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Welcome to the final installment of our Crawl, Walk, Run series, where we've been exploring the best practices for launching and scaling a successful OTT service. In this series, we’ve taken you through the foundational Crawl phase and the growth-focused Walk phase. If you missed those posts, make sure to check them out so you can get the full picture of building your OTT journey step by step.
In this post, we dive into the Run phase - the stage where we explore how to set up your OTT business for innovation and lasting success. We’ll discuss advanced strategies for standing out in a competitive market, experimenting with innovative features, and continuously optimizing user engagement.
This phase is where you capitalize on the solid foundation laid in previous stages. Your OTT service is now generating revenue, potentially through multiple monetization streams such as subscription tiers and advertisements, and you have an engaged user base. It's time to take calculated risks to maintain your competitive edge.
Now is the time to experiment with next-generation OTT features to compete with industry leaders. We learned through Accedo consumer survey that 35% of global users would stop using a service if its look and feel didn’t appeal to them, and 50% of these users consider a streaming service’s personalized UI very important. This again highlights how the user experience is something no video businesses can afford to overlook.
Consumers are generally open to paying extra for features that add significant value to their viewing experience, so investment in the right features can also directly improve revenue streams. Consumer insights, gathered through back-end analytics, are essential in shaping strategies to align with user expectations, ultimately boosting engagement and retention.
Careful consideration should be placed on differentiation. It’s not enough to mimic what the leaders in the industry are doing. Focus on providing functionalities that your users desire. While this phase involves venturing into uncharted territories, it's important to maintain a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) mindset. It is recommended that you introduce new features incrementally, incorporating continuous feedback loops to refine them effectively.
As you experiment with new features and expand your video service’s appeal, it’s essential to keep a strong focus on the quality and appeal that initially brought you success. This is where the A/B testing you started in the Walk Phase becomes a powerful tool, allowing you to roll out new features to smaller user segments or less critical markets first. By gathering feedback from multivariate UX testing, you can make informed decisions about which exploratory features are ready for broader implementation.
As new features are added, it's important to ensure they don't impact the existing video experience. Using tools like QA Automation can help maintain quality across established features while freeing up team resources to concentrate on new initiatives. This approach ensures both stability and continuous growth.
Knowing where your audience typically consumes content, you can consider adding support for new devices to unlock new opportunities that enhance your reach and revenue. Approach device expansion strategically to ensure it adds value without overburdening your resources.
Key considerations for new device-market penetration include:
Regional preferences: While you may already have a strong presence in specific regions, consider expanding to devices and platforms that dominate untapped or emerging markets. If you’re aiming for global reach, prioritize solutions that support broad device compatibility to cover as much ground as possible.
Budget optimization for platform coverage: To achieve maximum efficiency, leverage shared codebases like those for Android TV and Fire TV. This approach minimizes development time and costs while enabling you to support a wide variety of platforms.
Monetization goals: Align your device expansion strategy with your monetization model. For example, prioritize connected TVs for ad-supported services to maximize ad revenue, or mobile and web platforms for services that require interactive features.
Quality assurance across platforms: As you add new devices, ensure they integrate seamlessly without disrupting the user experience on existing platforms. Tools like QA automation can help maintain a consistent experience while freeing up resources for innovation.
Note: The advanced feature set you should consider in the later phases of your video application lifecycle depends tremendously on your brand and market. While the above highlights some standard suggestions across verticals, it is important to consider features relevant to you. For example in sports, the Run Phase may instead consider multi-stream video playback, merchandising or social media integrations from teams and players.
As your OTT service grows, certain signals may indicate that you’ve outgrown your original setup and require a more robust solution. Metrics like declining minutes per play, poor bitrate performance, or frequent buffering issues can reveal limitations in your current system. These signals often point to underlying reasons, such as increased user demand, technical constraints, or the need for advanced features. Recognizing these signs early allows you to address challenges proactively and maintain a competitive edge.
If you're unsure about how to identify these signals or take the next step, Accedo's OTT Advisory Services can help. With expertise in strategy development, UX optimization, and multi-platform solutions, we partner with you to ensure your service is ready to scale and thrive in a competitive market. Learn more about how we can support your journey here.
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