Household names such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney + and Hulu are typically the examples that come to mind when we talk about Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming services, with millions of subscribers between them. However, the world of OTT is becoming increasingly accessible to smaller creators and businesses who may not have thousand-strong audiences and vast budgets, we tell you how...

Over-the-top (OTT) streaming accelerated in 2020 due to the impact the pandemic had on businesses and industries. From small to large business and content creators to professional organisations, they all had to review the way to approach and connect with consumers. The consumers during the crisis have turned to OTT entertainment.

The pandemic accelerated the demand for access for premium online video streaming content. This has propelled the video streaming market to new heights as more consumers are choosing live or video on demand. Streaming subscriptions are expected reach over one billion in 2021, which will surpass pay-TV numbers. The growth is led by subscription video on demand (SVOD).

The last few years has seen a rapid expansion of OTT video streaming. The advancements in technology has propelled online video into the mainstream. Customers have easy access to information and content across various platforms and devices. More and more, businesses, influencers, content providers are using video streaming to bring awareness to their brand, reaching new customers (domestically and internationally) and monetizing their business. The challenges we will cover may not be new but should be carefully considered when you launch your OTT platform to ensure it is a success.

You have spent time producing great videos and marketing them to connect with your subscription base. But your work is not done. How can you keep engaged with your subscribers to avoid them churning?

While established OTT providers such as Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ have stolen the headlines for the OTT revolution that we have seen over the past couple of years, the potential for sports coverage and content delivery to be transformed thanks to over-the-top platforms is enormous.

Household names such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney + and Hulu are typically the examples that come to mind when we talk about Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming services, with millions of subscribers between them. However, the world of OTT is becoming increasingly accessible to smaller creators and businesses who may not have thousand-strong audiences and vast budgets.

Over the last 12 months we have witnessed an Over-the-top (OTT) boom, with the number of households streaming content on an OTT device rising from 44 million per month prior to March 2020 to nearly 300 million households in June 2020.

In 2020, we saw an increase in the number of over-the-top (OTT) platforms come on the market. OTT streaming services allow the user to stream video content across multiple devices (i.e. laptop, Smartphone, tablets) from anywhere at any time. Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime are household names today. The marketplace is becoming increasingly competitive and no doubt this will lead to greater competition for high-quality content to attract and retain viewers.

The pandemic changed people’s viewing habits as more worked from home, which resulted in an acceleration of digital consumption among subscribers worldwide. The growth of digital content quickly increased to meet the demands viewers. A report published by market research company Global Web Index states that 87% of US consumers and 80% of UK consumers have increased their daily video consumption.

Over-the-top (OTT) technology has leveled the playing field for small and medium enterprises (SME) to grow their business. SMEs can now reach a wider global audience with OTT and one of the best tools to use is video. Videos have the power for SMEs to deliver their brand, showcase future products/solutions or improve lead generation.

The last few years has seen a tremendous increase in OTT subscribers. Over-the-top (OTT) solutions have changed the way brands, companies or individuals (content creators) reach their audiences by by-passing traditional distribution via TV, cable etc. With OTT, content creators can deliver videos to their subscribers via the web, mobile apps or connected TV (ie. Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, etc) or Smart TV apps (ie. LG, Samsung, etc)