First Impressions on the Big Screen: How to Nail OTT Onboarding
When it comes to Smart TV OTT apps, every second counts. Creating a good first impression is essential. In a space where users expect near-instant access to content, a slow or clunky onboarding experience can mean the difference between a loyal subscriber and a lost viewer.
At Magine Pro, we’ve worked with dozens of niche and mid-sized streaming services to elevate their Smart TV experiences. In this post, we’ll walk you through the key components of a successful onboarding flow and the friction points to avoid—especially for apps designed for the big screen.
The Friction Factor
Smart TVs are not mobile phones. Typing, tapping, and navigating with a remote control is inherently slower and more awkward. That means any unnecessary step or small delay feels amplified. The goal of onboarding should be to remove as much friction as possible.
So what are the common friction points?
- Forced registration before browsing
- Manual email/password entry using the TV remote
- Settings that don’t carry over from other devices
- Poor navigation and confusing menus
Each of these adds seconds (or even minutes) to the time it takes for a new user to reach content. Let’s look at how OTT services can save valuable seconds to make a real impact on engagement and retention.
1. Let Viewers Browse Before They Sign Up
Many OTT apps still ask for full registration before the user can do anything. If you have a marketing budget the size of Netflix or Disney, that’s fine: you can safely assume viewers will know at least some of the flagship content in your service before they download your app. But for AVOD services, and even smaller SVODs who hope users will find them because they’re featured in the Samsung or LG TV app store, it’s essential to tempt viewers in. Help them quickly answer the question: Is this service for me? What kind of content do they have?
We recommend enabling anonymous browsing to give potential users a feel for the platform before making a commitment. You can even allow limited content playback (e.g., trailers or selected episodes) to spark interest before login.
Benefits of anonymous access:
- Reduces the initial barrier to entry for a smoother first-time experience
- Gives users a reason to register (after seeing something they want to watch) for increased conversion rates
2. Don’t Make Them Reach for the Remote
One of the worst parts of Smart TV onboarding? Typing. Even if you’re doing all the initial sign-up on a PC or phone, it’s still painful to enter your username and password one letter at a time with a clunky remote. That kind of experience sends users running – especially if they’re sitting down because they want to watch something now.
QR code login flows are a great way to solve this challenge. Your Smart TV app displays a code on screen, which the user scans with their phone. New users are directed to sign up on their mobile interface. Existing users just sign in on the phone, and the TV app is instantly paired to their account.
This approach works because it:
- Removes painful remote typing
- Speeds up access to content
- Feels modern and user-friendly
You can see how we implemented this in practice in our case study.
3. Strive for Consistency Across Devices
Smart TVs are rarely the only screen your viewers use. They may have set subtitle preferences or created profiles for their household when they signed up via a web browser or on your mobile app. Forcing them to repeat all those steps on a new device creates frustration.
It’s far better to eliminate friction by syncing personal settings automatically when a user logs into a Smart TV app, even for the first time.
Key preferences to sync include:
- Preferred language for audio
- Subtitle visibility and size
- Profile selection
When users feel like the platform “remembers” them across screens, it builds trust. More importantly, it reduces the time spent finding and fiddling with settings before they can start watching.
4. Design for the “10-Foot” Experience
Smart TV UX is not a scaled-up mobile UI. It’s a unique use case that requires a clear layout, strong visual cues, and intuitive controls. Users are navigating with arrows, not fingers or even mouse clicks.
During onboarding, these design principles matter more than ever:
- Use familiar patterns: Keep menu structures and focus states predictable
- Prioritise clarity: Avoid clutter or dense text, especially in sign-up/sign-in forms
- Highlight content early: Use hero areas, featured carousels, or video previews to draw users in
- Show progress: If onboarding has multiple steps, make it clear where the user is in the process
If you’re introducing features like profile creation or onboarding tips, make them skippable or time-limited—nobody opens a Smart TV app hoping for a tutorial!
Want some more tips for improving your UX across both big screens and small? Download our UX guide, Behind the Screens, for more design principles.
Onboarding That Converts: Our Takeaways
A well-designed onboarding flow is your first chance to impress. Done right, it can turn a curious viewer into a loyal user in under 60 seconds. Done poorly, it can lead to drop-off before your app even shows its strengths.
So here’s a reminder of our recommendations:
- Let users browse (and maybe even watch) before they register
- Use QR login to eliminate remote-control pain
- Sync preferences to make the experience feel personal
- Keep visual layout clean and familiar for Smart TV use
- Avoid anything that delays content access
At Magine Pro, we’ve helped streaming services, both large and small, rethink their Smart TV experience to drive engagement, reduce churn, and meet user expectations from day one.
The onboarding process is just one of the areas to focus on. Want to see how these tips work in a live Smart TV app? Book a demo with our team and learn how Magine Pro helps OTT services build high-performing Smart TV apps.
Speed Matters: How Performance Shapes Smart TV UX
Speed makes or breaks the Smart TV user experience. To build viewer engagement, it’s important to eliminate as much friction as possible in the viewing experience. And the performance, including response time and smoothness, of your apps is crucial to that.
Every Second Counts
Depending on the device model and app configuration, startup time can range from nearly instant to over ten seconds. How much difference does a few seconds make? Research shows viewers start to abandon a video that takes any more than two seconds to start. The abandonment rate rises by 5.8% for each additional second of delay.
At Magine Pro, we’ve spent a lot of time and energy optimising the performance of the big screen apps available with our white-label OTT platform. These help niche streaming services to reach a wide range of devices – from Samsung and LG, to Android TV, Vizio and more.
Here are some of the things we’ve done to cut playback friction for end-users. If your apps aren’t doing these, it may be time to make some important changes:
- Prioritise visible content. Instead of loading the entire page at once, we focus on loading only the visible parts of the screen, such as the first rows of carousels or featured content. Additional items are loaded dynamically as the user scrolls or navigates. This keeps the app feeling faster and more responsive while avoiding unnecessary loading times for content that users might never interact with.
- Preload video in the background. When a user opens a details page, there’s a strong chance they’re about to start watching. By discreetly preloading key playback data in the background, we reduce the time it takes for the video to start after they press “Play.” This minimises friction at a critical moment and creates a smoother user experience.
