Looking at the current state of affairs in the way we consume video content, we can pretty much declare that traditional television is history. Yes, TV sets are still present in households, however, streaming our favorite shows on our devices has become the norm. This has created massive competition among OTT service providers who are looking for effective post-production systems such as OWNZONES to meet the demands of consumers.

Modern consumer and digital availability

The old, linear television is in today’s terms quite restrictive and limiting for the modern digital consumer who is accustomed to the availability of content online. This resulted in a rapid evolution in the way users consume media and their expectations in terms of how they absorb the content. 

The entertainment industry has been propelled into action thanks to these evolving consumer habits and expectations and is veering to Over-The-Top (OTT) services. OTT media refers to all the audio or video content delivered to the consumer through the Internet. When we say OTT streaming, we think of Netflix and other popular services like Apple TV, HBO Now, and Amazon Video.

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Power of OTT for the rising niche market segmentation

According to a 2018 broadcasting industry report, OTT streaming services allow targeting of niche markets that go further than basic genre categorization. For instance, today we have an OTT streaming site like the paradigm-shifting 420TV dedicated to the cannabis lifestyle and culture. 

Providers of OTT services are able to create local content on an international scale. If we look at Netflix, it provides content for almost every country in the world, with the exception of China, North Korea, and Syria. Localization of content is an integral part of their business strategy.

The ability to focus on niches opens the door of business opportunities since the features of OTT streaming services allow the providers to target the rising niche market segments. This goes far beyond the capabilities of traditional television and other media that are very broad and deal with the risk of targeting audiences who will find certain advertisements irrelevant and invasive. 

Meeting customer expectations

Modern consumers expect their content to be put at their convenience at a simple push of a button, at any time and at any place. You want to make your content available quickly, otherwise, the users will find the content elsewhere. Time-to-market, or TTM, has become a major concern of OTT providers especially due to the rising number of OTT streaming services. And that’s where cutting-edge solutions like OWNZONES come into play.

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OWNZONES to the rescue

The sophisticated cloud-native solution by OWNZONES can help content creators adapt to the evolving expectations of their consumers. Using the cloud-based infrastructure, content owners are given the opportunity to manage their media libraries that are efficient, scalable, accessible, globalization-friendly, and cost-effective.

This media management and delivery solution helps users store, manage, process, and deliver content quickly. Consequently, the customer needs are met in a much faster way than with traditional solutions resulting in faster monetization of video content. 

IMF saves the day

The biggest credits can be attributed to the IMF or Interoperable Mastering Format OWNZONES uses to boost component-based workflow. IMF enables lower storage demands and faster processing of different content versions, saving immense amounts of time and extensive manual effort. 

How is this possible?

The format produces a master file for each title that you can complement with additional assets that are in accordance with the endpoint destination. The file is comprised of multiple individual components (separate track files for video, audio, subtitles and captioning data, dynamic metadata, packaging data) that compile a composition playlist (CPL).

The CPLs can create versions of your title in accordance with the target market. For instance, if you have a movie or video content for the audience in the US and Japan, there are some elements that will require a change. Imagine if you will that a character in the movie is holding a piece of paper with text on it. The US versions will have the text in English, while the Japanese equivalent will be needed for Japan. So, instead of creating movies for each country, the IMF allows you to change the scene and correct any elements necessary without altering the master file.

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Now, by looking at the extensive manual effort that can be saved by using OWNZONES ground-breaking solution, TTM or Time To Market is reduced dramatically. TTM is an important KPI in terms of optimizing workflow. When a company can launch its video content faster and meet the demands of clients and end users markets, its overall ROI reaps the benefits. 

Final thoughts

We are living in a digital age where consuming video content through OTT services has become the benchmark. If OTT providers want to stay in the game and follow the evolution of the expectations of their customers, they need to opt for future-proof solutions to deliver their video products effectively.