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. But 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, that’s FAST for you!

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:

1. 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!
2. FAST can support both scheduled programming as well as Live content streaming. AVOD, by definition, is restricted to VOD.
3. While FAST is more inclined towards mass marketing, in an AVOD setting, personalized advertising works best.
4. 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 as 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 24X7 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.

The OTT industry has observed a major increase in the number of OTT players in recent years. It resulted in the majority of them competing for the same set of customers with very little to separate each other. While content quality on offer is always going to be the ultimate decider, having convenient OTT monetization models for different sets of targeted customers is always a plus point.

OTT monetization mostly revolves around video-on-demand (VOD) models. Here users pay for a pre-recorded and uploaded or live stream content on an OTT platform.

The first quarter of 2021 has seen a 47% increase in OTT subscriptions in the US compared to the first quarter of 2020. The index is now at 1.03, which means the number of OTT subscriptions is more than the number of people in the United States. The American population will be approximately 330 million people in 2020, and the number of SVOD subscriptions is around 340 million. The global OTT market size was valued at $121.61 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $1,039.03 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 29.4% from 2020 to 2027.

Subscription video on demand (SVOD) services (i.e. Netflix, Amazon Prime) became the largest OTT revenue source in 2016 by overtaking ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) services (i.e. Pluto TV). SVOD’s share of total revenue is expected to increase from 47% in 2017 to 53% in 2023 and AVOD will see a revenue share of 36%.

Modern content consumers are rapidly moving away from time, place and device dependent content sources like traditional cable or Linear television. There is still a tug of war going on between OTT and traditional TV in countries like India. But, over the years thanks to portable smart devices, SmartTVs and streaming players such as Roku or Chromecast, video content consumption has seen an uptake.

Content producers are finding innovative ways to include advertisements or monetize their content to generate revenue. In a path breaking event in the OTT monetization space, Transmit, a next generation streaming media ad platform, introduced OTT’s first fully automated ad break and content monetization for live sports and entertainment.

In this guide, let’s talk about OTT revenue models, OTT advertising benefits, when and why you should apply a certain OTT monetization model for your OTT platform.

What are OTT Revenue Models

There are thousands of OTT broadcasters currently serving their unique content or an aggregation of the most popular content to their customers. All the successful brands are using a multiexperience OTT platform with the right monetization model to generate revenue. But if we were to categorize these OTT revenue models, the number of ways thousands of OTT brands generate revenue comes down to single digits.

There are primarily 4 OTT monetization models available for professional broadcasters. These are:

i) Monetizing with Advertisements

The Ad-based Video on Demand or AVOD model generates revenue with ads. The content aggregator or the content search platform provides the content to users for free. But there is a catch as the content is served with ads to the users.

The broadcasters make money by charging a fee to advertisers in exchange for a place in the content platform to play commercials. The ads are generally played as video ads, sponsor screens, sponsored content and more. A recent survey by Deloitte shows 55% of the US residents use an ad-supported video streaming service.

Examples of AVOD businesses: Pluto TV, Tubi, Xumo, YouTube (non-premium).

ii) VOD Subscription based

Subscription-based Video on Demand or SVOD businesses charge a recurring fee weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly for full access to their video platform. The SVOD model was first made popular by Netflix and it still continues to dominate popular OTT businesses today.

Examples of SVOD businesses: Netflix, Apple TV+, HBO, YouTube Premium, Voot.

iii) Transactional based content

Transactional Video on Demand or TVOD is the most straightforward OTT revenue model of all. It works on a one time give and take system like buying or renting an item from a nearby shop. Customers buy or rent videos one at a time based on their needs. This OTT model is sometimes also known as pay per view (PPV) or pay per download (PPD).

Examples of TVOD businesses: iTunes, UFC, Sky Box Office, CinemaNow.

iv) Hybrid (SVOD+TVOD+AVOD)

Truth be told, a hybrid business model isn’t a single established business model. Many companies are putting their own spin to already established monetization models to come up with a hybrid model that works for them.

Some businesses like Disney+ are blending SVOD with TVOD as they are offering access to new films on a transactional basis apart from the subscription. Discovery+ categorized their customers on two levels to mix AVOD with SVOD. The lower fee subscribing customers are served their content with some ads, while higher fee subscribers get the same content with zero ads.

