Step into the world of OTT streaming, and it’s like walking into a giant buffet of entertainment content options. However, with so many choices of readily accessible content, it’s easy for viewers to feel overwhelmed when choosing what to watch on any OTT streaming service. That’s where the challenge for OTT service providers lies – how can they ensure viewers easily discover lesser-known content titles beyond blockbusters to boost OTT engagement?

To ensure your platform remains relevant and engaging for your viewers in a highly competitive market, you must find ways to elevate OTT engagement levels with new and exciting content. It’s a challenge that requires innovative strategies like personalized recommendations and a deep understanding of viewer behavior and preferences through an analytics-driven approach. We have shared 7 best approaches for maximizing OTT engagement with lesser-known content and driving growth for your OTT platform.

The significance of lesser-known content for OTT engagement

Lesser-known or undiscovered content offers numerous advantages for OTT platforms to elevate customer satisfaction and retention rates. Highlighting lesser-known content can make an OTT platform even more appealing to viewers, providing a competitive edge, attracting a wider audience, and building deeper connections with them.

But that’s not all. Viewers love to explore extensive libraries offering a wider selection of content titles per their preferences. Making the lesser-known content get discovered can elevate OTT engagement and extend session durations as viewers eagerly explore new content. Users exploring lesser-known content create valuable session data that OTT platforms can utilize to provide even more personalized content recommendations. This data helps OTT platforms comprehend the popular content titles among viewers and trace their unique preferences or browsing behaviors.

Key data and projections: Global penetration rate in the OTT video segment

As of January 2023, Amazon Prime and Netflix boast extensive content libraries in the United Kingdom, with Amazon Prime offering over 9,500 titles and Netflix offering 7,400 titles. These impressive libraries highlight the ever-expanding digital content landscape. Despite this abundance, it’s estimated that audiences only engage with a small fraction of these collections, indicating a significant opportunity for lesser-known content to be discovered and appreciated.

As the OTT video segment grows, experts anticipate a steady rise in global penetration rate from 2023 to 2028, potentially increasing by 9 percentage points. By 2028, this could peak at around 54.69 percent, indicating a vast audience for popular as well as lesser-known content. The global Subscription Video-on-Demand (SVOD) market revenue will surpass the $124 billion (about $380 per person in the US) mark by 2028. However, OTT service providers must continue diversifying their content offerings and focus on lesser-known titles in highlight for viewers to improve OTT engagement.

Costs and risks: Implications of top-rated show dominance on OTT platforms

Let’s explore the implications of top-rated show dominance on OTT platforms that help identify gaps for devising effective strategies to promote lesser-known content.

• Reduced Revenue Potential: OTT platforms invest significantly in diverse content, whether original or acquired titles. But, when users overlook a substantial portion of it, this leads to missed opportunities to generate more revenue. This includes reduced ad earnings, fewer subscribers, and lost chances to upsell premium content. Platforms should allocate resources strategically to promote their lesser-known content, boosting OTT engagement through targeted promotions and incentives. 
• Limited Viewer Engagement and Retention: Viewers who exclusively engage with top-rated shows may not explore other content titles on the platform. This can lead to lower OTT engagement and retention rates, as viewers may need help finding enough content that resonates with their interests. Platforms can solve this issue by employing enhanced content discovery mechanisms and offering personalized recommendations. 
• Potential for Brand Erosion: If an OTT platform becomes synonymous with a limited set of shows, it may be perceived as something other than a complete entertainment destination. This can affect its brand image and market position. OTT service providers can counter this by highlighting their extensive catalog of undiscovered content as a distinguishing factor. 

• Inefficient Content Delivery and Storage: Less-watched content may occupy server space and resources without delivering commensurate returns, leading to inefficiencies in content storage and delivery systems. OTT service providers can address this by optimizing their content delivery and storage infrastructure to minimize resource wastage while maintaining access to undiscovered content.  
• Decreased Long-Tail Revenue: Often, less-watched content can continue to generate revenue as viewers discover it over time. By neglecting this long-tail potential, OTT service providers miss out on a valuable revenue stream. OTT platforms should implement strategies to promote lesser-known content through other channels, such as email alerts.

