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It’s no secret that linear viewing is on the decline, with the number of viewers who stream content going from 15 percent in 2010 to 57 percent in 2016.
What is a secret, however, is how networks are—or aren’t—switching up their marketing strategies to reflect viewer shifts onto SVOD, OTT, TVE, VOD and DVR platforms.
That’s what marketing consultant Lee Hunt explores in the session “New Best Practices” at PromaxBDA: The Conference 2016.
“How many of you actually plan your marketing plan based on [this] behavior?” he asked. “Do we even understand that behavior?”
Just about half of the 3 percent decline in linear viewing can be attributed to a single service: Netflix. Networks need to be more strategic on episode transitions via streaming services to capture the growing number of viewers who prefer to binge, Hunt said. He compared streaming Suits on USA’s streaming service to streaming USA series White Collar on Netflix.
On USA, the episode ends with 30 seconds of credits.
“I want you to sit through the whole thing to understand just how long that really is,” Hunt said.
It then takes viewers to an auto play page, which launches into a 45-second Viagra commercial before the next episode begins.
“Not exactly seamless and not exactly binge-worthy,” he said.
Then he showed how Netflix transitions from episode to episode for White Collar
After the episode ends, there are 15 seconds of credits with a minimized screen, and then it launches into the next episode, with no commercial in between.
“It’s not perfect but if you look at the difference between those two experiences, it’s pretty concerning,” he said.
“The point is that overall, there seems to be no strategy in our VOD or TVE platforms for increasing viewership, even though more and more of our content is being consumed this way.”
Hunt also highlighted a significant problem with networks airing repetitive ads, which can be a huge turnoff for those that binge.
And he drew attention to problematic amount of cross channel promotions, compared to the lack of networks airing promos for their own shows - a tried and true linear strategy that should be replicated online.
“If we expect our promos to do the heavy lifting as they do on the linear side, we’re going to have to make some changes,” Hunt said.
On the DVR end, when looking at the number of households that set up a TiVo season pass for series, 64 percent follow through by watching the whole season. By the same token, the number of season passes tend to increase after the premiere date.
“In the DVR world, leading up to the premieres is obviously very important, but it’s the week after the premiere that can have an impact,” he said.
DVR marketing is often geared toward getting viewers to catch up on a series or watch a single episode, and should focus on getting more households to commit to a full season of a show.
“As DVR viewership continues to grow, we need to better manage that viewership,” he said.
Hunt also pointed out a correlation between longer campaigns, a high amount of creative, and the success of new series.
In plotting out the creative spots for more than 30 new series, from the first campaign to the premiere date, he found that shows with longer campaigns and more promos had the most success.
He highlighted Fox’s The People v. O. J. Simpson campaign as an example of how to do it right. It has become cable’s most-watched series of 2016.
Hunt also bid adieu to three long-running taglines at networks that recently repositioned.
He shared USA’s case study about the strategy behind the rebrand, saying the network looked at successful brands today like Apple and Tesla to find a common threat, and realized that most were created by a single visionary.
USA realized the millennial audience had its own generation of risk takers, and decided when it comes to rebranding, the solution was to take characters and filter them through those kinds of millennial values like defiant, bold daring, resilient and real, that would define their programming now and moving forward.
RELATED: Why USA Rebranded to Reflect a ‘Risk-Taking’ American Spirit
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