By: Bill Routt
In April, I shared my thoughts on how Pay TV providers can find success amid the streaming era. While much of what I discussed remains consistent over the past four months, one notable aspect of the entertainment ecosystem has continued to accelerate – the fragmentation of content.
Since the streaming boom, we’ve seen this fragmentation start to pop up sporadically but over recent years – and particularly the last few months – the number of platforms people need to access content has increased. Gone are the days of the singular cable package; now, people are forced to cobble together providers and content. While it is happening across the entire entertainment ecosystem, it is of relevance to professional sports – especially as we head into the upcoming football season.
Regardless of if you’re a diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan like me, or a casual viewer looking to enjoy the steady stream of games every Sunday, to watch an entire season, consumers must flip to several different streaming platforms and cable networks. There is no one place where viewers can get all the games they’re interested in, which can be a costly inconvenience.
Super Aggregation on the Home Screen: Bringing Content Back Together
Many in the industry view the fragmentation as a strategic move to maximize revenue, but without a focus on creating user-friendly experiences, it could lead to challenges down the line. The latest TiVo Video Trends Report showed that only 19% of people typically know what they want to watch when they turn on their TV – this broken ecosystem of content will only exacerbate this dilemma and leave viewers in even more of a pickle when they’re trying to find content.
While it may seem like “everyone” in the ecosystem benefits, fans and causal viewers alike will be frustrated this upcoming football season when they’re searching each platform for their favorite team. This doesn’t have to be this way though. There are alternate paths forward that will set providers up for success. Ultimately, if consumers are unhappy, this short-term success in driving revenue won’t translate to a better ecosystem down the line.
What’s the solution? Pay TV providers. After working in this space for years, I believe these providers are in a uniquely positioned to create value by addressing fragmentation head-on.
Pay TV providers, in collaboration with content creators and distributors, have the opportunity to step up to the plate by creating a unified experience for their customers – bringing together all the disparate applications and channels on the home screen. When all the content is on the home screen, consumers will be able to easily find their football games in one place, eliminating the need to figure out which provider is airing that week’s game. By working together, Pay TV providers and content partners can address fragmentation, enhancing the viewing experience and unlocking new monetization opportunities that benefit all.
This may not be a one-size-fits-all solution for consumers, but it will greatly improve the situation. Additionally, by doing so, they’ll be able to not only solve the discoverability and fragmentation dilemmas for consumers but also unlock new avenues for monetizing the experience, and ultimately becoming a bigger revenue source for all players involved.
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