Effective approaches to boosting user interaction with lesser-known OTT content

Below, we have outlined effective strategies enabling smart content discovery for lesser-known titles, leading to enhanced OTT engagement and high user retention rates. 

Personalized Recommendations

• Personalized User Suggestions: OTT platforms can effectively deliver Tailored Suggestions for users by employing sophisticated engines that leverage advanced AI/ML algorithms to analyze user preferences and view history. This allows them to provide deep learning-powered recommendations highlighting undiscovered content aligned with their interests. 
• Contextualized Content Discovery: Consider a scenario where a user has watched four out of seven movies in the Harry Potter series. Based on this pattern, the recommendation engine would suggest the fifth movie next, aligning with the user’s demonstrated interest. This example illustrates how a nuanced understanding of user preferences and interests can enable the system to recommend relevant yet undiscovered content. Such a contextual approach boosts user engagement by introducing them to new or undiscovered content they will likely enjoy. 

Benefits: Utilizing personalized recommendation engines, OTT service providers can guide users to explore lesser-known content, significantly increasing user engagement.

Content Curation

• Thematic Collections: Develop thematic collections or playlists featuring lesser-known content related to trending topics, genres, or seasons. For instance, when a new James Bond movie is released, a dedicated rail could be featured, offering users easy access to all the previous James Bond movies and encouraging them to explore and watch the entire collection of content titles. This curated selection ensures that fans can dive into the captivating world of the iconic spy and discover hidden gems from the franchise. 
• Expert Collaboration: Collaborate with industry influencers or experts to curate lists of lesser-known content titles.  
• Curated Sections: Showcase undiscovered content through meticulously curated playlists, prominently featured categories, or dedicated “hidden gems” sections.  
• Sustainable Interest: Vigilantly refresh and update these collections to sustain user interest.

Benefits: Curated collections improve content discovery on OTT platforms by helping users find lesser-known content or relative titles and ensure content diversity for a broader audience appeal.

“Search Me or Discover New” Feature

• Innovative Discovery Feature: OTT platforms can innovate by introducing a “Search Me” feature, underpinned by advanced machine learning algorithms, to curate selected lesser-known content tailored to user preferences and promote the lesser-known content. Many OTT platforms consider naming this feature as “Discover New,” “Out of the Box,” “Element of Surprise,” or “Not Your Regular” to catch the user’s attention and effectively show them relevant content titles. 
• Fresh Content: When users explore the “Discover Content” feature, the platform generates entirely randomized recommendations based on the user’s viewing history, considering past choices and interests. This algorithm helps exclude previously watched options to ensure fresh and uncharted content recommendations.

Benefits: This strategy enhances content discovery, motivating users to explore lesser-known content beyond their usual preferences, thus promoting higher user engagement.

Limited-Time Promotions

• Spotlight Hidden Gems: Strategically devise time-sensitive promotions, bringing lesser-known content to the forefront.   
• Enticing Offers: Extend discounts or free access for a limited period to entice users to explore new and lesser-known content.   
• Multi-Channel Alerts: Deploy multi-channel notifications, including email, push notifications, or in-app messages, to alert users about these promotions.

Benefits: Limited-time promotions highlighting undiscovered content with discounts and free access entice users, while multi-channel notifications boost user awareness, increasing OTT engagement and potential revenue for OTT platforms.

User-Generated Content (UGC)

• Cultivate User Participation: Create an environment encouraging users to share reviews, ratings, or content recommendations.  
• Trust and Social Proof: Feature user-generated content alongside lesser-known content to foster trust and enhance social proof.  
• Social Integration: Incorporate social media integrations to enable users to effortlessly share their reviews and promote their favorite content titles on popular platforms, enhancing content discovery and fostering a dynamic, user-driven promotion.

Benefits: UGC enhances trust and fosters user connections. It provides valuable insights for improving content recommendation strategies to motivate users to explore lesser-known content, boosting OTT engagement.

Interactive Features

• Engaging Experiences: Develop interactive and engaging experiences centered around undiscovered content, including quizzes, polls, or dedicated forums to entice users.
• Live Engagement: Host live Q&A sessions with actors, directors, or creators of lesser-known shows to ignite enthusiasm among users.