- Optimise buffering to balance speed and stability. A good user experience isn’t just about how quickly a video starts – it’s also about how reliably it plays. We buffer just enough content to help ensure smooth playback, while still keeping the initial load time short. If we buffer too little, users might experience interruptions or rebuffering after playback starts. If we buffer too much, the initial load time becomes unnecessarily long. On Smart TVs, where network conditions and device performance can vary widely, finding the right balance is crucial.
- Dedicate system resources to playback. Once the video starts, the app prioritises playback above all else. On lower-end Smart TVs especially, background activities like layout recalculations, animations, or fetching non-critical data can consume system resources that are much needed for smooth video playback. This can lead to dropped frames, audio sync issues, or even crashes – all of which harm the user experience. Dedicating resources to playback helps promote uninterrupted and high-quality streaming.
Create the Illusion of Increased Performance
Sometimes, you can make adjustments that create the perception of improved performance. For example, Magine Pro added support for a splash screen video, replacing the traditional static image shown when the app launches. Instead of staring at an unchanging screen, users can now experience an animation or short video, making the wait feel shorter and more engaging. This is a good example of perceived performance: even if the actual loading time remains the same, the experience feels smoother and faster. Especially on Smart TVs, where app startup can take a few seconds, this simple shift can significantly improve first impressions.
Adapt Animations to Match Lower-End Device Capability
Another important consideration is whether you can simplify animations within your apps. While smooth animations can greatly enhance the UX on high-end devices, older and low-end Smart TVs often struggle to render complex transitions or effects. Instead of forcing animations that end up looking clunky or laggy, it’s sometimes better to simplify – or even remove – movement altogether. In many cases, a cleaner, more static UI actually feels smoother and more polished than a jerky animation would. By adjusting animation complexity based on device capabilities, we ensure the app feels responsive and professional across a wide range of TVs.
Looking Ahead to the Future of Smart TV Video App Performance
Developing for Smart TVs is a constant battle between creating the best app experience for users on the latest high-end devices and maintaining support for older, legacy devices. If you’re wondering how the latest trends in big screen tech from the giants like Samsung and LG should influence your app development strategy, you should check out this blog from our Magine Pro colleague Rami Baarah. He looks forward to a future where performance tweaks like those we’ve described may become less necessary as on-board AI within the screens takes care of upscaling for us!
More Than Just A Pretty UI: Smart TV Performance Impacts the Bottom Line
Speed is more than a UX concern, it’s a business-critical factor because it directly affects viewer engagement, satisfaction, and retention. A sluggish experience can lead users to abandon your app before they ever see your content. At Magine Pro, we believe in performance-led design, where every interaction is optimised to drive value. Whether you’re building a premium VOD service or catering to a niche audience, investing in performance ensures your big-screen apps keep users watching and coming back for more.
Want to know how Magine Pro helps OTT services like Passionflix to master the Big Screen with apps for a wide range of Smart TVs? Download our e-guide: Go big or stay small? Why the Smart TV experience is essential for online streaming services.
OTT Content Security: The Pros, Cons, and Practicalities of Limiting Concurrent Streams
Most video streaming services take steps to prevent password sharing by limiting the number of devices each account can register and use, or by restricting the number of concurrent streams that can be started using the same credentials. For many OTT services, concurrent stream limits (CSLs) are a fundamental requirement of their content licensing agreements. Their challenge is to balance user experience with enforcement of the agreed restrictions. Beyond compliance, CSLs can also be a powerful tool for protecting revenue, managing costs, and even unlocking new business opportunities. Done wrong, they can frustrate users and drive churn. Done right, they reduce password sharing, safeguard platform performance, and even create upselling opportunities for premium subscriptions.
In this blog, I’ll explore the strategic and technical implications of concurrent stream limits in OTT services with SVOD, AVOD and hybrid business models. And I’ll look at how a thoughtful, holistic approach can help your OTT business thrive while keeping both users and rights holders happy.
Limiting concurrent streams is just one of the content and platform security measures outlined in our free OTT security e-guide, “Safeguarding Your Content & Platform.” Download it now to learn about DRM, Geo-blocking, VPN and Proxy Detection, Parental Controls, Data Protection, Platform Protection and more.
The Why: The Case For Limiting Concurrent Streams in OTT
Let’s start by looking at the benefits of streaming limits, beyond the simple reason that the rights-holders insist on it to prevent password sharing and piracy. Without any CSL, sharing passwords between friends – or even with strangers on a public forum – is easy. That’s bad news from a piracy perspective but also for performance. When tens of thousands of users hit your platform simultaneously, you’d better be ready to handle that traffic or your paying customers will suffer from long start-up times, stream-drop-outs, slow authentication, and service lag that will damage your reputation and drive up your churn. This is especially true if you’re offering live events or premium sports. In these cases, using CSLs can be a proactive step towards safeguarding performance and protecting user satisfaction with your service.
There’s also a cost implication to multiple users accessing the content at the same time. Variable platform fees – such as CDN delivery costs and per-license DRM rates – can very quickly add up, a phenomenon known as “bandwidth draining”.
The Why Not: Challenges Created by OTT Concurrent Stream Restrictions
Of course, there are downsides to limiting the number of streams a user account can access at once. The biggest of these is user experience. If you live in a multi-person household, it’s quite normal to expect that two people might access the same content (or different pieces of content from the same OTT provider) on different devices at the same time. Perhaps your teenagers prefer to watch on a tablet in their bedrooms rather than share the sofa with their parents. Perhaps your partner wants to watch a TV series while you relax with a movie. Hard and fast limits can make for a frustrating experience, and it’s essential that you find an adequate way to explain and signpost these restrictions to users, both at the moment of purchasing a subscription AND at the point where the limit is reached or breached.
Some operators (for example, Netflix, Amazon Prime) choose a “first man standing” approach, which means the first person to start their stream gets to keep watching, and others who come along later from the same account will be prevented from starting a subsequent stream. Other streaming platforms (for example, Spotify and Amazon Music) prefer the “last man standing” strategy, which means that when your teen presses play in their bedroom, there’s a good chance you’ll abruptly lose access.
