2020 was a banner year for video and audio streaming services. With live entertainment and movie theaters shut down and travel and dining options limited, people found entertainment close to home. However, as they feel confident about rearranging with the plethora of pre-pandemic entertainment options, their reliance on streaming might well wane.
Time spent on streaming services increased by 75% in 2020. However, the number of streaming subscribers has also doubled in the US; it was around 125 million in the past, which has increased, people are more likely to choose streaming platforms during the pandemic spread, and more than 55% are prepared to choose streaming services as they are easy to use while 35% go for streaming solutions as they get something that entertains them.
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PWC surveyed 1000 US audiences who belong to the age group of 18 to 59. They were asked various things like:
- How do they feel about the entertainment at home option?
- Are they delighted with the wealth of video content?
- How do they find new content?
- What do the streaming audiences think is important?
Streaming content provided by the platform is important. Most people these days are looking for original content. Unique and original content is rising; streaming platforms that want to ensure their survival need to ensure that they provide improved services to their audience. Besides, they also need to focus on solving all their pain points, helping them to gain a loyal audience base.
Viewers Pain Points: Helps to Know What Viewers Want to Watch
Online streaming platforms have kept imprisoned audiences entertained since the pandemic began, and many of us have splashed out new video subscriptions during that time. There is no shortage of choice for people; video streaming platforms are engaged in a fierce battle for market share.
As a streaming business, you need to decide to turn your attention to customer pain points. Search how people talk about the things that annoy them, and check what your targeted audience has to share about your video streaming platform. Know which content or features will eventually lead to churn for new customers for another. Let’s explore the list of common pain points around streaming services.
Canceled Shows
It is always a bummer when a favorite show gets canceled. This tragedy prompts a large group of customers to express their dissatisfaction online. Of course, if fans make enough fuss online, some entertainment platforms have been known to backtrack on their decisions.
Advert Gripes
Ads disturb the viewers and thus are rarely appreciated, especially if they are getting in the way of a favorite show. There are lots of audiences who often complain about ads that they come across while watching their favorite show on an app similar to Netflix and Hulu. Ads’ experiences are annoying; this often meant they needed to interact with a remote to get the ad process over quicker.
Incomplete Series or Trilogies
It’s all about what customers feel when they notice a show they want to watch on their favorite streaming platform. But what if they click through and find that they don’t have all seasons or that the seasons are not in chronological order? This is a big problem, right? Is it reasonable to host half a show season and risk annoying those who aim to watch the missing one or not host the show at all?
Subtitle Issues
Inadequate and missing subtitles are major pain points for most watchers. There are many complaints like:
- The Characters name is now spelled correctly, leading to confusion;
- When subtitles are bad times
- Foreign-language subtitles appear simply as “Speaks x language” as opposed to actually translating what’s being said.
Subtitles issues can be fixed. It could help streaming services become more accessible to audiences.
Removed Shows and Movies
Some of the time, streaming platforms remove shows and movies, which is one of the annoying cases for an audience. People get annoyed if they have seen something, plan to watch, and then find that it has been removed. One of the potential ways to combat this is labeling shows and movies that are going to be deleted soon, so expectations are managed around how long they will be kept online.
Ending Note
Looking at the above list, we can say that people have many complaints related to content streaming providers. This makes sense as well; a streaming service is as good as the content it hosts. However, UX is also crucial to keep in mind when retaining customers.
Delighting customers with superior interfaces and controls is one thing, but getting the basics is also essential. The above list is an overview of common pain points for streaming services in general. Every service is unique, and understanding what users hate and love in particular can help streaming businesses retain their customers.