Benefits: Interactive features on OTT platforms enhance OTT engagement and create excitement around lesser-known content, differentiating the platform.

Cross-Promotion

• Strategic Exposure: Strategically promote lesser-known content within high-profile or flagship series to diversify viewership.  
• Advanced Integration: Seamlessly integrate teasers or trailers for lesser-known content during commercial breaks or inter-episode intervals.

Benefits: Cross-promotion on OTT platforms enhances content diversity and encourages users to explore undiscovered content beyond top-rated shows, increasing OTT engagement and the stickiness of viewers.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) for assessing lesser-known content engagement

In the effort to engage viewers with lesser-known content besides their typical top-rated show preferences, it is essential for OTT platforms to prioritize tracking and analyzing specific metrics. Below are the KPIs that demonstrate the effectiveness of the OTT strategies for lesser-known content engagement:

These KPIs provide indispensable insights into the effectiveness of strategies promoting lesser-known content, amplifying OTT engagement, and enriching the user experience. In practice, OTT platforms can use this data to optimize their content discovery algorithms and attract viewers to traverse the breadth of their content catalog beyond the confines of top-rated shows.

Strategies like personalized recommendations, content curation, and the “Discover New” feature are designed to boost interaction, enhance retention, and foster customer loyalty. These strategies enable OTT platforms to adapt to evolving user preferences and provide seamless experiences. 

Robosoft Technologies has a proven track record of delivering delightful, cross-device, multi-platform OTT experiences for major media brands and streaming giants such as Canela Media, Magnolia, and Discovery+. We specialize in crafting intelligent design systems and digital solutions focusing on product intent, consumer behavior, and business objectives to help build engaging customer experiences. Contact us to begin your journey toward world-class OTT app streaming solutions. 

The introduction of OTT in the market changed how content can be accessed by an audience that is versatile and mobile. The days of sitting in one place in front of a TV to watch a match or a race is long gone.

The live sports OTT streaming and viewing experience has changed – multiple camera angles, toggling between different commentary, and instant stats and replays are making OTT platforms the go-to for live sporting events.

Global Growth and Record-breaking Views of Live Sports OTT Streaming

According to Statista’s predictions, the number of users for OTT video is projected to reach 4.22 billion by 2027. Reflecting live sports OTT streaming’s growing popularity in the US, the Super Bowl in 2023 became the highest streamed edition in the event’s history in the country with an average of seven million streams.  

In India, the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match on the digital streaming platform Disney Hotstar attracted over 18 million viewers, showcasing the growing popularity of live-streaming in the country.

JioCinema, the official digital streaming partner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, achieved a groundbreaking milestone with an astonishing 32 million concurrent views, setting a new world record on the platform.

What’s behind the growing allure of live sports OTT streaming?

Firstly, the greater access – the audience is expanding at home and globally. Also, OTT platforms can capture the excitement of watching sporting events as they unfold. These platforms provide an exclusive experience for fans, allowing them to interact with the live feed and choose how they want to watch it.

OTT providers have the unique opportunity to maximize viewership and revenues by offering an intuitive and customizable platform, various monetization options, and the ability to stream high-quality video.

Customization of ads, regardless of geography or language, subscription plans, and channel offerings – where a viewer can access multiple graphics, listen on audio only, or view the event – all these can be delivered on the same OTT platform, engaging the audience in ways that cable TV cannot.

Providers must approach live sports OTT streaming differently.

Watching a sports event on OTT is different from watching it on television. Live sports OTT streaming telecasts are among the few events that still draw massive crowds who want to watch the action as it unfolds.

One of the biggest attractions of such viewing experiences is the unpredictability and suspense regarding what might happen. Now, OTT players have the opportunity to reimagine the sports fan’s viewing experience to make the difference from television even more striking and memorable.

Below are the key factors driving OTT adoption for live sporting events. OTT providers can focus on these to add the X-factor to their offerings.

