Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Parks: 83% of U.S. Internet Households Subscribe to at Least One OTT Service

 
A solid majority — 83% — of U.S. internet households now subscribe to at least one OTT service, according to new consumer research from Parks Associates. Meanwhile, 45% still subscribe to a traditional linear pay-TV service.
 
The firm’s new white paper, “Engaging Next-Gen Video Viewers: Leveraging AI and ML,” developed in partnership with FPT Software, addresses the increased use of video services, content preferences, discovery challenges and the role of bundles.
 
“The most successful video services going forward will be dominated by innovative technologies, including AI [artificial intelligence] and ML [machine learning], that drive sustained high levels of engagement with consumers through advanced content moderation and curation,” Sarah Lee, research analyst at Parks Associates, said in a statement
 
AI and ML can create a personal experience by leveraging data to understand patterns and relationships at a very granular level, beyond recommendations that “standard” big-data-based systems, according to Parks.
 
“There is a vast range of AI and ML use cases in media and entertainment — companies are only starting to scratch the surface,” Ira Dworkin, managing director of communications, media and entertainment for FPT Software, said in a statement. “These can range from generating richer metadata that can be used to drive experiences to reducing time required for content preparation to driving deeper advertising engagement. Leveraging and extending the data that already exists for many M&E companies to build bespoke AI/ML models can help to drive new insights, ultimately reducing churn and improving subscriber loyalty.”
 
Parks Associates research finds that 30% of U.S. internet households are “service hoppers” or streaming video subscribers who frequently switch services and re-subscribe multiple times. Businesses that harness AI can develop more effective and efficient strategies to keep these viewers from “hopping,” according to Parks.
 
“By understanding the viewer on a deeper, personal level, businesses can deliver a more positive, individualized experience that drives acquisition, satisfaction, and retention,” Lee said in a statement. “AI and ML models can provide this understanding and identify factors that result in higher customer acquisition and long-term subscriptions.”
 
From the article, "Parks: 83% of U.S. Internet Households Subscribe to at Least One OTT Service," by Stephanie Prange.

Previously In The News

AT&T's DirecTV Now Is A Big Bundle When Consumers Want Skinny

DirecTV Now, something of an online replica of AT&T's satellite offering, will face more competition than its analog ever had on land. There's the genuinely skinny bundle of Dish Network's (DISH) Slin...

Home, Where the Smart Is

While the home is shaping up to be the battleground, cable operators and other service providers are jostling to position themselves as the aggregation and management point of this emerging class of s...

Netflix Prods HBO to Go 'Binge-First' With New Seasons of Original Shows

No longer would HBO be reliant on a broadband operator to deliver Game of Thrones, The Sopranos or Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. (HBO does distribute directly to consumers via streaming service...

OTA-TV Climbing In U.S. Broadband Homes

Per the study, 81% of U.S. broadband homes still have a pay TV subscription, but only one-third of them are “very satisfied” with the service. Notably, 31% of U.S. broadband homes take multiple OTT se...