OTT vs VOD: What is the difference

There is one major difference between OTT and VOD. Apart from that the line gets blurrier the more you try to understand the difference.

Typically, OTT umbrella contains three types of content delivery platforms and content.
These are:

• Streaming video on websites or apps like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, DAZN, Sky Sports, etc.
• Internet-connected devices like TVs (smart TVs) or devices like the Amazon Fire TV stick, Google Chromecast, or the insanely popular Roku streaming device.
• Watching live TV using internet streaming: Popular examples are DirecTV, Sling TV, Hotstar (in India), and the list goes on.

On the contrary, VOD is restricted to content that is not live streamed and can be consumed at any place, any time.

In simple terms, OTT describes “how the content is delivered” while VOD describes “how the content is consumed”.

What are different types of VOD

VOD or Video On Demand enables people to watch their desired videos – anytime, anywhere, and on any video playing device.

Video on demand (VOD) is a promising technology with top-notch and lucrative opportunities in the new cord-cutting status quo. By 2023, Cisco System predicts the number of internet-connected devices to be more than triple of the global population.

OTT has fundamentally changed the content production and distribution approaches when it comes to video consumption. Streaming Media reports that video-on-demand viewing time has grown up to 155% year-over-year, comprising 17 minutes per session on average.

This rapid rise in demand for video content provides endless opportunities to OTT brands to generate revenue using different advertising and subscription models.

Let’s talk about these OTT business models in detail.

AVOD

AVOD is one of the common OTT platform revenue models, where you offer free content to your audience. AVOD businesses generate revenue with ads inserted into the video to monetize it. These can be commercials, pop-ups, or any other type of sponsored content.

Under AVOD, you may choose to run ads at the beginning (pre-roll), in between video plays (mid-roll), or at the end of the video (post-rolls).

Advantages of AVOD monetization model

• AVOD enables businesses to serve free content with ads to their customers across several inventory platforms such as connected TV, desktop, and mobile ecosystems.
• The biggest advantage of AVOD is the possibility of finding new viewers without much effort. With little or no barrier to entry, viewers can get hooked on your content without hitting any hurdles. If you serve a niche demographic or interest group, you may be able to charge higher rates from advertisers enabling you to offer discounted prices to your customers.
• AVOD provides very refined targeting opportunities with more precise data about audience interests than mere age and geo data.

AVOD isn’t as popular among premium content owners and streaming giants mainly because this model generates less revenue compared to SVOD. You may need to gain a substantial audience before you turn a profit.

When is the AVOD monetization model suitable?

If you are serving generic content, how-to and comedy videos, you may use AVOD platforms. These content types usually generate huge viewership, especially the younger audience who are less likely to subscribe or remain loyal to regular entertainment sources. The AVOD model also required you to choose the right ad network to maximize revenue benefits.

SVOD

As mentioned earlier, subscription based video on demand model allows watching as-free video content available on the platform at a flat rate, with a monthly or annual subscription.

With easy-to-unsubscribe policies, SVOD is one of the most lucrative revenue models and makes up the largest segment of the OTT industry.

Advantages of SVOD monetization model

• The SVOD model used by Netflix is extremely popular and hence familiar among households. In fact, a 2019 report finds up to 75% of US households have a SVOD subscription.
• It’s a very efficient model that creates steady income from every customer. SVOD is also associated with high revenue. Because consumers can pay an affordable fee to access the entire content library, many prefer these platforms.
• It provides multiple subscription options to the user to pay weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually at their convenience.

The SVOD model has a higher entry barrier as big players like Netflix, HBO, Apple TV, Hulu, etc. cover almost 3/4th of the consumer market. This makes it hard to find new customers and harder to retain them. Any change in content, price or the economy causes people to end their subscriptions or switch to another OTT provider. Also, the cost of producing quality content compels businesses to set higher subscription pricing to enable bigger profit margins.

When is the SVOD monetization model suitable?

The SVOD model is perfect for businesses seeking a long-term value by serving constant quality content in the form of movies, TV shows, originals, etc. It is primarily the right choice for businesses focusing on entertainment, health, fitness, eLearning, and other content.

SVOD OTT streaming solutions require extra effort and resources to correctly position your platform in the right target audience. Also, there is the small matter of adopting the best security and encryption integrations to meet the user’s needs.