• Personalization: Personalization improves live sports OTT streaming on platforms by tailoring content to viewers’ interests, increasing engagement, satisfaction, and discoverability of new sports. Through a deep understanding of the viewer’s geographical location, preferred sports, teams, tournaments, and viewing preferences, Roku, a leading digital media player brand, aims to deliver a highly tailored live sports OTT streaming experience. Users can personalize their live TV streams, reorganize their favorite channels on the home screen, and more. Roku is committed to supporting a diverse range of dedicated sports channels and aims to expand sports content, coverage, and viewership further by including games covered in Spanish. For example, we partnered with ESPNcricinfo to create personalized user feeds, including team alerts and real-time updates, enhancing the user experience.

• Deeper fan engagement: By incorporating replay options, multiple camera angles, gamification elements, and other interactive features, JioCinema, a leading Indian streaming service, elevated the IPL 2023 experience. They introduced viewers to various viewing perspectives, such as aerial views, stump cameras, and cable cam visions. With the power of 5G connectivity, audiences can enjoy matches on various smart devices. Moreover, their recently unveiled Virtual Reality (VR) headset, which can be easily paired with Android or iPhone devices and comes at an affordable price, aims to replicate the immersive atmosphere of being in the stadium for those watching from the comfort of their homes.

• Quality of Experience (QoE): It directly impacts user satisfaction and significantly influences the brand’s reputation. The QoE becomes even more crucial in a live sports OTT streaming setting because no fan wants to miss a key event in a game due to a buggy app. By prioritizing QoE, the app providers can deliver an experience that could also turn sports fans into fans of the app.

• Targeted advertising: Advanced technology is now available that enables top-notch targeted advertising to millions of concurrent sports viewers using live streaming. As the numbers watching a single game can be enormous, live sports OTT streaming presents a substantial opportunity to advertise in a targeted manner to a captive audience whose interests and preferences are known. For instance, Hulu uses dynamic ad insertion in its live TV service to deliver more relevant content to specific audiences.

• Multi-device/platform experience: Simultaneous live streaming to multiple platforms has become simpler with the advancement of tools and software. Users can pick up right where they left off, watch a live match on their mobile app while on the go, and easily switch to a larger screen like a Connected TV. A Multi-device, multi-platform approach can deliver truly seamless and consistent experiences to the users, regardless of their devices, operating systems, or platforms. For instance, while commuting, you can watch a live IPL match on your mobile and seamlessly switch to your living room TV at home without missing any action. For instance, Discovery+, Magnolia, and similar OTT players optimize content quality for various devices (Mobile, Laptop, Tablet, CTV), ensuring seamless user experiences. Uninterrupted viewing boosts engagement and satisfaction.

• E-commerce/fan merchandise: The surge in livestream shopping offers a prime opportunity for OTT platforms to collaborate with sports brands, delivering enticing online merchandise experiences. Take Magnolia’s example – their integrated e-commerce section within the OTT app led to increased revenue and engagement by curating collections tied to their shows. By emulating this model, OTT platforms can partner with sports brands to promote fan merchandise, driving monetization through interactive ads, promoting jerseys, and offering event tickets. This strategic alignment capitalizes on user interests while boosting revenue and engagement.

• Enhance accessibility: The idea is to offer a more inclusive live sports OTT streaming experience so that fans who might be differently abled can enjoy the excitement of watching their favorite sporting event to the fullest. One way is to include optional audio description/narration features, for instance, to support those with visual impairments. Using assistive technology in apps like TLC Go showcases the brand’s empathy towards users, fostering an inclusive entertainment experience. Features like screen readers, captions, and audio descriptions in live sports streaming enhance appeal and retention for a diverse audience, extending market reach.

• Better Digital Rights Management: With major and niche players competing for sports broadcasting, protecting intellectual property and anti-piracy measures will become a top concern. Digital Rights Management (DRM) is often mandated as a pre-requisite by the content providers before licensing the content rights to the OTT apps. It also helps bring content exclusivity, especially for premium content like early releases or live sports events on the platform, further driving user adoption.

