Media destinations are largely defined by what’s in their catalog of content, but what really matters is what audiences are actually watching. It’s an obvious statement that premium content commands top dollar because it drives more screen time. But what’s going on with the entirety of your offering? Title-specific analytics are crucial for valuating a program, but programmers and providers alike can really benefit from a more holistic view of how larger parts of their catalog are working for them (or not working, as the case may be).
Smarter decisions around content aren’t just about knowing what to buy and what to create. Understanding what audiences aren’t watching is as valuable as knowing what’s doing well. We’ve all experienced going to a service we use regularly and scrolling through suggested programs similar to ones we’ve previously viewed (or whatever content needs an ROI boost). After that it can seem like an exercise in diminishing returns, but most of us have dug deep into a programming guide only to find something fantastic that we didn’t even know was offered. With some better-informed merchandising or marketing moves, the entire catalog’s ability to create stickier audiences improves.
To provide these macro views across a wide spectrum of content engagement, Comcast Technology Solutions is introducing Insights – a new service to give companies a holistic view into the overall health of their content catalog.
INSIGHTS: SOME NEEDED CONTEXT FOR YOUR CONTENT
“Insights is a new service that is focused specifically on business impact,’” explains Peter Gibson, Executive Director of Product Management for Comcast Technology Solutions. “So, it’s less about the number of times a viewer streamed a piece of content, or how quality is impacting playback, but more about how your content is tracking with audiences as a whole.” Insights provides answers to questions like:
- Are audiences watching what you think they’re watching?
- What’s getting binge-watched? And for how long per session?
- Have you become a viewing habit for your audience?
Combining both historical and a daily view of the actual content consumption by your audience, practical decisions can be made based more on real-world context, with less conjecture. For example, perhaps you’ve been purchasing a lot of dramatic programming, but your audience is watching a lot of comedy. Insights can help to provide clarity where parts of your catalog might be underutilized due to lack of discovery, which might spur some additional advertising or some new merchandising decisions. Or, it might show that content creation and acquisition dollars could be reassessed based on the holistic impact they’re having on audience engagement and retention.
HOW INSIGHTS WORKS
Insights is a new feature within Comcast Technology Solutions’ Cloud Video Platform. Information is collected on the server side, which translates into minimal client-side implementation work to get Insights up and running. Once it’s up and running, Insights combines historical data with current performance measurements to provide context over time. The Insights dashboards include a wealth of data not normally found within analytics solutions. Among the multitude of benefits:
Binge Tracking
- Understand how much audiences are watching in one session, and for what period of time. Clearly we ALL want to encourage binge-watching. Insights provides some needed clarity around not just which shows are finding their audience, but also how those audiences are watching with tools like Device and Content Insights.
Measuring Engagement
- How much do audiences really like your service? Are audiences coming back actively and consistently (a sticky, engaged viewer), or is it just something that they’re getting billed for (a high churn risk)? Engagement measurement can lead to opportunities to re-jigger marketing strategy or direct outreach / offers to viewers.
Attention Indexing
- Attention Indexing looks at your entire catalog to see how audiences are really watching. For instance, a new show might get a lot of play, but . . . .is it getting played in its entirety? Or are folks tuning in to a longer movie and only playing part of it. Catalog insights might determine that folks are clicking on content because it’s merchandised, but they don’t stick with it to completion. Lots of starts with low completion rates…that’s a problem that most out-of-the-box analytics tools aren’t designed to illuminate.
MACRO-LEVEL UNDERSTANDING FROM DAY ONE
“Insights can immediately help you make content catalog merchandising, marketing, and policy decisions with data based on your historical video activity,” explains Gibson, “Plus, you can easily add it to your existing analytics solutions if needed.” In the space between how you want your content to be used and the reality of your audience’s behaviors, Insights gives you an added layer of business intelligence that brings you to a deeper understanding.
Learn more about Insights, our CTSuite for Content and Streaming Providers, and our CTSuite for MVPDs and Operators.
