In Broadcast - July 2017 - 38

38

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 7 - Issue 6

In

Supplement

Personalising the Future of TV
Verizon Digital Media Services can effectively create a personalised
virtual linear TV channel for every viewer, by Jason Friedlander,
Director Marketing Communications..

I

n 2005, the industry known as
over-the-top video, or OTT, was
born. It came about when premium
television and movie content first
became available online. Since then,
OTT services like Netflix and Hulu have
become the norm, and the variety and
quality of programming they offer
rivals that of any broadcast network in
the world.
Upping the ante with personalised
recommendations,
genre-based
listings and binge-viewing functions,
these leading streaming video services
have introduced a new level of viewer
engagement and experiences. They
also have captured the significant
market share in an increasingly busy
and competitive marketplace, and
it often is difficult for other content
providers to break through.
Unique Experience
It's no longer enough just to have
excellent content, a straightforward
interface and strong discovery tools to
keep consumers happy or to generate
the subscription base necessary for
success. Service providers need to
start thinking outside the box and must
offer an experience uniquely tailored
to each consumer, a one to one
experience that proactively supplies
viewers with the highest-quality
delivery along with content that is
relevant to their specific interests and
viewing preferences.
Increasing level of viewer
engagement

Personalised
recommendations

OTT service providers need the
means to understand the how, what,
where, when and why their viewers are
watching any given piece of content
so that they can create personalised
online experiences for every viewer.
This effort requires the aggregation
and analysis of data that typically is
spread out across multiple platforms
and systems. In other words, it's a
complex process. Thus, as they enter
the OTT realm, broadcasters and
other content providers are finding it

necessary to work with an online video
service platform with the intelligence
to gather key insights based on every
aspect of the video workflow and
viewer experience.
Session Management
Knowledge of viewers' content
preferences,
the
devices
they
stream on and more can be derived
from the use of one to one session
management.
This
relationship
with each and every user allows
content owners to deliver a unique,
tailored viewing session for every
OTT consumer. Extending from the
beginning of the video life cycle and
ending when the viewer closes the OTT
application, this approach empowers
the online video platform - and thus
the broadcaster or other content
provider - to deliver a high degree of
personalisation, as well as exceptional
quality to any device.
This one to one relationship promises
to transform the way that content
providers reach audiences and gather
detailed insights into each piece of
their content. As a result, viewers are
more engaged, which naturally makes
both advertisers and the broadcaster/
operator happier. In fact, with

personalised programming channels
based on viewer insights, it is possible
not only to capture viewers quickly
with content they find compelling, but
also to segment audiences for more
targeted advertising - another allaround win.
Centralised Data
Verizon Digital Media Services
helps content providers to establish
and build this direct connection
with viewers. The company's unique
end-to-end platform combines the
Uplynk Video Streaming service
with the global Edgecast Content
Delivery Network (CDN). Moreover,
as a cloud-based provider, it can
centralise data from content creation
to ingest to delivery on every device
and platform to a potential audience
of millions of concurrent users. Using
this data along with CRM, billing and
account information, the company
makes it possible to go beyond simple
recommendations and effectively
create a personalised virtual linear TV
channel for every viewer.
Visit the Verizon Digital Media
Services website to learn more
about how the platform can provide
personalised viewing experiences.
http://www.inbroadcast.com https://www.verizondigitalmedia.com/get-smarter-about-your-viewers/ https://www.verizondigitalmedia.com/get-smarter-about-your-viewers/
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - July 2017
