TV audiences continue to cut cords and embrace streaming. As of May 2023, the percentage of U.S. TV homes with cable had fallen to 46.4%1, down 12% in a single year. With significantly more choice available on streaming platforms, the appeal is clear, but the wide dispersal of content has made it cumbersome for audiences to find something to watch.
根据尼尔森 2023 年 6 月的流媒体内容消费者调查，观众现在平均要花 10 分半钟来搜索要看的内容，比 2019 年初的近 7 分半钟有所增加。更糟糕的是：20% 的观众表示，他们在开始寻找之前不知道要看什么，找不到要看的内容，于是决定做其他事情。
在当今以流媒体为先的电视世界里，有两个关键因素阻碍着内容发现：
- 大量内容和内容来源
- 有限的媒体元数据
Let’s dive into each of these.
当今的视频内容版图无边无际
In just a few short years, choice and engagement with it have exploded. When Nielsen launched The Gauge in May 2021, streaming accounted for 26% of total TV usage, and only five streaming services were independently reported within it. In July 2023, streaming had grown to account for 38.7% of total TV use and 11 individual services were independently reported2. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Globally, TV audiences now have more than 2.7 million individual video titles3 to choose from, and 86.7% of them are available on streaming services. There was a time when audiences had just a small handful of streaming services to choose from, but now Gracenote Global Video Data has a record of nearly 40,000 distinct channels and streaming video sources4 for audiences to choose from.
加在一起，琳琅满目的单个视频标题和提供这些标题的流媒体服务已经让许多人难以驾驭。观众拥有所有的控制权，但如果他们没有看到自己喜欢的内容，只需点击一下鼠标，就能找到不同的选择。
丰富的元数据有助于现代内容发现
当电视节目或电影在特定的广播或有线电视频道播出，并安排在特定的时间播出时，与之相关的元数据并不需要包括更多节目的最基本信息：标题、主要演员、类型、评级、播出时间等。如今，在众多选择中，这种基本的元数据无法帮助观众找到他们感兴趣的内容。举例来说，想想有多少节目属于戏剧类型。
为了让观众能够成功地进行内容发现之旅，许多创作者、发行商和平台都在利用 Gracenote 视频描述符--颗粒状元数据--来更全面地了解单个电视节目或电影。
To illustrate, consider the Showtime drama series The L Word. During its original run from 2004-2009, audiences simply had to check a schedule and tune to the network to watch the program. Today, it’s one of the more than 2.3 million titles available to global streaming audiences. This reality highlights the importance of personalization and the user experience within individual services.
Available on many services globally, the 73 episodes in The L Word might not be featured in a service’s recommendation carousel or called out among the many other programs it offers. To help connect this program with viewers that might be interested in watching it, there are 31 individual descriptors that provide more nuanced, in-depth information that is supplementary to the core, foundational program information.
除了为内容发现提供动力外，随着内容分发逐渐摆脱独家许可安排，细化的元数据也将变得至关重要。任何提供与竞争服务相同内容的服务，都需要依靠内容以外的东西来吸引和保持受众。
While the growing range of free ad-supported television (FAST) channels largely contain content that can be found elsewhere, the trend is filtering into traditional streaming services as well. HBO, via Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), for example, recently broke character by licensing the distribution rights to several of its high-profile original titles to Netflix—a move that followed WBD’s announced FAST partnership with Roku and Tubi involving a handful of titles that were previously exclusive to HBO.
"尼尔森公司（Nielsen）旗下 Gracenote 产品副总裁 Filiz Bahmanpour 说："现在，体验很多，但个性化却很少。"许多人说，FAST 服务需要独家内容、原创节目和市场营销才能取得成功，但我认为用户体验和个性化才是真正的差异化因素。包括 FAST 在内的所有流媒体服务都需要通过营销、策划和数据科学将正确的内容和广告提供给正确的用户。
A clear shift is underway within the streaming industry. Subscriber acquisition is no longer the key to long-term growth, especially as media research house Digital TV Research recently forecasted that global FAST 和 ad-supported video on-demand ad revenue will hit $109 billion by 2028. With the content landscape widening, complemented by a shift away from content exclusivity, the burden of audience engagement will continue to shift to individual platforms and services.
For additional insight, download our latest State of Play report, which focuses on the importance of data-driven personalization and streaming content discovery.
说明
1 Nielsen National TV Panel, May 15, 2023
2 Services are independently reported once they account for at least 1% of total TV usage
3 Gracenote 全球视频数据
4 As of June 2023. Each channel represents a unique source of linear programming, such as ABC and Flicks of Fury, an original channel on Pluto TV. Each streaming video source represents an individual provider, such as Netflix and Disney+.