Undeniably, live streaming increases end-user reach and adoption, giving OTT providers an excellent opportunity to accelerate their growth. For OTTs to remain profitable, providing an immersive viewing experience for the audience with contextual content and unique customizations is crucial – from how they view the live sporting event to how subscription packs are designed. Managing loyalty to the platform goes beyond purchasing streaming rights and towards providing their remote viewing audience with an experience as close as watching the actual event at the venue.

Preparing for the future of live sports OTT streaming

The trend is towards viewer-centric content, contextual experiences, and ease of access. Adding interactive elements like chat, polls, and predictions to the content that engage them on social media allows OTT providers to create a community and influence subscriber loyalty.

Having acquired a loyal viewership, OTT providers must innovate and find ways to continue fulfilling viewer experiences with the apps and platforms they offer. Ideally, this would be a mix of technology and content – low latency, high-speed delivery with consistently engaging and fresh content that grabs the viewer’s attention and keeps drawing them back. Flexible and affordable viewing options with different-priced plans are one way to capture and retain a wide range of viewers.

This is especially vital in live sports OTT streaming, which must cater to huge masses who expect to watch the action in near real-time, as much as possible, and support interactive features for engaging with them at scale. The smaller the time lapse (ideally less than 20 seconds) between the actual on-field action and when the audience gets to watch, the more likely they will remain hooked to the experience and the platform delivering it.

The future also promises numerous opportunities to leverage gamification, AR/VR experience, viewers’ watch parties, pop-up live streaming, near-live clips, highlights packages, and Free Ad-supported Streaming Television (FAST) channels to cater to a broader community of online viewers. It is up to the OTT provider to tap into these opportunities to create platforms and apps that influence subscriber stickiness.

Setting up a winning platform for live sports OTT streaming

Sports transcends culture, language, geography, and beliefs to serve up the single-most unifying of events, and OTT providers must take advantage of that aspect. Catering to different audiences while setting up the live sports OTT streaming strategy is key to its success.

Since sharing experiences is a highly acknowledged social need, OTT providers can look to enabling seamless transitions between the live feed and social media, as that will greatly add to the viewer’s experience. It will also promote the channel and its content and lay the foundation for a community.

For example, in India, Formula One moved from partnering with cable providers to hosting races on its OTT platform F1TV. This has boosted viewership of live races while providing the audience with a unique, interactive experience not available earlier. The audience can choose from different commentaries, camera feeds, and angles while interacting live with commentators on social media platforms.

The future of live sports OTT streaming will be defined around instant, accessible, on-the-go, and interactive experiences, and a tremendous way to cater to this need is by offering customizable, affordable viewing choices on OTT platforms and apps.

The rise of Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms brought a gradual downfall of linear TVs over the past decade. Consumers can watch their favorite content, on-demand and ad-free for an affordable subscription fee. This growing popularity of OTT content paved the way for many large media houses to build their own OTT platforms and monetize their content with different monetization models. However, the multitude of OTT platforms led to subscription fatigue among consumers who are now willing to watch ad-supported content if it’s free.

Enter FAST.

According to Statista, as of Nov 22, there are 217mn ad-supported OTT video users in the US. Another report indicates that the most prominent FAST services Peacock, Roku Channel, and Pluto TV make up 50% of the adult viewers. The Samsung TV Plus viewership consists of 37% of daily watchers of FAST channels among adults between 18-64.

What is FAST?

FAST is a Free Ad-supported Streaming TV service that enables viewers to watch 24X7 scheduled linear content for free. One can perceive it as a no-cost, high-quality alternative to cable TV. Imagine using a cable TV with no fee or strings (literally!) attached.

Does it sound familiar?

FAST Vs. AVOD

Yes, FAST has a few similarities with AVOD or Ad-based Video on Demand. Both these monetization models show ad-supported content and offer users a means to stream content for free. But there are aspects in which they differ as well:

• FAST platforms host linear channels that deliver scheduled programming to a mass audience on a one-to-many basis. AVOD platforms, on the other hand, offer a library of content that a user can choose to stream anytime!
• FAST can support both scheduled programming as well as Live content streaming. AVOD, by definition, is restricted to VOD.
• While FAST is more inclined towards mass marketing, in an AVOD setting, personalized advertising works best.
• FAST cannot be a part of a hybrid monetization strategy as, by definition, it is free of cost. However, AVOD can co-exist with other monetization models in a hybrid revenue model.

