From a consumer perspective, the idea of video entertainment is simple: watch something that is engaging and interesting. While several differentiating factors impact consumer selection, such as ease of use, pricing and promotional value, and platform availability, the type of content offered heavily influences the traffic a video service receives. Consumers ultimately care about what they’re watching and will tolerate other elements that might hinder their video entertainment source choice. 

As buyers embark on a quest to satisfy their entertainment needs, quality of content typically outweighs other deciding factors. According to recent Parks Associates research, some of the top determinants guiding consumers in the selection of an over-the-top video service specifically revolve around the programming available. These include access to a specific title, the genre of programming accessible, and the exclusive, original programming offered. Financial incentives trail behind in emphasis, having only one factor among the top in the list. This implies that consumers are not only subscribing to OTT services in an effort to lower their monthly pay-TV expense.

Last month, Netflix announced record-breaking viewership figures for the third season of its original series Stranger Things. According to Netflix, the show achieved 40.7 million unique account views within the first four days of release, and among these views, 18.2 million member households finished the whole eight-episode season within that same four-day period. While the streaming giant usually opts to stay silent regarding figure releases, this announcement reinforces how powerful specific content can be towards an audience.

Additionally, Cinedigm’s CONtv recently updated its offering to include thousands of digital comics from former company ComicBlitz, which Cinedigm acquired last year. The newly dubbed CONtv + COMICS, retaining its pop culture programming, now grants subscribers an addendum of content. As a result, subscribers receive an additional style of entertainment that compliments what they already seek. This move represents how a company can take its existing niche-style programming a step further to propose even more reason for a buyer to consider them as an option to satisfy their hunger for content.

The availability of content remains a critical component of a video service’s success, and carries a hefty weight in a consumer’s decision criteria. A full analysis of consumers’ decision-making process when purchasing OTT and pay-TV services is available within Parks Associates’ 360 Deep Dive: The Buyer’s Journey – Pay TV vs. OTT. Please contact Elissa Mancini at [email protected] for more information.

Further Reading:

• Free trials influence over half of OTT video service subscriptions
• What Shifting Data Use Means for Pay-TV and Video Services
• OTT Video Services: Disruptive Globalization