TVOD

TVOD or Transactional Video On Demand is a rental-based VOD monetization business model where the user rents the content or has access to the service for a short period of time by paying a fee.

TVOD is also sometimes known as pay-per-view (PPV) or pay-per-download (PPD). The model usually involves Download-to-own (DTO) or Electronic sell-through (EST) systems. Another option is renting videos for particular periods.

Advantages of TVOD monetization model

• TVOD is a straightforward and simple model great for serving one-off video content. The power of choice given to consumers lets the businesses charge or offer discounts on the content piece accordingly. Consumers are more willing to pay for high quality content they intend to watch.
• The most attractive reason why TVOD is a great choice is its immediacy. Consumers get access to desired content by renting or buying even sooner than after the general release of specific media content.
• TVOD services enable businesses to retain customers with seasonal content. This strategy suits tutorials, lessons, sports, or other seasonal events. Sky Sports Box Office is a good example of TVOD platforms.

Two of the biggest problems in the TVOD monetization model is getting consistent revenue and gaining consumer confidence. More people are becoming comfortable using services consistently than earlier. Plus having to pay for each additional program can be a frustrating experience.

When is the TVOD monetization model suitable?

Most TVOD businesses work with exclusive content deals and close release windows to drive customers for purchases. TVOD also works best for live streaming services like entertainment events and sports events that are seasonal. The best way to use a TVOD model is to combine it with another VOD monetization strategy for a consistent revenue stream.

PVOD

Premium video on demand or PVOD is more like a special case of TVOD where the user can pay to get access to content sooner than other SVOD or TVOD customers would! For example, premium movies are released on PVOD first and then the subscribers get access via SVOD or TVOD.

Disney’s Mulan was a prime example of a PVOD release. It got its first release as a PVOD as it had to skip the theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hybrid VOD

Many OTT platforms are now adopting a hybrid approach when it comes to monetizing their content. AVOD, SVOD, and TVOD hybrid models are a proven approach to profitable advertising in the CTV and OTT ecosystem.

Hybrid VOD monetization model could prove to be the best option in a highly competitive OTT landscape. It offers the best of both worlds to the consumers from TVOD, AVOD, and SVOD. Usually, one of these revenue models is selected as primary, and the others are used for exclusive deals.

Advantages of Hybrid VOD monetization model

The one big advantage Hybrid VOD has over other VOD models is that it provides the best of each monetization model. It also provides flexibility as you can combine selected benefits from each model to create your own hybrid monetization model.

A wisely combined hybrid model can suit nearly any OTT business.

When is the Hybrid VOD monetization model suitable?

Hybrid VOD monetization model works best for businesses who are targeting a vast set of audiences. The second important thing is for your platform to have a vast library of content to cater to each audience type. Therefore, by leveraging the different monetization models, you can meet the needs of various users.

What is OTT Advertising and its benefits

OTT advertising is serving personalized content to different viewers’ devices while they watch the same TV show or movies. Personalized user experience based on AI-powered recommendation engines is one of the most important key factors in designing a successful OTT app. Thus, we can say, OTT advertising is a targeted ad delivery on Internet-CTV sets enabled by programmatic OTT technology.

Due to the widespread adoption of OTT platforms, advertisers can now expand their audience reach that was previously available only on traditional TV. Many consumers in the US are now ‘cutting the cord’ but a report from the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) says advertising is still essential to the ecosystem.

5 benefits of OTT advertising

OTT advertising is a win-win situation for everybody involved in it. Advertisers love it as they get access to behavioral and personal choice data of consumers they didn’t have access to earlier. Also, they love it for the massive revenue and brand potential such targeted ads can garner. Consumers love it because they get far better options in OTT in terms of content and convenience over regular TV.

Recent advancements in OTT technology made it possible to bring alive both the product and in-store experience of retail brands onto the OTT device. Gree, the world’s largest air conditioner maker, sold 44 million USD worth of merchandise on Kuaishou, China’s leading short-video and live-streaming social platform.

In addition to this OTT advertising also offers:

#1 Sticky ads: If you are an advertiser, you would love a sticky ad where the user can’t fast forward or skip the ad. OTT platforms provide a visible 90 seconds or 2 minutes countdown window to the advertisers to display their ad content. Since the consumers are invested in the OTT content, they let the whole ad play out while resuming the video content afterwards.

