How OTT platforms use creative data to make great content
A successful online video streaming platform relies on its ability to deliver content viewers want to watch. To succeed, any online video streaming platform needs to deliver content that viewers are interested in watching. Some of the best OTT platforms know how to use data to develop new content ideas.
By 2026, Mordor Intelligence expects that the OTT market will double from $101.42 billion to $120 billion. With OTT’s exponential growth, providers have moved beyond simply providing alternatives to content to producing and licensing their own creative.
Netflix: A Data-Driven Content Powerhouse
In the world of OTT platforms, Netflix is one of the most well-known. They analyze viewer data to determine what types of shows and movies people are interested in watching. Using algorithms, their users are provided with recommendations on what they should watch. In fact, personalized recommendations from Netflix could be worth $1 billion a year, and it is estimated that around 80 percent of Netflix users follow its algorithm’s title recommendations. They also take into account social media activity and search engine trends. By doing so, they can get a comprehensive picture of what kind of content will be popular with their viewers in the long run.
A large amount of data is available to Netflix, which it uses to help it make decisions about the programs it will produce. For instance, Netflix monitors how long viewers watch a show before they press the “skip” button to determine how much interest it generates. Furthermore, Netflix measures the number of times a show is streamed to determine its popularity. It also surveys its viewers to get feedback on what they liked or didn’t like about a specific show to get a more accurate picture of its popularity. This feedback is used to help Netflix create new content that its viewers will enjoy.
Additionally, Netflix has a team of professionals responsible for coming up with new ideas for shows and movies. They aren’t only relying on raw data; they’re also tasked with generating new ideas for shows. This type of “creative” spend most of their time watching movies, watching television shows, and talking to filmmakers to get a sense of what’s popular and what isn’t. In the past four years, original content has gone up 3%, and CFO David Wells has commented that the company is willing to spend $20 million per hour of original content. As a result of all this information, they distill it into ideas for new content. Netflix has become a powerhouse today through the marriage of art and science.
HBO Max: Mining Social Media for Content Ideas
It is essential for streaming services like HBO Max to understand how important it is to use data when creating content. However, rather than relying solely on numbers, they also know how important it is to mine social media for ideas to create engaging content. As a result of social media, they get an unfiltered view of what people are saying about HBO Max and other shows and movies. HBO Max focuses heavily on post data from the content promoted on their social media accounts.
OTT platforms promote their shows by coupling them with current themes. For instance, during Black History Month, they might promote a new series or an old one that does not exclusively revolve around Black History but is based on some underlying themes related to the cause. The promotion can take the form of descriptive images, videos, IGTVs or images and videos in a carousel.
It is through this feedback loop that HBO Max can gauge interest in potential new projects and track how viewers respond to existing projects. And since they have access to all the data, they can also take action as necessary. Generated by WarnerMedia (the company that owns HBO Max), they can also track which characters or plot lines are most popular with viewers to create more content around those topics.
The HBO Max application uses the data that HBO Max has gathered from its viewers to determine which series or movies they have recently watched. If HBO Max notices that many people are watching a particular film or show, it may decide to create content related to that film or show. By doing so, HBO Max can provide its viewers with more content that they enjoy, resulting in a higher level of engagement and loyalty among its viewers.
Amazon Prime Video: A Focus on Quality over Quantity
Amazon Prime Video is entirely different from many OTT platforms that aim to pump out as much content as possible. Despite their success, Amazon is striving to stay competitive, as Netflix and Disney rank first and second, respectively, in terms of digital video impact. Since they believe quality is more important than quantity, they spend a lot of time developing each project until it meets their high standards. In fact, there have been 47 Emmy nominations for Amazon original films and series across a variety of categories. To ensure quality, Amazon ensures that each project is relevant and exciting to the viewers.
To accomplish this, Amazon uses a lot of data analytics throughout all stages of its development process. With Amazon’s data analytics process, huge amounts of data are collected, processed, and analyzed. This includes customer purchases, website visitor behavior, product reviews, search queries, etc. These data are then analyzed using advanced machine learning algorithms, helping Amazon identify patterns that inform pricing strategies, marketing efforts, product design, etc.
The company constantly tests and iterates based on viewer feedback to fine-tune every project before it is released. Although it might take a little longer to achieve this, the result is unique content that resonates with audiences worldwide.
The company can use a wealth of data to create content for Amazon Prime Video. This data can include information regarding what viewers have watched in the past, what they are watching now, and what they are likely to watch in the future. In addition, Amazon can use data about what viewers are talking about on social media sites and what new shows and movies are coming out. This type of information can allow Amazon to create content likely to be popular among viewers and fulfill their needs.
This data allows Amazon to create content that is likely to be popular with viewers and that meets their interests using this data. For example, it might use data to create new shows or determine which episodes of a show to air next based on what viewers are watching. It is also possible for Amazon to create content that is relevant to viewers using the data that it collects from social media. It could be creating new seasons of old shows or releasing new movies based on the collected data.
A New Partnership
With stiff competition and soaring inflation, Netflix is teaming up with Microsoft to create an advertisement-supported tier of its streaming service. The joint venture between the two companies will leverage Microsoft’s robust Azure cloud platform, which allows for better data analysis, targeting, and personalization of ads—allowing Netflix to provide viewers with content that is tailored specifically to their interests.
This collaboration marks a significant step forward in the world of digital marketing by enabling advertisers to reach specific audiences more effectively. With this partnership, Netflix viewers can now expect advertisements that are not only relevant but also highly engaging. Furthermore, advertisers can gain insights into how their ads perform across different OTT platforms and audiences. This could result in greater investment returns and improved customer experience.
Microsoft gains a more comprehensive advertising platform and became a more credible alternative to Google, which was competing for Netflix’s advertising business. With AT&T’s acquisition of Xandr, a consumer advertising platform, Netflix will have access to its technology and ad sales capabilities.
By leveraging technology like AI and machine learning, Netflix and Microsoft are paving the way for an exciting new era in digital marketing. The partnership is a game-changer in advertising, making it easier than ever for companies to reach their target audiences. It will be interesting to see what other innovations Netflix and Microsoft come up with as they continue to work together to make ads more effective.
Wrapping Up
OTT platforms like Netflix make great content by using data creatively to understand their viewers creatively. They track what you watch and when you watch it so they can better understand your preferences. As an advertiser, you can learn how Netflix uses data and how to apply those same principles to your digital marketing strategy to develop new content that is specifically tailored to your needs. This understanding enables them to create new content tailored specifically for you. Are there any specific ways you can use creative data to improve your ad campaigns? Let us know in the comments!