Not only do both scenarios quite likely lead to raised voices, they limit the potential for your service to be used to its full potential in each household. We all know that, for SVOD services in particular, the more use your app gets, the less likely it is to be on the churn list when household finances are reviewed. For the record, Magine Pro’s OTT platform enables our customers to work on a “first man standing” basis when limiting streams.
Enforcing concurrency restrictions isn’t just a UX challenge. It also adds a layer of additional technical complexity and load into your apps. Regular checks need to be made for each active stream to confirm that no other stream start has been attempted on another device. The closer together the checks, the shorter the window in which users may get illicit access to multiple streams. However, there’s a trade-off between enforcement and the additional backend load these checks create, which could create unwanted latency, particularly for large-scale live events.
We’ve seen checks taking place as far apart as every 30 seconds, but typically recommend one check per 10 seconds. Once again, you’ll need to ensure your platform has the performance to carry out all these checks without degrading the user experience. A well-optimized system balances security with performance efficiency, ensuring minimal disruption to legitimate users while keeping unauthorized access in check.
The How: How to Implement Stream Limits Effectively
So, what is standard practice for limiting access? For perhaps the past ten years, the most common approach we’ve seen our customers use, influenced by the Apple iTunes store, is to limit users to two concurrent streams AND a maximum of five registered devices. If the user wants to start using a sixth device (perhaps because someone in the household has a new phone or TV) then they’ll need to de-register an existing one. This is typically done via the OTT service’s web app.
One way to mitigate frustration created by such limits is to ensure the UX for managing your registered devices is intuitive, reducing friction while maintaining security. It’s also important that your customer service team has access to a portal they can use to help users who’ve reached their limit. For example, the Magine Pro Console gives OTT services the ability to look up all the devices registered to an individual subscriber and reset registrations where necessary.
Below is an example of how consumers manage their registered devices on the website of our customer’s service, using the Magine Pro OTT Platform’s APIs to set and enforce the restrictions across multiple devices.
While big streaming services like Netflix continue to refer to their packages as limiting the number of “devices” a customer can use, the reality is that the restriction is on concurrent streams. You can login to as many individual TVs, phones and tablets as you like with one set of credentials, but you’ll only be able to watch one, two or four streams at once, depending on your subscription package.
The When: Targeting Concurrent Stream Limits To Content
Most SVOD services enforce a blanket CVL policy across their whole service. You can watch any two assets concurrently – including the same asset on two devices at the same time. However, things become a little more complex when there are live events (especially sport), AVOD or a combination of business models in the mix. This is where you want an OTT platform that allows you to be more granular with applying CVLs.
For ad-funded content, it makes less sense to limit concurrent streams – the more views, the more money you make from advertising. If you’re combining AVOD and SVOD, you will want the ability to mix and match restrictions across content with different business models. Equally, we’ve seen an increase in sports rights holders mandating just one concurrent stream per user for high-profile live events. If your streaming service includes live sports streams, or rebroadcasts TV channels with such rights, then you’ll need the ability to enforce these tighter controls on a per-asset basis. Look for an OTT Platform that gives you the flexibility to take this kind of holistic approach.
Concurrent Stream Limits can also be a business opportunity. Major platforms like Netflix and Disney+ have already proven that consumers are willing to pay for more concurrent streams. In fact, Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing, accompanied by the introduction of a ‘paid sharing’ model, has resulted in millions of new paying subscribers. For smaller OTT services, adopting a similar approach could be a strategic revenue driver (where licensing agreements allow): upselling premium plans, offering family packages, or bundling additional streams with other perks (such as ad-free viewing) can increase ARPU while keeping users engaged.
If, however, your research suggests such premium tiers would not be successful in your target market, there are alternatives. If you own your own content or have relatively liberal licensing agreements and can afford to offer all your users more than the average number of concurrent streams, then this may also be a great way to differentiate your service from the competition.
The Rest: Combining CSLs with Other Security Measures
If you want to know more about how Magine Pro can help you safeguard your content and your OTT platform, download our free security e-guide. It’s got valuable insights on how to blend CSLs with other measures such as DRM, Geo-blocking, VPN and Proxy Detection, Parental Controls, Data Protection, and protections for your platform against malicious intrusion.
Download the e-guide here
The Future of Data-Driven Streaming: Overlooked Metrics That Could Unlock OTT Growth
With fierce competition driving annual churn rates as high as 47%, the streaming industry cannot afford to overlook any data-driven insights that could move the needle towards profitability. Success depends on understanding the metrics that power audience engagement, optimise content strategy, and drive revenue growth. While many OTT services rely on standard data points, some critical statistics remain overlooked. Could they provide the competitive edge that’s needed in a crowded market?
In this article, I’ll explore the key analytics every streaming service should monitor, highlight some underutilised data points that can transform decision-making, and explain why a flexible platform for data exports is essential for scaling your service.
Key Metrics Every Streaming Service Monitors
To start, let’s review the foundational statistics that most OTT services already track. These form the backbone of operational and strategic decisions:
1. Audience. Examples include:
- Daily and Monthly Active Users (DAU/MAU): Track the size and consistency of your audience over time. This helps identify growth trends and gauge user loyalty.
- Device Usage: Understand how users access your service—whether via mobile, smart TVs, or desktops—to optimise experiences for the most popular platforms.
2. Engagement. Examples include:
- Hours Watched per User per Day/Time of Day: Understand how engaged your audience is and which content drives the most consumption. Essential for giving users the right content recommendations at the right time.
- Completion Rates: Measure the percentage of content viewed to determine if your audience finishes episodes or movies. This is particularly vital for identifying binge-worthy content and optimising recommendations.
3. Funnel. Examples include:
- Trial-to-Subscriber Conversion Rate: Analyse how many free-trial users convert into paying subscribers.
- Churn Rate: Track the percentage of subscribers who leave your service to refine retention strategies.
4. Quality of Service (QoS) & Quality of Experience (QoE). Examples include:
- Buffering Percentage: Identify issues impacting playback performance.
- Video Startup Time: Ensure your service meets customer expectations for seamless streaming.