#2 Advanced targeting: The OTT registration details of the user cover all the basic demographic data for the advertisers. And after a while, OTT platforms can provide a heap of data about the kind of content a user watches and his behavior. Advertisers can target people based on their unique viewing habits thanks to a comprehensive portrait rendered in numbers.

#3 Advanced reach: OTT advertising provides a unique opportunity to reach the ever-elusive group of ‘cord-cutters’ and ‘cord-nevers’. Broadly speaking, OTT platforms are a boon to advertisers who could formerly only hope to make contact with a blanket TV ad strategy. With the advance reach and advanced targeting capabilities, sky’s the limit.

#4 Advanced attribution: Gone are the days of hoping and wondering for advertisers. OTT advertising can provide attribution in a way that broadcast and linear TV never could. OTT advertisers can now use pixel-based tracking from multiple devices to determine website or product page visits by a potential customer. You can also gauge the time spent on the website, any other clicks made, etc. to gather more actionable data.

#5 First look rights: OTT platforms have the option to provide first look rights to an advertiser. This allows an advertiser to circumvent the targeting restrictions that inherently come with programmatic ad buying and brings several advantages. Now not only do the advertisers get access to top quality content, they can also strategically distribute ads to particular platforms and publishers. This way advertisers don’t have to see a large portion of an advertising campaign go to a single outlet in order to complete an impression campaign.

Which type of VOD is faring well in the current OTT market

SVOD and AVOD are the two most common OTT subscription models found currently with their own place on the market. Advertising is the prevalent revenue model. However, that is going to change as of 2021, 54% of OTT brands plan to change their business models to appeal to a wider range of viewers, with an additional 22 % considering it. Two-thirds of OTT brands are now transitioning to a hybrid monetization approach.

Thus, the best model any publisher can go for is the Hybrid VOD monetization model. It brings the best of both SVOD & AVOD and more.

AVOD expenditure for TV episodes and movies will climb by 144% between 2020 and 2026 to reach $66 billion across 138 countries. AVOD has the highest revenue share of the OTT market of all monetization models. But this revenue fluctuates from season to season and proves to be worse for overall user experience. However, the

AVOD monetization model has a lower barrier of entry and is easier to set up and isn’t dependent on audience size like SVOD.

The SVOD monetization model is excellent for those publishers who are looking for consistent revenue streams. If you have exclusive and premium content for users who are willing to pay for that content, then it becomes a win-win for all parties involved. However, SVOD has a very high entry barrier and is more challenging to set up. It might deter many who’d rather watch free content.

Read about the recent OTT trends and opportunities for current and new brands

Overall, publishers should test all the methods available and see what works for them since the better choice greatly depends on your content type and audience.

Best practices for OTT subscription billing

A good OTT subscription billing experience must deliver:

• Time-to-market speed: OTT billing can also work as a medium for content promotion. However, publishers must create, test, and refine promotions rapidly without much IT intervention every time. This accelerates and improves the customer acquisition process.

• Dynamic retention: OTT platforms have the leeway to manage entitlements of the customers to keep them connected to the content even in the event of temporary issues. This works well for a superior user experience rather than reducing retention from rigid entitlements.

• Support for multiple currencies, languages, and payment options: Consumers love personalization. And what more they would love than seeing their language being used for transactions for their preferred payment method.

• Scale and reliability: If you provide quality content and gain a large user base, you must always be prepared to handle large demands with quick turnarounds. A slow or difficult initial transaction drives customers away.

• Robust finance, tax, and anti-fraud support: Consumers trust their credit and debit card details with you to provide them a seamless experience. Hence it becomes paramount that your billing solution should proactively screen for fraud along with providing a defined revenue and tax format.

• Intelligence for continuous improvement: Have a proactive billing team who are always on the lookout for updated best practices for billing. This way you can benchmark yourself against other OTT providers and stay on top.

How OTT providers are implementing hybrid VOD monetization model

The first step towards implementing a hybrid monetization model is to identify the VOD monetization models that you want to combine. The next step is to identify your primary VOD monetization model and strategize how you are going to introduce the remaining models.

The final step, of course, is to build a multi-device, multi-platform OTT streaming solution that captivates your audience.