Why is FAST becoming a popular alternative for OTT brands and consumers?

There are many reasons why FAST is changing the OTT landscape. Some of them are listed below:

• It’s free: One of the biggest reasons why FAST is rapidly growing is that it offers ad-supported content for free. So, viewers can watch their favorite shows on Android, iOS, Apple TV, Xbox 360, Samsung Smart TVs, Chromecast or Roku devices without paying any subscription fee.
• No subscription fatigue: Customers often find it financially and mentally challenging to keep up with all the OTT subscriptions to watch their favorite content. With no such strings attached, FAST provides hassle-free access to the content.
• FAST is 24X7 programmed: Streaming providers can create channels and program content on FAST. They can schedule or ‘control’ when and what content to stream on these channels for their viewers and bring in a larger audience in the prime-time slot.
• Cable 2.0: FAST mimics traditional Cable TV setup over the internet. Many reckon it is the second coming of cable TV. This similarity with cable TV would propel high acceptance of FAST in the days to come. With an always-on (‘don’t-make-me-think’) mode and high-quality content delivery, users can enjoy a delightful viewing experience.

How can brands take advantage of FAST?

Any brand deciding to join the FAST bandwagon can do so by adopting FAST channels in the following ways:

• Upsell existing services: FAST can complement the existing services and aid in upselling. For example, streaming service providers can present a season or couple of episodes of a famous TV show run in prime time for free on its FAST app and offer a subscription in a separate SVOD app for users to continue watching. Or they can run live news feeds for free and provide pre-recorded content at a premium.
• Increase addressable market: FAST provides an opportunity to increase the addressable market or expand the customer base by adding a new free offering to an existing portfolio of paid streaming services.
• Extend shelf life of content: One of the challenges for any media house or brand is to maximize the shelf life of the content it owns. Content whose shelf life is nearing an end in the existing paid service or a popular old show from the library can be made available on the FAST service and increase the revenue generated from the asset.
• Channel creation and programming: FAST service providers can create channels for exclusive content or partner with brands and media houses that can tap into their archives and present niche content for the users. They can also build a broadcast schedule to bring in a larger audience in the prime-time slot.
• Single-series channels: YouTubers (video entrepreneurs) and media houses owning popular TV series like ‘Friends’ or ‘MasterChef’ can quickly spin up a FAST single-series channel that can offer a new revenue stream.

With no strings or subscriptions attached, FAST is rapidly emerging as a go-to consumption model for users across the globe. For content distributors, FAST helps to deliver 24/7 scheduled programming, increase the addressable market by complementing the content strategies, and ensure a positive impact on the revenue. Media companies and streaming providers would be wise to embark on the FAST journey at the earliest to leverage all the capabilities FAST has to offer and lead the next revolution in OTT that is fast approaching.

Television brought entertainment to our homes for almost a century, but it was no match for OTT’s sheer range of diverse content, non-linear menus, flexible business models, and range of distribution options. Across the world, OTT adoption increased exponentially during the Covid-19 pandemic, as people stayed home, satisfied with a supersaturated range of content to choose from. The pandemic also saw live events move online, including classes, employee town halls, customer seminars, conferences, fitness sessions, music concerts, and major sports events like the Olympics and the Indian Premier League, a hugely popular cricket tournament in India. Although people who attended online events missed the social bonding and excitement of attending in-person, the world was introduced to new possibilities of interacting online, from shopping to studying or gaming. Whether for the excitement of sports events and music concerts, or the purposefulness of learning, live streaming has become a new way to engage global and niche audiences alike.

OTT Live streaming is the new kid on the block

Even prior to the pandemic, China had already begun live streaming shopping events, with Alibaba’s Taobao Live shopping channel, launched in May 2016. Singles Day, a major shopping event in China, relies heavily on interactive live streaming. In fact, as per a survey in 2020, two-thirds of Chinese consumers said they had bought products via livestream in the previous year. The market for live streaming is definitely here to stay.

