One in five viewers will abandon poor video streaming services immediately, and after such an experience one in five will never return to that service. These are among the findings of Conviva’s OTT: Beyond Entertainment Survey Report. Quality of service is paramount to building and retaining customer service; the report also ninety per cent of respondents chose to return to services that deliver a superior experience.
The survey examines how the quality of a viewer’s streaming experience impacts their viewing habits across several video genres, including entertainment, news/information, education, self-improvement and product research. It also delves into the difference in age group’s immediate abandonment rates prompted by low quality viewing experience and interruptions.
The survey results indicate that low picture quality tends to drive abandonment differently across genres. Only 12.2 per cent of viewers were likely to abandon self-improvement content while 20.9 per cent were likely to abandon product research. Streaming interruptions caused viewers to disengage with content more evenly across the board, with 21.4 per cent likely to abandon self-improvement content and 20.9 per cent likely to abandon product research.
Different genres have different sensitivities; while entertainment viewers demand smooth playback but are forgiving on picture quality, news and information viewers demand both a great picture and uninterrupted streaming.
Additionally, age demographics appear to be significant in establishing how deeply to focus on quality of experience. Young teenagers aged 13 to 17 are almost entirely unfazed by poor quality, with just 8 per cent abandoning immediately. Young adults (18 to 34) drop at a 12.7 per cent rate, and those aged 35 to 44 are more likely still to drop (14.8 per cent), but maintain their position below the overall average of 17 per cent. In the 45 to 54 age range, = the numbers jump (and take the average with them). Fully 24.6 per cent in this age group immediately abandon disappointing picture quality, and of those over 55, 23.5 per cent abandon immediately.
Quality of the playback experience is a vital consideration for streaming video providers looking to build a loyal, engaged viewer base. The quality of a viewer’s experience not only has a significant impact on viewership overall, but can serve as a true competitive differentiator.
“With increasing amounts of insights,” said Hui Zhang, CEO of Conviva. “There is no reason not to provide the best services any more – although 83 per cent of viewers will exhibit some patience waiting for an improvement in the playback picture, no service can afford to lose 17 per cent of its audience based purely on lower-than-expected picture quality.