Some businesses like Disney+ are blending SVOD with TVOD. Disney+ costs about $X/month, but offers TVOD access to new films like Mulan. Another prominent example, Hulu blends AVOD and SVOD. Low-level subscribers pay a small fee to watch their programs with ad interruptions. High-level subscribers pay more, but get to watch with 0 ads. In this hybrid model, you can make some portion of the content library free-to-view with ads inserted, and lock the rest of the library for paying subscribers.

Looking at Hulu or Apple TV, for instance, both services offer a subscription (SVOD) model. However, you can watch videos with ads for free on Hulu, as an AVOD model. As for Apple TV, the service gives you an alternative to buy or rent movies and shows (TVOD).

Read: How to design an experience-based subscription model for your business

What are other content monetization opportunities available

Apart from the traditional OTT monetization models discussed earlier, content providers can find their own way of monetizing their content. Let’s discuss some of these opportunities below:

Live stream content pre-order

Content providers can put up live stream content for pre-order as soon as the feed is available at their end. This takes care of your marketing, audio & video monetization, and other crucial aspects in one go.

World renowned musician Kanye West hosted a listening event at a stadium in Atlanta for his much awaited music album, Donda. The event was attended by 42,000 fans who paid between $25-$100 per ticket. Not only that, the listening party was live streamed by Apple Music and watched by 3.3 million viewers – a record breaking number. Another such listening party for an updated version of the album recorded a whopping 5.4 million views and $4M in ticket sales. To top it off, the event recorded $7M in merchandise sales at the venue alone.

Crowdfunding & Donation

Some content becomes an instant hit among the people and they just keep coming asking for more. An independent movie or a short TV show, or a short video, it can be anything. You can use the popularity for your benefit by letting your end consumers donate for the next production budget.

Theater and OTT collaboration

Theaters were one of the worst affected businesses in the media industry during the pandemic. But this misfortune created a new opportunity for both theater and OTT players. Towards the end of the pandemic, a group of theater owners have begun to form a consortium and digitally broadcast content in theaters. Thereby theaters have now become experiential spaces for OTT consumption.

Content aggregation

Many up and coming OTT players like Aha TV, Hoichoi use content aggregation to provide off the shelf OTT content to their subscribers. They prepare a combined EPG for all channels and make revenue off the subscriptions for content that is not their own.

End-user wallet

Create a digital wallet for your end users where they can store credit points based on purchases. These users can buy, store, manage and spend their store credits to watch their favorite content anytime they want.

Restricted subscription access

Get restriction access certificates for certain geographically restricted globally popular content. Once you get them, you can allow the streaming of such content for an excess charge in the restricted geographies.

Content creation processes

It is not only the final product that earns money in OTT services. There are multiple monetization opportunities in content creation, content transformation (people use different cameras, aspect ratios etc. during shooting. They need to be synergized into a common format), content processing (adding subtitles, language overlay), content storage and retrieval.

What is new in OTT?

OTT primarily refers to sending content over-the-top or over the internet. OTT monetization models primarily refer to videos (SVOD, AVOD, TVOD). But increasingly there are new content formats gaining much prominence such as text and audio OTT.

Text OTT or OTT messaging refers to the phenomenon where OTT apps use the internet as a method to connect phone calls and send MMS and SMS messages. For example, iMessage, WhatsApp, and others allow users to send messages whenever the device is connected to the internet.

Audio OTT platforms deliver content over the internet to the consumer by procuring content from publishers/music labels/other distributors. The content is usually accessed through an independently hosted application. For example, Spotify, SoundCloud, iTunes, internet radio stations and podcasts.

Monetization of all these current content formats can be coined under new terms – SCOD, ACOD, TCOD – where C stands for Content.

Conclusion

As we are seeing a huge tectonic shift in consumption habits of global consumers, it presents an opportunity to every OTT provider, irrespective of their budget, size and industry. SVOD, AVOD, TVOD monetization models will likely continue changing and

weaving, so we can expect more new approaches to the rapidly developing OTT and CTV market.

The OTT market is inclusive of all publishers as long as they have a sufficient budget. Even if you are a small publisher, you should have no trouble getting a few advertising deals (e.g., with SpotX or Google ADX) to start monetizing and building your revenue stream. The only real hurdle to entering the market will be whether you have a large enough team to handle your development needs.

As the saying goes, a long journey begins with a small step; content providers must start with one monetization model that meets business needs and then gradually integrate other models. It enables you to keep a check on important things like customer experience and opens up multiple lucrative opportunities for audience engagement.