While adoption of live streaming is lower in Western countries, there is potential. Foresight Research projects that live stream shopping could reach $11 billion in the United States. This is substantiated by consumer behavior – according to Gartner, U.S. viewers between the ages of 18 and 43 spent 63 percent of their overall TV viewing time watching on average on streaming versus cable, broadcast or satellite. In fact, predictions are that by 2026, the number of users for OTT video will grow to over 3.9 billion.

Live streaming via OTT has immense possibilities, but companies would be unwise to approach creating apps or content delivery using the same set of principles as watching a series. The experience of an event is different from that of watching television, so the user experience must be reimagined from the start.

The next challenge is loyalty – despite the growing number of viewers, with innumerable choices and varied experiences available online, retaining customers is critical to keeping the business of OTT profitable. OTT platforms need to move from offering a static viewership to an immersive experience where the audiences are fully engaged. Live streaming offers this possibility – connecting users among themselves in real time and with the content like never before!

Interactive live streaming – a new set of user expectations

Interactive live streaming is the next revolution of OTT, where audiences can engage with the content and with each other during live streaming. Infusing content with interactive elements like predicting the show’s outcome, chat, polls, sharing on social media, or giving alternative viewing paths keep audiences engaged, and create a sense of community and subscriber stickiness.

When it comes to interactive live streaming, the user’s expectations are very different from what they want out of leisurely drama or family sitcom shows. Designing interactive elements for a live streaming event needs insight into what users really want – which is context-specific. For example while attending a sports match, users want the excitement of the crowd, but while consulting a doctor, they want the privacy of a calm office. In this way, they expect a high-fidelity experience; one that is as close as it gets to real life.

Best practices in designing for OTT live streaming personas

#1 Simplified sign-in – While viewers may not mind taking the time to sign in or subscribe when they want to watch a movie, they don’t want to be asked too many questions when it comes to live shows. The login process must be simplified and customized to the event. Much like in real life, if you were attending a live match at the stadium, you just want to get to your seat as soon as possible, so a quick OTP (short for One-Time Password sent via SMS, valid for a few minutes) login works. But while attending an art auction, for example, you may want to browse around before the auction begins, and like to be offered selections as per your personal aesthetic.

#2 Content discovery and personalization – There are differences in how users discover content on video-on-demand (VOD) versus live streaming. While OTT VOD providers use algorithms to suggest content based on viewing preferences, live streaming discovery is heavily influenced by social media and peer recommendation. Since time is ticking and no one wants to miss any of the highlights during any live streaming event, the content should be discoverable with a ‘Zero-click’ discovery i.e., the moment a user opens an app, the live content should be just right there, beaming!

#3 Interaction with the content – Audiences want to be able to have the power to influence the direction of the event or show. They want to participate. For example, reality shows may build in options for audiences to choose an answer or rate a contestant, while sitting at home instead of needing to be part of the studio audience to do so. For other events such as town hall meetings, polls and chat windows can source opinions and shape the dialogue. Live sports events offer fans the ability to predict the player’s performance or score.

#4 Going social – Wanting to share an experience with others is an innate social need; all formats of live streaming build on this to create a longer-term relationship with participants online and expand their reach. Watch parties may be over-rated for movies and team bonding, but they work well for sports fans who are crazy about watching games with their teams of supporters. Creating seamless transitions to and from social media to live streaming events will not only add to the viewer’s experience but also promote the channel and its content. Can viewers watch a match directly from their social media feed? Or can they share screenshots or sections of video online with their friends, with their own commentary? Similarly while shopping online, being able to discuss and share purchases with friends, or while studying together, being able to have a private chat is much like passing a note in class.

#5 Targeted advertising and merchandising – Keeping the context in mind, OTT live streaming has the ability to partner with advertisers to create relevant and personalized approaches. Sports merchandisers could for example advertise your team’s jersey to you, and allow you to directly order it in time for the match. A shopping live stream could advertise physical stores near the user in case they want to see the product if it is a high value purchase, or tie up with dealers offering test rides for vehicles.