- Playback success/Failure: Get early warning of issues that are preventing users from enjoying the content they’ve chosen. This is commonly monitored along with the rate of exits before the video starts (EBVS).
These data points are all critical for day-to-day operations but often represent only the tip of the iceberg.
Neglected Metrics That Could Transform OTT Growth
Here are some commonly overlooked areas to analyse. You may find they offer insights that unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation:
- Behavioural Profiling Through User Profiles
The ability to segment the user experience for different people within a single household account has grown in popularity in line with the growth of both personalised recommendations and the viewing of OTT content on the big screen. Of course, it’s not used by everyone – our experience suggests fewer than 40% of accounts have profiles enabled – but OTT service providers can still make great use of the data these profiles offer. Analysing individual viewing habits more effectively is essential to offering personalised recommendations that are proven to increase engagement and user satisfaction. If you’re still measuring usage only at the household level, you’re missing out. - Catalogue Rotation and Content Discovery
Many streaming services find that 90% of views come from just 10% of their catalogue. While it’s good to know your top performers so you can promote them to more users, it’s important to also track the underutilised content. This data is useful for influencing your future licensing and in-house production decisions, but there’s more that you can do than just drop the poorly performing content. Perhaps the problem isn’t the content but the way you’re promoting it? New graphics or enhanced metadata could be what’s needed to make these unsung gems come to life. You could also consider giving some of the lower-performing assets a boost with some homepage promotion? Or make use of a feature like Magine Pro’s “random” setting which shuffles all the selected assets in a specific collection every 24 hours to keep rails looking fresh. These measures could improve your return on investment for content you’ve already invested in. - Recovered Customers
Most OTT services rightly place massive priority on their churn rate but how closely are you watching the saved subscriptions – those that were on the verge of cancelling but were recovered via promotional offers or reactivation campaigns? Tracking this data can provide a wealth of insights into what is driving the effectiveness of retention strategies and identify opportunities to refine outreach efforts. To really make the best of this data, you’ll need to ensure your user flows capture user feedback on why they’re planning to cancel as well as the measure that persuaded them to stay. - Return on Investment (ROI) by Content Group
Measuring hours watched per content item is valuable. But the true insight comes from correlating that data directly with the relative cost of licensing or producing the content. If cheaper content is driving half as many viewing hours as a flagship drama show, but costs a third as much to make or license, then it could actually be considered your star performer. Getting streaming data and rights data together in one platform drives smarter acquisition decisions. This can help prioritise investments that maximise viewer engagement and revenue.
The Value of Data Exports and Custom Dashboards
If you’re the size of Disney+ or Netflix, you’re almost certainly monitoring all these metrics and more already. For smaller streaming services, however, it’s much harder to be across all the data and take appropriate action. To act on these types of insights, it’s essential to have the right business intelligence tools.
The standard analytics dashboard offered in most streaming platforms can provide an overview, but for truly data-driven growth, you need the ability to customise your analysis and develop your own dashboards.
That’s why we’ve architected the Magine Pro OTT platform so it’s easy to integrate user data with tools you already use, like Tableau or Power BI, empowering your team to make smarter decisions. By creating custom dashboards, you can align your analysis with your specific business goals. For example, tracking engagement trends by region can inform localised content strategies.
Ready to take your streaming data to the next level?
The metrics you monitor today shape the future of your OTT service. By keeping track of some of the commonly neglected data points as well as the foundational ones, you can create a more engaging, efficient, and profitable platform.
Don’t let overlooked metrics hold back your OTT growth. Contact Magine Pro today to see how our flexible tools can help you unlock your platform’s full potential.
From Vertical Video to Smart TVs: What’s Next for OTT Streaming in 2025
As 2024 comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the remarkable shifts we’ve seen in the OTT industry over the past year. Key trends are reshaping how content owners approach their digital strategies, and with consumer habits evolving rapidly, there’s a wealth of opportunity and innovation on the horizon. According to the Oliver Wyman Global Consumer Survey, video remains the dominant service across Europe, with an average of 1.5 subscriptions per capita. Yet, what’s particularly noteworthy is that around 30% of consumers still don’t have active subscriptions, presenting room for further growth. Alongside this, we’re seeing a shift in viewing preferences: TiVo’s Video Trends Report revealed that viewers are now three times more likely to watch content on TV screens rather than mobile devices.
Building on this, 2024 has also marked a significant rise in vertical video streaming, a trend that goes far beyond platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. The New York Times reported that services like ReelShort are transforming content consumption with short, minute-long soap operas and dramas. With production costs under $300,000 per feature and revenue reaching $22 million by December 2024, vertical video is proving both cost-effective and highly profitable. Some viewers have even spent up to $20 to continue watching episodes, showing just how successful these models can be in monetization. During my recent IBC panel discussion, I noted how TikTok’s success lies in removing the decision burden through algorithmic content delivery, so the question remains for 2025, if the mix of short form, different monetization models and low production costs, will continue to serve niche segments.
At Magine Pro, our partnerships in 2024 have given us an up-close look at the changes sweeping through the industry. We launched several successful niche streaming services, including Kulturwelt+, which delivers cultural content to German-speaking audiences, providing valuable insights into the growing demand for specialised, localised content. Additionally, our rapid migration of Filmicca’s platform in just three weeks highlighted the increasing need for efficiency and flexibility in the OTT space. These hands-on experiences have deepened our understanding of the evolving landscape, and as we look ahead to 2025, we anticipate several key trends that will continue to shape the OTT industry.
- Vertical Video Integration is one of the trends we expect to grow in 2025. Traditional streaming services will need to consider incorporating vertical video formats to engage younger, mobile-centric audiences. Unlike Quibi’s previous attempt, services like ReelShort have succeeded by focusing on specific genres and demographics. The platform’s 75% female audience demonstrates the power of targeted content strategies. In 2025, we expect more streaming services to experiment with hybrid formats that combine traditional and vertical viewing experiences, allowing them to reach broader audiences in innovative ways.
- Smart TV Growth. As the shift toward larger screens continues, Smart TV applications will become even more essential. Our data shows an 80% increase in TV screen viewership compared to smaller devices, signalling that bigger screens are becoming the preferred choice for consumers. Streaming services will need to prioritise smart TV apps and ensure seamless integration to meet this growing demand.