So many businesses have put their own unique spin on the OTT industry. We’re excited to see what combinations are dreamed up next.

With the onset of the COVID-19, OTT and video streaming saw a surge like never before. This rise was attributed to a number of factors: the amount of time people spent at home, fewer avenues of entertainment, reliance on digital media for day-to-day interactions like business meetings, doctor consultations, online classes, and more. Video platforms also became a necessary means to fill the gap of human connections in people’s lives. According to a survey done by Limelight, in July 2020 over 89% of respondents used video to communicate, and over 50% used it daily.

Last year, video conferencing became one of the most critical tools for all kinds of businesses including Edtech, Retail, Healthcare, BFSI, etc. A cloud communications service provider based in the US saw an increase of 843% in the video minutes consumed by its users across domains, out of which Telehealth usage grew the most. The financial services and education sector also saw a significant spike in usage.

In our earlier article, we explored how the new-age LMS platforms are leveraging video streaming and creating innovative solutions across all their offerings – employee onboarding, partner training, customer education, employee training, and more.

‘’As enterprises continue to adopt technologies for remote learning and collaboration for employees, technology companies are amending their features and support. In the years to come, effective use of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, VR, adaptive learning approaches, gamification will increase in LMS.’’ Srinidhi Rao, Senior Vice President – Solutioning and Account Management, Robosoft Technologies

In another article, we outlined how the Retail industry is using video for customer acquisition, retention and engagement.

‘’Out of sight, out of mind,  is more pertinent than ever before.  Hence it is essential for retailers to use innovative approaches to remain on consumers’ radar. Videos play a crucial role in this as it’s a more visually engaging medium.’’ Jay Shah, Vice President, Pre-sales & Solutioning, Robosoft Technologies

OTT and video streaming have become a force to be reckoned with in an age when all the rules of engaging and communicating with customers have changed. In this article, we will outline how video streaming is being used in 5 key industries: Healthcare, FinTech, B2B SaaS, Real Estate, and Manufacturing.

Healthcare: Medical streaming becomes a powerful channel for medical professionals

Medical streaming in healthcare is a phrase that has a broad range of use cases. Starting from providing consultations to patients in remote places to supervising surgeries, live medical video streaming has seeped into every crevice of medical aid to simplify doctor-patient relationships. In response to the COVID-19, the Spanish health authorities implemented Telehealth services at the primary care level. In addition, some private health providers offered video consultations for the general public free of charge. For Vonage, a cloud communications service provider, overall video minutes used by its healthcare clients spiked by 727 percent from February to March last year. The major use cases where video conferencing was used were: telehealth apps providing remote consultations, therapy sessions, online staff training etc.

Even prior to the pandemic, usage of video in healthcare was already picking pace for video consultations, training, and more. Below are some key use cases of how the healthcare sector leverages video streaming:

Telemedicine: Telemedicine is a stream coined to make medical assistance reachable to a vaster population. Medical live streaming, though primarily used to provide consultations, has also been used to share knowledge, research, and equipment demos.

Remote Medical Scribes: Documenting medical records to keep track of patient history and other key details is important but also time-consuming if done by physicians manually. Thus, the medical community created scribes – a virtual medium where doctors outsource these clerical jobs to people offshore. Live streaming these details has cut down a great deal of time and increased work efficiency in hospitals. Apps like SmartMD helps physicians record their visits. While the app scribes notes directly into the patient’s chart, saving everyone time and getting the most out of your EHR.

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Virtual Training: Medicine is an ever-evolving field that needs its professionals to keep up with the catching technologies and other advances. Even practicing doctors are often in need of requiring brief training. Live streaming can help the medical community updated through e-learning options.

Surgeries: Surgeries that do not consist of a senior doctor in the place have been monitored through live video streaming and hold an interactive session to eliminate surgical risks. In some cases, surgeries have also been broadcasted to a larger audience as lessons to educate those who are in training.

Online Consultation: Live streaming consultations have given the patients a wider choice of good doctors, not only for treatments but also for attaining opinions on diagnosed problems. These online live streaming consultations in healthcare can be used to review prescribed medicines, treatments, and other medical records such as scans and X-rays. This feature has vastly enhanced the experience of medical assistance and has also cut down on patient wait time as they do not go to meet doctors in real-time.