#6 Nurturing loyalty through engagement and gamification – Bringing interactive elements to live streaming keeps audiences engaged, and lays the foundation of a longer-term relationship. But after a while, audiences are still looking at what’s in it for them. Predicting which player may hit a six in cricket or score a goal maybe fun for a while, but after that how does it help? Or for students in an online class, being interactive helps keep them engaged, but how do educators motivate them to stay engaged? This is where gamification comes in.

Brands and OTT channels have an opportunity to build loyalty using interactive elements, which again is context-specific. Overlaying a system of reward points, or tokens that can be awarded to the participant every time they interact can not only take the level of excitement up, but also keep them coming back.

The Rugby Football League, a new US-based rugby seven series plans to create a strong live betting proposition, working alongside leading technology companies to incorporate new innovations and gamification aspects. In India, MX Player introduced pure-play gaming through MX Coins. Users can win MX Coins that unlock premium content, earn discounts and avail offers on popular eCommerce platforms such as Paytm, Myntra and others.

Gamification can help build loyalty to brands and channels. In a clever campaign, Under Armour launched a surprise trivia game at the NBA playoffs. Whenever Steph Curry shot a three-pointer, the game Steph IQ would launch. There were prizes for those who could answer eight multiple-choice questions within the time window. A prize pool and the chance to enter a raffle to win the “Curry 5” signature shoe, playoff tickets, or Under Armour gear kept fans hooked, a win-win for the NBA’s viewership and Under Armour’s sales.

There are several possibilities to design and build a gamified approach, irrespective of the format of live streaming. What spells success is the depth of user insights and context relevance that goes into designing these loyalty programs. If an Edtech channel is trying to create an online community of students, badges that help peers identify the champions, quizzes, trivia contests, or competition leagues that are interesting for students. For an online shopping channel, calling out influencers with a unique sense of fashion or reward points for discounts may be more motivating.

Technology considerations to keep in mind, before going live

#7 DRM (Digital Rights Management): An obvious aspect of live streaming is to secure the content rights to broadcast the event. These can be expensive and complicated, varying from region to region. Digital rights management (DRM) is a must to assure the OTT platforms and the content owners that their valuable content is distributed and consumed appropriately.

#8 Live streaming technology stack: Unlike a physical venue, a live event is watched on a multitude of devices available to viewers. How the event gets covered from the location and streamed to individual devices must be worked out in detail. Besides planning video production, and streaming bandwidth, you also need to support the universe of devices and platforms – from iPhones and iPads to Android devices using Chrome or Edge.

#9 Near real-time experience: In any event, latency is a critical factor in the live streaming experience – viewers expect minimum or zero buffering (imagine watching an F1 race but you hear about the outcome from a friend or on social media). If you are gaming online, low latency could cause the user to lose the game or actual money. These situations cause OTT players to lose customer loyalty. Low latency must be built into the streaming experience. A strong Content Distribution Network (CDN) dispersed across regions will help deliver the event to viewers at the same time, despite being in different parts of the world. Designing the video player with adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) can reduce or eliminate rebuffering if the viewer’s internet is slow or fluctuating by reducing the video resolution, keeping the stream live, and resulting in a seamless viewer experience.

#10 Livestream analytics: Interactivity is the main differentiator in live streaming – An important aspect is to consider how analytics can be designed for such events. Metrics on audience engagement and video playback experience are critical in understanding and continuously improving the live streaming experience. Tracking concurrent users, likes, and chat messages shared during a live interaction give an insight into audience engagement. Other metrics like rebuffering count/ratio, bit rate, EBVS (Exit Before Video Start), etc. offer insight into the quality of the video playback experience

Interactive live streaming on OTT is re-shaping digital interactions

Moving beyond TV shows, OTT is bringing the world into living rooms (and pockets) through interactive live streaming. Almost any industry can explore the possibilities that the medium offers – shopping experiences, sporting events and concerts, or entertainment. Besides the understanding of the technology involved, they need to also understand the digital journey of the user, and design an experience that resonates with the brand, which is as close to real life as possible. OTT is here to stay, and digital natives are hooked. Brands would be smart to explore the potential for loyalty and new revenue that it has to offer.