The continual expansion of display real estate, faster data speeds, specialised data plans and improved video displays, presents a real opportunity for live TV streaming services like Sling TV to be marketed as mobile.
A recent study from the User Experience Strategies (UXS) service at Strategy Analytics, Sling TV Hits 2.2 Million Subscribers: How UX will Determine Future Growth has identified key factors in the success of Sling TV in addition to consumer motivations to replace traditional pay TV services. Smartphones should be prioritized as an alternative screen to consume live TV services – not just for ‘on the go.’
There is a rejuvenated focus on mobile viewing, particularly with 5G, from companies such as Facebook and Snapchat in addition to mobile operators such as Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile. Live streaming TV will also be an important part of this evolution.
Mobile media enthusiasts, whether video or music, have grown accustomed to the instant gratification of streaming content on smartphones, particularly to consume new content. Failing to make a large impact on this space as a video streaming service allows competitors to gain further market share.
Dedicated mobile apps create a starting point to capitalize on an existing customer base. Developing a live TV service within an existing app will allow users to instantly access all types of content remotely.
“Sling TV is losing to a much bigger competitor, Hulu, mainly because of Hulu’s SVOD catalog and history. Hulu has also incorporated their new live streaming TV service into their existing mobile app, thus enabling them to gather a different wave of subscribers from their existing, large subscriber base,” commented Chris Dodge, Associate Director and report author.
“What really helps to drive mobile usage from YouTube, Hulu, and to a lesser extent DirecTV, are their existing dedicated mobile apps. Both Hulu and YouTube have very prominent mobile apps which are optimized for mobile viewing.”
Added Chris Schreiner, Director, Syndicated Research UXIP, “DirecTV as a traditional pay TV service provided a mobile app allowing users to view their DVR and live TV content remotely. However, like YouTube TV, DirecTV built their new live TV streaming app outside of their preexisting popular app. Building from within like Hulu will be key for live TV services such as Sling TV to generate a stronger mobile presence and ramp up their subscriber base.”
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