- As the streaming space becomes more competitive, Hybrid Monetization Models will be key to success. With subscription fatigue becoming more widespread, successful platforms will need to embrace flexible monetization strategies that blend SVOD, TVOD, and AVOD models. This adaptability will allow them to meet consumer demand for choice, while also diversifying revenue streams.
- Personalisation at Scale will continue to be a priority. The Oliver Wyman Survey found that bundling and personalised content recommendations are top of mind for users, with 31% of European subscribers willing to pay extra for enhanced features. As personalisation technology advances, streaming services will need to deliver more tailored experiences to keep pace with consumer expectations.
- Finally, as the industry becomes more competitive, Operational Efficiency will be crucial. Streaming services will increasingly focus on improving their operational processes through automation and simplified tech stacks. This will enable them to maintain profitability while delivering exceptional experiences to viewers.
For content owners, 2025 will be about making strategic choices in technology partnerships. The days of building complex in-house solutions are giving way to proven, scalable platforms that can deliver immediate results while controlling costs.
At Magine Pro, we’re committed to helping content owners navigate these changes. With our end-to-end OTT platform, we provide the tools and expertise needed to create engaging streaming experiences that foster viewer retention and revenue growth. As we enter 2025, there’s no doubt that the opportunities in streaming remain substantial. The key to success will be striking the right balance between traditional viewing experiences and new, emerging formats, all while combining compelling content with technical excellence and operational efficiency. Those who can do this will be well-positioned to resonate with their audiences and thrive in an increasingly competitive market.
Curious about how the key trends shaping OTT in 2025 could impact your business?
Discover how Magine Pro can help you stay ahead of the curve with personalised streaming experiences, smart TV integration, and hybrid monetization models. Book a meeting with us for a demo and learn how our flexible platform can help you navigate the evolving OTT landscape and drive growth.
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The Path to Profitability: How the Right Technology Can Transform Your OTT Service
The OTT industry is at a crossroads. The market is becoming increasingly saturated, just as consumers exercise more caution in spending, and investors are growing restless about returns. The message we hear loud and clear from giants like Netflix and Disney down to the smallest OTT services visiting the IBC trade show floor: profitability is their number one priority. To achieve this goal, they must tackle rising operational costs, stand out from the competition, and stem churn.
The latter is an escalating challenge. Deloitte’s 2024 Digital Media Trends survey found 40% of respondents had cancelled a paid SVOD service in the past six months. The figure rises to 53% among Gen Z and millennial consumers. Propping up average revenue per user (ARPU) with price rises will only help so much. Deloitte also found 35% of US consumers (of all generations) felt the content available on streaming video services isn’t worth the cost, while a price rise of $5 would prompt 48% percent of them to cancel their favourite SVOD service.
Technology choices are key to OTT profitability
So, what can existing OTT services, that don’t pack the clout of a Netflix or Disney, do to reach and maintain profitability? For many, the secret lies in technology. Outdated, fragmented, or inefficient systems bog down operations and lead to unnecessary overheads. Conversely, the right technology partner can unlock new pathways to efficiency, scalability, and growth. By simplifying workflows, leveraging automation, and implementing flexible, transparent pricing models, OTT providers can free up resources to focus on what really matters: creating and curating exceptional content and fostering deeper audience engagement.
At Magine Pro, we believe that transforming technology infrastructure is not just a cost-saving measure but a strategic investment in profitability and longevity.
The Hidden Costs of a Fragmented OTT Tech Stack
For many existing OTT services, a fragmented multi-vendor tech stack is a major obstacle to profitability. While piecing together various technologies might seem like a flexible approach, it often leads to inefficiencies and hidden costs that erode margins. Duplication of capabilities—such as having multiple analytics tools or overlapping content delivery systems—means you’re paying twice for no added value. Integrating disparate systems is both time-consuming and costly, requiring significant resources and headcount to ensure seamless functionality. This complexity not only inflates operational expenses but also limits agility, as adapting the stack to new demands or growth opportunities becomes increasingly cumbersome.
Simplifying Streaming Operations to Save Costs
Outsourcing to a single, end-to-end OTT platform like Magine Pro offers a transformative solution to these challenges and lower headcount across the organization. By consolidating workflows under one integrated system, OTT providers can eliminate redundancies, reduce integration costs, and free up valuable internal resources. Choosing to buy rather than build, and opting for a truly end-to-end, pre-integrated solution, eliminates the need for a dedicated engineering team in-house, or to spend time and effort managing multiple vendor relationships, contracts, support teams, or service-level agreements. The result is a significant reduction in operational overhead, enabling you to reinvest savings into content creation and acquisition, marketing, or audience engagement.
Of course, not every “all-in-one” solution” is created equal. Many platforms promoted as “complete” are actually heavily reliant on third parties for key parts of their functionality such as billing engines, CRM and DRM. In this case, you’re clearly handing off the responsibility (and cost) for developing and maintaining the integrations to the vendor of the “complete” solution, but what’s the financial impact and administrative overhead of this approach? Either the platform vendor is charging a markup on these external services, or you’re still going to be on the hook for managing multiple vendors and SLAs.
At Magine Pro, our all-in-one platform is designed not just for efficiency but also for flexibility and scalability, ensuring that your technology grows with your business without adding complexity – so you can reach more consumer devices, with more business models, and more content without increasing overheads. Some of our customers are able to operate a full OTT service with just a handful of staff members because they outsource all the complexity to us.
How Automation Boosts Efficiency And Cuts Headcount
Automation is a cornerstone of operational efficiency, and advances in AI offer many new opportunities for OTT providers to streamline workflows, reduce errors, and lower costs. At Magine Pro, automation is deeply integrated into our platform to handle repetitive tasks with precision and speed. For example, our content ingest process automatically updates program assets multiple times daily, ensuring seamless and accurate content delivery. Image scaling is automated across all device types, eliminating the need for manual adjustments.
By minimizing manual intervention, automation not only cuts costs but also provides the scalability needed to support a growing content library. To learn more about how automation can transform efficiency in the media industry, read the article by our CEO, Matthew Wilkinson, in the IABM Journal (Issue 130, page 50).
