By: Michael Nagle
Setting up streaming TV distribution distribution deals can be difficult, time consuming, and the wrong platform & service options can result in little if no revenue. Equally, papering deals without first getting familiar with platform nuances, shelving limitations and trick functions including SEARCH can be as damaging as not doing a deal at all. Companies need OTT distribution to offset shrinking revenues. Reaching out to key players and platforms is time consuming. Turning those conversations into signed deals and subsequent launches tales even longer. This article covers ways to find good streaming TV platforms for your content, how to manage them, and ways to maximize your revenues.
OTT Distribution
OTT distribution is the ability to provide all types of content, whether it’s movies, or documentaries, or even episodic content on OTT platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and through TV networks and distributors such as Comcast, Galaxy TV Distribution, and others. Everything from the large to the small, and giving all those different distribution options to the viewer, which really helps them to find the content that they’re looking for.
Why is OTT Distribution Important?
OTT distribution provides a new revenue source for content owners and networks and also provides viewing options for consumers. Content owners and networks have seen the decrease and decline in traditional revenue streams. From sponsorship to old license fees, to PR sub fees that existed in the old cable world. Additionally, when you look at younger consumers, they may view on gaming platforms, cell phones or tablets giving them more media consumption options. The ability for them to watch content on the devices that they’re using is very, very important. They want variety and they want convenience.
OTT Distribution Performance Surprise
I think the biggest surprise for many content owners for distribution is that you can take their Platinum level content, and put it on to the largest platform, and it can do horrible, horrible business. The fact is getting a piece of content or getting a channel up isn’t necessarily the end of the game. You have to get on to the right portion of the platform, you have to use your metadata, and you have to categorize your content to the fullest extent that the platform allows. Otherwise, you can have tomorrow’s Oscar winner and it will get zero views.
Who Needs OTT Distribution?
OTT distribution is needed by content owners, distributors, networks and any other media company that wants to reach a large audience or specific types of audiences. I think content distributors and networks need to reach the right audiences. They need to go where the viewers live, and TV and media networks themselves. They’re seeing those revenue pools that they used to rely on, and traditional models just dissipating, and they really need to stay current with the times and with the technology.
OTT Distribution Programs
For OTT distribution programs, the first thing you need to do is prepare your content. You need to get your promotional images, your descriptions, your metadata, all of the shelving characteristics that you require to make sure that you’re finding not only the right platform to put it on, but also that once it gets onto the platform, your target audience can find it.
On top of that, identify which platforms are your targets. Which OTT platforms are the best candidates that will reach and are being used by your key types of audiences.
You need to do distribution licenses and get a new distribution deal in place. Make sure you know those platforms like the back of your hand before you go in and negotiate yourself out of something that in retrospect, you’re going to need tomorrow.
You want to negotiate promotional opportunities with each distribution platform. Make sure that you continually update your platform promotion options and any marketing opportunities that are available to you.
Finally, continually monitor and followup with your distribution partners. Regularly review your platform viewing and revenue performance results. Get and setup analytic services for your distribution partners. It’s not only about the number you ended up with in terms of total views or trick functions that people use for your content, it’s about how much of the content they viewed. Do they only watch six seconds of it? There are a lot of reasons driving those analytics, and you have to drill down and get to the bottom of what got you those viewing numbers.
What’s Needed to Implement OTT Distribution?
To setup and implement OTT distribution, organizing your content is of paramount importance. Know what you have, and present it in a manner that’s palatable and actionable to your target prospects.
The first thing your distribution partner’s will want to know is the content that you have available. Show it to them on a list. Make it easy for them to see it on a video so they know how amazing it looks. Make it accessible in formats that is easy for them to ingest into their system. If you have a site that features previews and title art descriptions, keep it up to date, keep it current, because people are going to go look at that when you’re not on the phones. Know the scope of your rights for your distribution areas (global, national, regional). Where can you distribute and for how long? How will your viewing performance be measured? How will you learn what people watch and determine how they found that asset? What made them watch it and for how long? There’s a lot of reasons why the number one title is the number one most viewed title. Sometimes it’s because it’s great. Sometimes it’s just just because it was right near the register.
How Long Does it Take to Set Up an OTT Distribution Deal?
The amount of time it takes to setup distribution deals can dramatically vary. I say the average life cycle to getting a deal done is usually three to six months, three months. In this amount of time, we can get you some distribution platforms – the ones that give you less hoops to jump through. Six months is a reasonable amount of time to get most of your OTT distribution setup. That’s assuming that you’re doing all the other things that come first, again, getting your metadata in place, setup up your own feed, tet the alt tags embedded and all of those distribution system things. There’s a lot of technical backroom stuff that needs to go on before then. In terms of once you engage the platforms and start negotiating and start socializing your brand, you’re looking at at least six months.
What are the Most Things You Need for OTT Distribution?
Sales comes first. A good salesperson can sell a product that doesn’t even exist yet. But at the end of the day, you also need the content programming to back it up. Anyone can close the first sale, but you can get thrown off of a platform for bad performance or because the audience just isn’t connecting with what you put up there.
You need good programming. Program content that people find compelling. You need a good brand strategy. Know what your company and content represent and who you’re trying to reach. Work to grow your brand and don’t stray too far and betray your audience. Make sure you keep them engaged. Do marketing for your content. Setup, share, and engage on social media. Drive people to your content. If you can telescope and get them there, get there with the click of a thumb.