Last year owing to the pandemic, many hospitals and health systems launched and expanded telehealth programs in a matter of days. In response to the quick demand in access, HHS healthcare began leveraging platforms such as FaceTime and Zoom for virtual visits covering a wide range of conditions, from urgent care, primary care check-ups, medication follow up and COVID-19 screenings. Owing to the increased usage of video streaming services healthcare providers like Aetna Healthcare, UnitedHealthcare, Humana also starting including telehealth in their reimbursements.

Fintech and BFSI: Video-based content to acquire, engage and retain customers

BFSI and FinTech sectors can leverage the power of video streaming to not just engage with customers but also help them use their products and services with ease. According to a report from Accenture, 48% of US millennials would like their banks to offer video banking.

Here’s how the video streaming is being leveraged in this sector:

Video Banking: As physical branches become less relevant banks are upgrading their digital channels and introducing innovative methods to communicate and connect with their customers. Video Banking is one such innovation, which helps bridge the human-interface gap. For instance, LiveBank offers Virtual Branch Banking for the banking sector. It is an omnichannel communication and collaboration hub for banks that aggregate all communication channels like text chat, video, and audio. LiveBank provides retail banks secure and friendly contact channels for its clients.

Reducing the processing time: the BFSI sector is using video streaming to simplify the paper-based processing of loans, accounts, etc. Ping An, a wealth management company based in China reduced the loan application time to 6 minutes with the face recognition feature of Live Bank. At Robosoft, we partnered with a leading insurance company for the integration of Robosoft’s Video Chat solution to support online claim surveys for motor insurance. The integration of Video Chat solutions helped to personalize the digital interactions between the claim managers and customers and eased the claims process.

Making BFSI more inclusive: SignVideo, a British Sign Language (BSL) video interpreting service, was used by Lloyds to make their customer service more inclusive by making video an integral element of their customer services operations. Similarly, Santander UK and HSBC also use SignVideo to make their services more inclusive.

Better customer service: In a survey done by Accenture, more than half of survey respondents expressed an appetite for a true omnichannel banking experience that would allow them to switch seamlessly between physical and digital channels. In a post-COVID world where physical interactions are limited, channel innovations such as video conferencing, virtual reality, and chatbots can bridge the gap of face-to-face interactions.

“Video banking shows customers that behind the bank, there is something. There are people that can actually help you. It’s not like talking to a machine, it’s like talking to a real person.” Grzegorz Młynarczyk, vice president of virtual banking services provider LiveBank. 

Video-based marketing: 85% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, and of those, 88% of marketers report getting a positive return on their investment. Furthermore, videos can be more engaging learning tools than other forms of content. Service and product offerings in the BFSI and FinTech sectors can be complicated. Videos enable businesses to distill complicated concepts into a short, digestible format and to tell a story that showcases even the most complex technology. Customers can visualize how a product or service can solve their challenges, even ones they may not have known they had.

An example of video simplifying a complex FinTech solution for its customers can be this video from Crypto Arbitrager, a Fintech enterprise that enables investors to make money on the difference in rates of cryptocurrencies: bitcoin and litecoin. The fintech solution video shows how Crypto Arbitrager allows you to profit from exchange rate differences.

B2B SaaS: Embracing the power of video across the sales funnel

B2B marketers have found that video content is more effective than written content. 59% of senior executives said they’d rather watch a video than read an article. Videos can play an important role throughout the sales funnel leading to conversions.

‘’Video marketing, especially for SaaS companies, involves utilizing video through the funnel to attract, convert and delight customers” Ed Laczynski, CEO of Zype. 

Video isn’t just for marketing anymore; it can play an influential role in the sales process now. The introduction of sales video platforms like Vidyard’s GoVideo and Wistia’s Soapbox has made it easy for sales reps to integrate video from their very first approach email.

These videos can be of various types – product demos, customer training videos, personalized videos embedded in email marketing campaigns, etc. Some examples to take a note of are:

Product explainer videos: Finalsite is a B2B SaaS company with more than 20 products and each one has a product video lasting under 60 seconds. PrecisionLender does a great job of addressing the key product questions in short 90 seconds videos.

Personalized sales videos: The Angle, a B2B tech marketing company used Wistia’s Soapbox to create a personalized video to promote a blog post. The video can be easily shared by the sales team in their emails to engage with the prospect.