Optimizing User Lifecycle Management for Revenue Growth
Automation can also make a significant impact in the all-important fight against churn. Retaining existing customers is not only more cost-effective than acquiring new ones, but it also contributes to long-term revenue stability. Passive churn (caused by issues like failed payments caused by an expired credit card) and active churn (when users deliberately choose to cancel) both undermine profitability. Addressing these effectively requires a platform equipped with tools to predict, prevent, and recover at-risk subscribers. You’ll need analytics to track user behaviour and help you to optimize your offerings accordingly.
Magine Pro’s lifecycle management tools are designed to tackle churn head-on. Our billing engine automates subscription renewals, proactively retries failed payments and ensures seamless price updates, reducing passive churn. For active churn, curated recommendations and personalized win-back campaigns keep users engaged. By enabling OTT providers to identify churn risks early and implement tailored retention strategies, Magine Pro helps boost revenue while lowering customer acquisition costs (CAC). This focus on lifecycle management ensures that providers retain their most valuable assets: loyal, long-term subscribers.
You can learn more about subscriber retention strategies by downloading our whitepaper: The Profit Playbook.
Why Streaming Experience Matters in Avoiding Unnecessary Expenses
When selecting an OTT platform, it can be tempting to opt for the lowest-cost all-in-one service. It’s why so many services launch on a platform like Vimeo. But too many services soon find the false economy in selecting a platform without the necessary tools to support their growth aspirations. If you find yourself in need of a specific additional feature that’s essential to your market – perhaps support for an emerging payment method or a newly mandated parental control feature – how likely are you to get support for it from your low-cost vendor?
Many cheaper options offer a technology platform but little in the way of human support or expertise to guide you through the complexities of growing an OTT business. Without these skilled resources, providers risk costly trial-and-error learning, missed opportunities, and inefficient workflows. For example, we’re often able to save our customers significant time and money by advising them on which applications will give them the best return on investment for their specific target audience segment.
At Magine Pro, we bring more than just technology to the table—we bring experience. Having started as a direct-to-consumer streaming service, we’ve been on the frontlines of the industry and understand the challenges of churn, audience engagement, and profitability. Our team works closely with clients, offering tailored advice and support to avoid common pitfalls and accelerate growth. This combination of cutting-edge technology and human expertise ensures you’re not just buying a platform, but a partnership that drives long-term success.
Want to see how a technology shift could affect your OTT profitability?
Interested in learning more about automation and the capabilities of the Magine Pro OTT Platform? Book a meeting with one of our experts for a personalized demo. Discover how our flexible platform and streaming services can cut costs and maximize revenue.
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The Return to TV: Why Viewers Choose Bigger Screens in the Streaming Era
Fifteen years ago, LG launched the first big-screen TVs with built-in streaming software, marking a pivotal moment in entertainment. Netflix, fresh from its DVD rental roots, embraced this shift and became a trailblazer in the streaming world. Reading this 2009 article from Wired is like peering into the past; There’s no mention of ‘apps’ or app stores, just “directly embedded software,” with a prescient observation about the future: “At this rate, those red Netflix envelopes in the mail could soon become a collector’s item.”
Fast forward to today, and the pace of change in TV viewing habits hasn’t slowed—it’s skyrocketed. Streaming services that focus solely on mobile devices or a limited range of TV platforms are at risk of falling behind. The barriers to distribution across all major TV platforms – whether due to cost, supplier limitations, or technical hurdles – are real, but the rewards of expansion are significant.
Video viewers are three times more likely to prefer watching on the Big Screen
This month saw the publication of the latest TiVo Video Trends Report with some eye-catching figures on big screen usage. Respondents to the Q2 2024 survey were around three times more likely to prefer watching video on TV than on smaller devices like phones, tablets, and PCs. This preference is especially pronounced for long-form content like TV shows and movies, while short-form content remains more popular on smartphones and tablets.
In the early days of OTT, the focus was on enabling viewers to watch content on any device, anytime, and anywhere, especially on mobile devices. While this on-the-go viewing experience remains appealing, the latest figures demonstrate that television is still the dominant choice for long-form content. As Smart TVs continue to evolve, equipped with major streaming apps for seamless access, their popularity is set to grow. In fact, the TiVo report also indicates that 45.1% of respondents cite built-in streaming apps as a key reason for purchasing a Smart TV, highlighting the enduring value of the big screen for viewers.
This growing preference for TVs as the primary device for consuming VOD content presents a substantial monetisation opportunity for streaming operators. By expanding distribution across more TV platforms, operators can tap into a broader audience and increase revenue streams. The pace of this shift is further reflected in data from Statista, in cooperation with NPAW, which examined VOD consumption per device worldwide. The findings indicate that TV remains a central player in the streaming ecosystem, increasingly squeezing out all other devices.
It’s no surprise then that the most common conversation we had with streaming services at IBC 2024 revolved around the evolving TV ecosystem and the challenges of building and maintaining bespoke applications across multiple platforms. Streaming operators are increasingly aware that viewers expect their services to be available across a range of devices, and they are eager to meet that demand. However, the landscape is becoming more complex, with companies like Amazon rumoured to be planning to introduce a new platform in 2025 and Samsung updating its operating system. This evolution makes it increasingly challenging for operators to manage and maintain their TV software ecosystems independently.
At Magine Pro, we understand these complexities and are equipped to help operators navigate them. Our extensive experience with multiple TV platforms, including Smart TV apps, positions us as a trusted partner for those looking to migrate to a more robust distribution model. While transitioning to a new platform can seem daunting, we can help mitigate risks and ensure a smooth process, allowing operators to capitalise on new opportunities.
Embracing change is crucial in the media and entertainment landscape. Learn more about switching to Magine Pro in our ebook, OTT Migration Made Easy. And if you’re interested in finding out about the benefits of being on the big screen, don’t miss our Whitepaper featuring case studies from the likes of US SVOD service Passionflix.
Why OTT Needs to Simplify: Insights from IBC 2024
If there’s one phrase that kept coming up in nearly every conversation at IBC 2024, it was operational & cost efficiency. As OTT services become more complex, media companies are losing focus on what they do best: delivering great content and building lasting audience relationships.
