Content Most Important for Sub Retention, Streamers Say

Subscriber churn for streaming services is heavily influenced by the content they offer up, said streaming executives at a virtual panel for StreamTV World Wednesday. There's a “seasonality” to churn, as a show that attracts subscribers becomes available, said Philo Head-Marketing Strategy and Operations Kirstin Seitz. “We try to super serve them while they are here, but they may churn out because they’re only here to watch one show,” she said. “And we model that into our service. Streaming services looking to shore up their subscriber base should spend money on technology to improve content recommendations, said Matt Lozier, Frndly TV vice president-analytics and customer retention, on a panel on monetizing over-the-top services. “Making sure you can get as close to a one-to -one recommendation on the type of content somebody would be likely to engage in is really important," Lozier said. The rise of free ad-supported streaming channels and the vast amounts of streaming services are going to require large investments in “automation at scale,” said Paul Claussen of Comcast Technology Solutions. “Where we’re headed as an industry cannot be handled with an army of art editors," he said. Music video streamer Vevo offers a mix of linear and on demand content because consumers want a variety of experiences, said Natalie Gabathuler-Scully, senior vice president-global revenue and distribution. They want to be able to “tune in and lean back” for curated content but also search for specific programming, she said. To retain customers, Vevo works to balance ad distribution, she said. “Users are apt to sit through a longer ad pod if there are fewer amounts of ads within the pod,” she said. Ad buyers also want variety, and Vevo offers advertisers the ability to target music genres, specific decades or moods, she said.