Customer testimonials videos: Slack, produced this fun, two-minute video to tell the story of how the company’s platform improved Sandwich Video’s productivity. The video answers the main questions of any good testimonial video addressing the key concerns of decision-makers like quantifying the impact the product has made, product features, and more.

Real Estate: Video-streaming changing the rules of real estate purchase

The buying process in the real estate industry has evolved and Real Estate companies are using new-age technologies to engage with buyers throughout the buying cycle. At Robosoft, we partnered with one of the leading real estate development companies of UAE to create a mobile platform that can help buyers keep a track of their property-related transactions and create an engaging experience throughout the journey of home buying to living. We also worked with a service realty solutions organization that helps manage real-estate for private individuals, landlords and investors. We partnered with the client to create an aggregator web solution for landlords and tenants, for their property management requirements. From looking for a property to managing transactions and legal documents – digital has become a critical element.

Videos can help real estate enterprises engage with their customers better. Various ways in which the Real Estate sector leverage videos are: Virtual tours of the property, provide agent profiles to gain buyer’s trust, educational videos helping buyers learn more about the complex concepts surrounding the housing market like subprime mortgages, depreciation, and foreclosure, etc.

Tools like  BeLive.tv can help real estate enterprises to take interested buyers or agents on a virtual or remote tour of the house. Another type of video that the real estate sector can use is creating 360 views like Google Street through imaging equipment like Matterport 3D equipment, which is an enhanced imaging software. This camera does a high-res scan of every room in the house and creates a virtual, immersive, 3D experience.

Manufacturing: Customer education to process training videos are simplifying the manufacturing landscape

According to a Video Benchmarking report by Vidyard, High Tech, Professional Services & Media, and Entertainment & Publishing are the top three industries for video production. Manufacturing also ranks high on the list at number eight.

The manufacturing industry is leveraging videos as a powerful tool to show their customers, and investors, how the processes inside their factories work. For example, Rocket International, a national distributor of packaging supplies and equipment, put together a video that showcases the machinery that can be added to a line to place a carry handle to packaging. Similarly EVS Metal – a leading provider of end-to-end metal fabrication and manufacturing services gives a factory tour video that allows their buyers to see the size, conditions, capabilities, and products and services available at EVS Metal.

Another important use case of videos in the manufacturing industry is Process Training. Process training is an integral part of the manufacturing industry and videos are ideal to demonstrate step-by-step instructions that are useful for teaching the operation of a tool, product, or procedures. These how-to-videos pertaining to manufacturing are a better alternative to reading bulky manuals on the process because they provide visual stimulants that are easy to remember.

For the employer, these process videos reduce the time and resources spent on training employees how to carry out a process, while decreasing the learning curve for employees.

The manufacturing industry is also using immersive videos with AR/VR technologies for process tours, training, ensuring safety, and more. For instance, At the UK’s Eggborough Power Station K, tech companies Arithmetica and Transmission TX partnered to create an immersive VR training experience for workers at the power station, which delivers coal-fired power and biomass conversion. The VR experience simulated a real-life hazardous environment, providing a 360-degree video experience via consumer-friendly and fully available Samsung Gear VR headsets.

Ford, which outfits its employees with VR experiences to simulate the construction of upcoming models in its plants, years before the cars start rolling out of the warehouse doors. The intent of this VR application is to encourage workers to create the tools and processes they need in order to create a safer production environment. The introduction of VR in the manufacturing process resulted in an injury reduction rate of 70 percent.

In conclusion:

OTT and video streaming market is growing, while the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this pace, the adoption was already underway. Industries beyond media & entertainment are leveraging video streaming for higher engagement with their customers. Be it educating the customers, communicating with them, or engaging with them – videos have become a critical aspect of strengthening the customer experiences. Additionally, videos are also helping in employee training, communication within enterprises, and more.

At Robosoft, we have the width and depth of experience crafting OTT and video app solutions. Our solutions are anchored on multiexperience – an approach focused on customer journey – providing multi-sensory, multimodal, and seamless experiences. We have partnered with several brands in crafting OTT solutions that have captivated users and delivered business growth through a combination of cutting-edge product strategy, UI/UX, and engineering services.

Know more about our OTT and video app solutions here.