At Magine Pro, the message we kept hearing from customers and industry peers was clear: “We need to simplify.” And that’s exactly what we’re focused on.
Why simplification is the key to OTT success
While the smaller niche OTT players have always looked for a one-stop platform that offers all the tools they need, many others have built intricate, multi-vendor technology stacks to keep pace with the market. Several of these, including significantly sized broadcasters and VOD services, are now finding this approach is starting to show its challenges. When you’re constantly juggling different vendors, integrating new technologies, and troubleshooting your stack, you lose valuable time and energy that should be spent engaging your audience.
At IBC, one of the hottest topics on our stand was the need to streamline these operations. More and more media companies are looking for ways to outsource their entire tech stack. They want a single partner who can handle everything from the platform to the applications, so they can focus on the big picture. This is where Magine Pro comes in.
We’ve seen a real shift in mindset. Companies are migrating to our platform because they realise that operational effectiveness and cost-efficiency are just as important as the content itself. By outsourcing their technology to a partner like Magine Pro, they get to simplify, innovate, and concentrate on what really matters: building their brand and winning over audiences.
Navigating subscription fatigue: The top challenge for 2025 and beyond
Subscription fatigue was another major theme at IBC. With disposable income stretched, services are fighting for attention in a saturated market. Consumers are becoming more selective and churn rates are rising. We’ve been putting a lot of energy into this area at Magine Pro, focusing on adding lifecycle management tools to our OTT Platform and helping our clients to keep users engaged for the long haul.
One of the things I’m most excited about is how we’ve optimised our billing platform to monitor, manage and reduce passive and active churn. It’s not just about keeping users from cancelling their subscriptions. It’s about winning them back with the right tools. This means better payment options, more engaging notifications, or curated content recommendations that keep them coming back. I believe this is going to be one of the defining challenges of the coming few years, and it’s something we’re ready to tackle head-on.
The power of partnerships in a changing industry
It’s clear that partnerships are also going to be important success criteria in the future of OTT. While there’s plenty of talk about consolidation, the real need is for companies to work together to better serve their audiences. Going it alone is becoming less viable.
At Magine Pro, we see this first-hand in our work with tier 2 and tier 3 media companies, broadcasters, and niche video-on-demand providers. Many of these organisations come from a media background, not technology. Simplifying technology for them, bringing them a complete solution but also working with a wide range of partners to meet their needs, allows them to stay agile and growth-focused, putting their energies into curating content and engaging their audience.
Why experience still matters in OTT
Something that doesn’t get talked about enough in our industry is the value of experience. There’s a lot of new technology and fresh ideas out there, but there’s also a lot to be said for working with a partner who has been through it all before. Magine Pro has been around since 2012, and before we shifted to a B2B model, we were running a direct-to-consumer service ourselves.
That experience—of being on the frontlines of the DTC market—still informs everything we do today. We’ve lived through the challenges of consumer acquisition, content curation, and churn management, and we’ve applied those lessons to how we serve our clients now. We’re not just another technology vendor. We’re a partner who understands the entire lifecycle of the video service business.
At IBC, it was clear that this experience resonates with our clients and the potential customers we spoke to. In a crowded marketplace where technology can often feel commoditized, our ability to offer deep, hands-on expertise is what sets us apart. We’re not just delivering a platform; we’re helping our clients navigate the complexities of a shifting industry.
What’s next?
IBC 2024 may be over, but the conversations we had will continue to shape our approach in the coming months. The message from our clients and partners is clear: simplicity, partnership, and user engagement are the keys to success in OTT.
Here’s to the next phase of OTT, and to keeping things simple!
If you’d like to know more about how Magine Pro’s OTT platform helps services to simplify their operations, why not book a demo?
Scaling Video Distribution: Magine Pro and Stockholm Stream’s Strategic Partnership
In the ever-evolving landscape of video-on-demand (VOD) services, what end users experience is only the tip of the iceberg compared to the complex operations happening behind the scenes. While the industry strives to create seamless, uniform experiences for viewers, the backend processes of content distribution remain intricate and pose ongoing challenges. Recognising these challenges, Magine Pro and Stockholm Stream have forged a strategic partnership, working together over the years to streamline and add value to the VOD distribution ecosystem.
The Complexity Behind the Scenes
The media supply ecosystem is fraught with complexities that create significant hurdles for content providers:
- Bridging the Supplier & Distributor specification gap: Running a direct-to-consumer OTT service often involves working with multiple media licensors or suppliers, each potentially using different video formats (ProRes, MP4, etc.), metadata formats (CSV, Excel, JSON, XML, etc.), and subtitle formats. This creates operational overhead when managing and updating a VOD catalogue.
- Aggregation Platform-Specific Requirements: Many direct-to-consumer services aim to expand their reach by distributing content on platforms like Amazon Prime or Apple TV+. However, these platforms often impose strict requirements and limited integration options, creating barriers to wider distribution.
“Running a scalable Direct to Consumer OTT service, that supports both diverse content acquisition from studios and licensors, as well as wider distribution reach, requires simplicity and end-to-end automation. This reduces operational costs and ensures a uniform experience across all applications and platforms.” – Matthew Wilkinson, CEO of Magine Pro
The Magine Pro and Stockholm Stream Solution
To address these inefficiencies, Magine Pro has partnered with Stockholm Stream to integrate their Delta product seamlessly into the distribution process. This collaboration aims to abstract the complexity of content distribution and improve operational efficiency through a pre-integrated Media Asset Management (MAM) platform.
Key Features of the Integration:
- Unified Ingest and Distribution: The core premise is “Ingest Once – Distribute to Many,” simplifying the content management process.
- Comprehensive Asset Overview: Delta provides a clear status overview of each asset in the delivery pipeline, enabling efficient workflow management and quality control.
- Automated Cue Point Markers: The system efficiently handles automated cue point markers, identifying intro and credit time markers, and allowing for flexible ad-cue points in VOD.
- Localisation Support: The integration supports multi-language localisation for media, including multiple audio tracks and subtitle options.
