All the world seems to be moving to a subscription model – music, editorial, books, gaming, groceries and now even coffee (with Pret a Manger), furniture (with John Lewis) and cycling (with Brompton Bikes). And, of course, TV and movies. But as more film studios, cable channels and broadcasters launch their own D2C platforms, how many SVODs can consumers justify paying for out of their monthly entertainment budgets?
That’s a question we asked our panellists, Ed Humphrey of the British Film Institute, Casper Hald of Blockbuster (Denmark) and Mark Bishop of Vindicia at OTT Question Time last week (Thursday 1st October). The wider context here was OTT pay models so we also explored:
- The pros and cons of offering content via AVOD, SVOD, TVOD, PPV and now PVOD (premium VOD)
- How easy (or not) it is for broadcasters and service-providers to commercially, strategically and technically mix and match pay models
- How consumer perceptions of the value of content changes depending on the platform
- And how platforms try to build loyalty amongst their customers
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ABOUT KAUSER KANJI
Kauser Kanji has been working in online video for 19 years, formerly at Virgin Media, ITN and NBC Universal, and founded VOD Professional in 2011. He has since completed major OTT projects for, amongst others, A+E Networks, the BBC, BBC Studios, Channel 4, DR (Denmark), Liberty Global, Netflix, Sony Pictures, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation and UKTV. He now writes industry analyses, hosts an online debate show, OTT Question Time, as well as its in-person sister event, OTT Question Time Live.