It’s been more than 15 years since BBC iPlayer launched in the UK and more than a decade since Netflix launched in Europe. In that time, viewer behaviour has changed dramatically, expedited by data-driven personalisation and on-demand experiences.
For traditional broadcasters – whose success is firmly rooted in live programming and content creation – the shift to a data-first engagement strategy offers a huge opportunity to understand viewer preferences, tailor content and diversify advertising revenue.
That’s why today’s most successful broadcasters rely on metadata and synopsis data to meet viewers on their terms, curating outstanding experiences based on their interests, behaviours and engagement histories. And all on the digital channels they know and trust.
Broadcasters must become truly user-centric in an era where viewer engagement metrics define their success. But that’s easier said than done when dealing with legacy technology and disconnected data strategies.
In this blog, we’ll look at how enhanced data can help you augment decision-making and maximise content value and explore six ways to build a competitive data strategy.
Enhanced data matters – and here’s why
Enhanced data consists of an intelligent blend of multiple data sources, including contractual information, user profiles, open-source metadata and contractual data.
When augmented with the right technology, enhanced data can help you unlock granular customer and market insights to inform agile decision-making and personalisation. By monitoring user behaviour in real time and feeding this back into your data, your insights will quickly become more nuanced and valuable.
Indeed, the most user-centric broadcasters use enhanced data to consistently refine and personalise the user experience and monetise programming by identifying and selling premium ad space.
But what factors make up the concept of enhanced data?
Enhanced data requires six key data types
To master the art of user-centricity and drive a competitive advantage, your enhanced data strategy should include the following data types.
Audience engagement and understanding
Data sourced from social media engagement, live chats and interactive user polls can help improve your content offerings and target viewers more effectively.
For example, data related to age, occupation, gender and cultural values can help you segment and understand what content is most likely to resonate with that demographic.
Personalised and user-generated content
Data-driven broadcasting tools and digital content delivery let you personalise viewer experiences in ways traditional broadcasting technologies cannot.
User profiles let you track viewer preferences and provide algorithms with the contextual insights required to offer hyper-personalised content recommendations and updates.
Multiplatform broadcasting and real-time analytics
Viewers increasingly expect joined-up experiences that move seamlessly across digital channels, letting them pick up exactly where they left off.
By offering your content across multiple platforms – including TV, online and mobile – you can deliver the end-to-end connectivity viewers expect while learning more about their engagement habits (and expand your advertising opportunities to boot).
Feedback mechanisms and accessibility features
By creating an inclusive and immersive content experience, you can help drive viewer engagement and brand loyalty.
In fact, your most engaged viewers are more likely to interact with live feedback opportunities, further enriching your customer insights.
For example, you can encourage engagement through live quizzes, gaming and sharing viewer-submitted photos, videos and stories on air. Subtitles, sign language and audio description features can also help nurture a sense of an inclusive brand community.
Ethical, responsible broadcasting (and data protection and privacy)
Audiences are increasingly aware of the impact their decisions have on society, and it’s making them more selective about who they trust with their time, money and data.
In response, broadcasters must foster trust by ensuring all content is produced in line with strict ethical guidelines. They also need to ensure that data privacy and protection are handled securely and in compliance with regional and international laws.
Innovative storytelling and mixing local and global content
Rising demand for augmented viewing experiences, interactive media and virtual reality content means broadcasters must innovate and experiment to engage new audiences.
Enhanced datasets can help you better understand what content types your audiences will likely engage with and how to best distribute it. You can also use this insight to optimise content for different communities, blending local and global content to cover a wide range of segmented audiences.
It’s time to enhance your data – together.
This blog is just a snapshot of what you’ll learn in our e-book, Augmenting Decision-Making With Data for Broadcasting.
Read the full e-book to learn how to become truly user-centric with enhanced data, helping you nurture audience loyalty and a competitive advantage.