer Amilcar Perez
S...
25/03/2026
Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony features in top 10 programmes of the month...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Providing wide view timing visibility across the entire production chain...
25/03/2026
Continuing development drives advances in security, availability, access and connectivity...
25/03/2026
Caudalie, the renowned French cosmetics brand, has unveiled a state-of-the-art 200-seat auditorium at its new headquarters in the historic Marais district of ce...
25/03/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced expanded integration with Adobe Premiere, Adobe Media Encoder (AME), and Frame.io, d...
25/03/2026
Marshall Electronics is expanding its lineup of high-performance POV cameras designed for broadcast, live production and professional AV applications with the d...
25/03/2026
OOONA, a global provider of professional management and production tools for the media localization industry, announced today that it has been awarded the TPN G...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
SipRadius, specialists in secure, low-latency media transport, will drive innovation and interoperability still further with the launch of the SipMX Alliance at...
25/03/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote contribution solutions, will showcase its award-winning StudioPro ecosystem at The 2...
25/03/2026
Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED screens, will once again be present at NAB Show, the leading global event for the broadcast, media and entertain...
25/03/2026
PC, a leading provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 Show debut in Booth C 3341. The company will highlight the newly branded On...
25/03/2026
Open video transport network simplifies satellite transition with new partnerships and global reach as spectrum auction nears
LTN will demonstrate how its purp...
25/03/2026
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, will present the full range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix T&M solutions at the NAB Show, which takes pl...
25/03/2026
MNC Software, a global leader in network management and operational support systems tailored to the broadcast and media industry, today announced the appointmen...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...