早在 COVID-19 诞生之前，流媒体大战就已打响，但全球健康危机大大加速了视频流媒体的普及，并永远改变了我们的媒体饮食习惯。流媒体市场曾经是少数几家备受瞩目的初创公司的天下，而现在却充斥着数百家可供选择的服务，它们提供的内容已成为我们观看视频习惯的主要组成部分。
随着消费者倾向于选择满足其按需生活方式的新流媒体，内容创作者和流媒体平台需要的不仅仅是优秀的电视节目和电影来吸引和留住客户。是的，备受瞩目的新片和深受喜爱的文库内容会吸引追求娱乐的观众，但当消费者想要新鲜的内容时会发生什么呢？他们将如何选择下一次观看的内容？
Given that humans are visual creatures, user experience is largely driven by what we see—not what we read. As we scroll through content options, our eyes help us hone in on what appeals to us amid the hundreds of titles we’re exposed to. There is no shortage of great content for consumers to choose from, but future success in the streaming space will hinge on more than just great content—it will need directions to great content. And the effectiveness of those directions will determine whether viewers find it.
推荐和建议当然可以在内容发现方面发挥作用，但它们不足以让视频内容--非常视觉化的内容--脱颖而出。它们也与观众的情绪无关。相对而言，一张图片胜过千言万语。当图片个性化时，其影响力会成倍增加。
The overabundance of content, our “always connected” lifestyles and the impulse to constantly multitask have all taken a toll on our attention spans, and we’re all guilty of tuning out when nothing catches our eyes. This poses big challenges for streaming services and entertainment platforms—vying for our attention. In 2019, we conducted a study that found that U.S. adults would spend about 7 minutes looking for something to watch on their streaming platforms before simply giving up. With the growth in the streaming market over the past year, I wonder if people will still spend 7 minutes before looking elsewhere. My gut says it’s more like 2 or 3.
The video carousel is the storefront for any video content platform. Visitors aren’t logging in to read. They’re logging in for visual experiences. And that’s where personalized images can enhance a platform’s visual merchandising. Let’s say a new release becomes available and a platform does its best to push it to viewers, but it only uses one representative image. That image may not appeal to every potential audience member. For one viewer, the attraction to the content might center on a key theme, while the show’s primary location may draw in another. So if the platform uses different images to appeal to different viewers, the video carousel quickly becomes a personalized storefront that elevates the customer experience.
“Can this actually make a difference?” you might ask. In a word, yes. User experience personalization is the next opportunity for entertainment providers looking to maximize user satisfaction while simultaneously driving key business metrics. In the increasingly crowded streaming space, content and engagement with available programs are paramount. And when users are presented with an image that resonates with them, they’re going to engage with the program. In fact, a recent pilot by a top-five U.S. streaming service with Gracenote found that personalized imagery contributed to increased hours watched, increased titles watched and increased click-through rates leading to video plays.
尼尔森的数据显示，在美国，77% 的家庭至少拥有一台联网设备，而我们使用流媒体内容的时间也在不断增加。2020 年 12 月，美国观众观看流媒体视频的时间超过 1320 亿分钟，占能够观看流媒体视频的家庭总电视时间的近四分之一。有了这样的参与度，流媒体提供商就有动力集中精力，尽其所能确保参与其中的观众保持参与度--而且是在他们的平台上。
视频内容的智能视觉营销是提高参与度和满意度的新机遇。虽然并非所有内容都能吸引每个人，但个性化的节目图像将帮助观众找到与他们正在寻找的内容相一致的节目和电影。
