OTT Video Service Subscriptions Increase in Q1 According to Parks Associates

OTT video service subscriptions are increasing a year after the start of the global pandemic. Parks Associates’ latest research of 10,000 US broadband households finds 82 percent of U.S. broadband households now have at least one OTT video service subscription, up from 76 percent in Q1 2020.

Parks Associates will bring together video ecosystem players for two virtual sessions as part of its fourth annual Future of Video: OTT, Pay TV, and Digital Media series on Wednesday, June 9, to explore customer adoption and churn, strategies for maintaining and retaining subscribers, and best practices in data-driven decision-making for OTT services.

“With OTT adoption so high, providers are exploring new strategies, including expanded IP and AI-powered enhancements, to stay competitive,” said Steve Nason, Research Director, Parks Associates. “We look forward to sharing our latest data and bringing together industry leaders at Future of Video.”

Sponsored by Everise, Symphony MediaAI, Deltatre, Brightcove, Bitmovin, and Metrological, Future of Video explores the changes created by COVID-19, the long-term impacts, and strategies to fulfill consumer expectations for new video services.

“Retention and Churn in OTT,” 11:00 AM CT, addresses customer churn, evaluation and uptake of services, and strategies for maintaining and retaining OTT subscribers, featuring Sebastian Braun, Director, Product Management, Verimatrix, and Matt Smith, VP, Business Development, Symphony MediaAI.

“Data and Decision Making in Video Services,” 2:00 PM CT, addresses service aspects that are essential to success—content delivery, quality of service, reliability, engagement, personalization, consumption, advertising, and subscriber satisfaction/retention. Featured speakers include Gabriel Berger, CEO, ThinkAnalytics, and Mathieu Fivaz, SVP – Chief, Data Science, NAGRA.

Service Stacking on the Rise

“Service stacking is trending up, with 46% of US broadband households subscribing to four or more OTT services,” said Matt Smith, VP, business development, Symphony MediaAI. “Forward-looking OTT providers are wondering when, not if, the tipping point will come – and they’re turning to predictive AI and other technology to prepare. We look forward to discussing the most effective strategies to mitigate the subscriber churn challenges that the OTT market will inevitably continue to face as consumer behaviors evolve.”

Interactive panels, followed by a networking discussion, address the dramatic industry shifts, along with the short- and near-term industry outlook. Speakers:

• Randy Ahn, Head of SVOD, The Roku Channel, Roku
• Jerónimo Macanás Candilejo, CEO and Co-founder, Jump Data-Driven Intelligence
• Gideon Gilboa, EVP Product, Mktg, & Solutions, Kaltura
• Chris Hall, SVP of Product, XUMO
• Scott Hancock, VP, Marketing, Plex
• Jon Heim, Sr. Director of Product Management, TiVo
• Karsin Kron, Sales Director Northern America, Nice People at Work (NPAW)
• Igor Oreper, VP of Solutions, Bitmovin
• Amruta Shankar, Director of Data and Analytics, Synamedia

Preventing Churn on OTT Services

“Preventing churn is about solving the industry’s core challenge: making it easy for consumers to find exactly what they want that speaks to their unique interests,” said Scott Hancock, VP, marketing, Plex. “Whether it’s a series from a subscription service, live TV, a movie or show for rent or purchase, or ad-supported content, if we can make it an intuitive, personalized, and enjoyable experience, why wouldn’t they stick around?”

Registration is open, and media are invited to attend. For more information, contact Rosey Ulpino, rosey@parksassociates.com, 972.996.0233.