- Format Unification: Delta unifies exports and converts video and subtitles to the required format for each platform, ensuring effortless delivery to Magine Pro and other services.
“Enabling VOD services to leverage a white-label platform like Magine Pro and distribute through channel stores like Amazon Prime or Apple TV+ allows for optimal content monetisation. Our integration of Delta with Magine Pro streamlines workflows, adds validation, and enhances visibility for users, ensuring clear status tracking of each asset across all platforms. Our close collaboration with the Magine Pro development team enables us to effectively meet new customer requests, addressing both ingestion and platform workflows.” – Patrik Littmann, CEO of Stockholm Stream
Magine Pro partners with Stockholm Stream to integrate Delta, helping media companies grow market share quickly and efficiently.
Benefits for Content Providers
- Streamlined Workflow Management – The integration allows content providers to manage their catalogue and distribution in one place, reducing operational costs and improving efficiency.
- Enhanced User Engagement – Features like “skip intro” and “play next” are seamlessly implemented, improving the end-user experience and potentially increasing watch time.
- Simplified Localisation – The system streamlines the process of adapting content for different markets, opening up new monetisation opportunities and improving audience engagement globally.
- Quality Assurance – With comprehensive status overviews and automated quality checks, content providers can ensure that only high-quality assets are delivered to platforms, reducing the risk of rejections or revisions.
- Scalability – As content distribution scales, the integrated system efficiently manages a high volume of assets and deliveries across multiple platforms without losing track.
Looking Ahead
The partnership between Magine Pro and Stockholm Stream marks a significant milestone in simplifying, optimising and scaling the VOD distribution process. By addressing the complexities of media formats, platform requirements, and localisation, this collaboration empowers content providers to focus on what matters most: creating and delivering compelling content to audiences worldwide.
“By combining Magine Pro’s renowned quality and reliability with Delta’s simplicity and validation features, we are delivering a new level of functionality that is truly unique in the OTT landscape.” – Patrik Littmann, CEO of Stockholm Stream
As the VOD landscape continues to evolve, solutions like the Magine Pro and Stockholm Stream integration will play a crucial role in helping media and entertainment companies expand their market share effectively and rapidly. Through streamlined operations, assured quality, and global distribution capabilities, this partnership is set to make a lasting impact on the industry.
Interested in learning more about the partnership between Magine Pro and Stockholm Stream and how they’re enhancing VOD distribution? Meet them at IBC! Book a meeting here to connect in person at the Magine Pro stand 5.H56.
Decoding the Pricing Puzzle: Navigating Streaming Platform Costs
In the competitive and evolving landscape of Streaming Platforms, where features are becoming increasingly commoditised, the pesky CFO has a bigger part to play when choosing a vendor. The problem is that direct comparisons between vendors are extremely difficult. Some offer predictability at the expense of scalability, while others offer transparency at the expense of simplicity. The rather complex nature of the technology makes it difficult to treat pricing as pure SaaS, necessitating longer discussions with potential customers to really dig into the nuances of our commercial offerings. Our transparency can sometimes get us into trouble, but we believe it is better in the long run and will lead to better relationships with our customers.
Pricing models come in a variety of shapes and sizes which makes it tricky to compare OTT platform vendors.
- Fixed Per-User Pricing: A fixed fee is charged per subscriber or active user. Since the vendor is taking a risk, there is often a high premium in order to cover costs in the event that you have very high activity per user. It’s simple to understand but does not scale.
- Bucket Pricing: You pay a fixed fee each month that includes a certain amount of users or usage. It is predictable but you have to stay within the bucket in order for it to be worth it. If you grow, there could be high overage or you have to purchase another bucket that you likely will not fill. If you lose users, you will be paying for something you don’t need.
- Package Pricing: You like the price of the Basic Package but prefer the options in the Premium Package. Unfortunately, you can’t get the best of both worlds so you end up either disappointed by the Basic or perhaps over budget with the Premium.
- Tiered Usage Pricing: The most transparent and scalable option that we at Magine Pro prefer to use. You pay less on a per-unit level as you grow which increases your Gross Margin and lets you focus more of your capital on content and customer acquisition. The other benefit is that you only pay for what you use, as there are no minimum commitments or expensive overages.
Complexity in Comparing
While this diversity in pricing models aims to cater to the diverse needs of customers, it also contributes to the complexity of vendor comparisons. Several other factors also contribute to this complexity:
- Feature Parity vs. Value: Vendors may offer similar features but bundle them differently across pricing models, making direct feature comparisons challenging.
- Hidden Costs and Add-Ons: Additional fees for integrations, support, training, or customization can significantly impact the total cost of ownership but may not be immediately apparent.
- Scalability and Flexibility: Pricing models often lack transparency regarding how costs will scale as the business grows or usage increases, making long-term budgeting difficult.
- Contractual Terms: Variations in contract terms, such as billing frequency, renewal terms, and cancellation policies, further complicate comparisons.
Navigating the Pricing Maze
Despite the complexity inherent in SaaS pricing models, businesses can employ several strategies to navigate the maze and make informed decisions:
- Define Requirements Clearly: Start by clearly defining your requirements and prioritizing features that are critical for your business. This will help you evaluate vendors based on your specific needs.
- Request Detailed Quotes: Reach out to vendors for detailed quotes that outline all costs, including any potential add-ons or hidden fees. Ask for clarity on pricing tiers and scalability.
- Consider Total Cost of Ownership: Look beyond the sticker price and consider the total cost of ownership over time, including implementation, support, and possible increase in headcount.
Ask and Validate
While comparing SaaS vendors based on pricing models can be challenging, it all comes down to numbers in the end. If you have a forecast then Magine Pro can help you with a Business Model so you know exactly what your costs will be over time. We will gladly go through it in detail so you feel confident and comfortable as you embark on your streaming service journey with Magine Pro.
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Interested in learning more about OTT business models? Our comprehensive e-guide has you covered with all the essentials. And if you’re eager to delve into strategies for maximising revenue through content monetisation, don’t miss our white paper, ‘The Profit Playbook: OTT Revenue Growth Tactics‘.
Book a meeting with a member of the team to discuss pricing models and monetisation in more detail.