Watching TV isn’t what it used to be. We have shifted from one screen having a monopoly on our viewing experience, being obligated to watch in a fixed place and at the whim of the operator’s regularly scheduled programming. Now, broadcasters and publishers must reach multiple screens, make content available to any viewer, anywhere, and most notably, whenever they want to watch.

The rise of OTT isn’t just inevitable - we’ve arrived.

According to new numbers from the Leichtman Research Group, in the first half of 2015 TV subscriptions in the US fell by 370,000 compared to just 5,000 a year ago due to the massive influx of OTT offerings and consumers swapping linear pay TV for online viewing.

Consumers have a host of new platforms and devices to watch TV today, and reaching them requires big investments in video delivery as well as application development. For content providers, adopting OTT is key to long-term success. This can, however, be more challenging than expected and not building the right set of tools to prepare for today’s and tomorrow’s OTT environments can be costly. For all content providers, the question should be asked, “How do I secure a successful OTT adoption and deployment over time?”

Here are five key areas content providers should consider to ensure success in the new multiscreen age.

Build For The Multi-Screen Consumer:
The Q1 2015 Video Index from Ooyala showed nearly 42% of all online viewing was on mobile devices. By the end of the year, we predict that half (if not more) of all online viewing will be on mobile devices. In order to reach the same audiences and attract new ones and as viewing time fragments across devices, here are techniques broadcasters and publishers can adopt to keep viewers as they switch from screen to screen.

- Bookmarking: Enable the consumer to watch a video on one device and continue watching on another device where he/she left off.
- Watchlist: Let the end-user browse and discover videos on one device, add them to the watchlist and consume at a later time on possibly another device.
- Viewing History: Let the end-user browse his viewing history on any device.
- Notifications: Enable cross-device reminders to notify the end-user of certain events, such as live content or releases of new on-demand content.

Build The Right Foundation:
The industry is changing at a rapid pace. Broadcasters and publishers are adopting multiple technologies from multiple companies to build one experience. Build for today, but be sure the platform is well equipped and prepared to scale for tomorrow. Ask your future partners how they handle device fragmentation, help with the backend workflow for preparing and packaging content for online or offline delivery, DRM capabilities, how well they integrate with other technologies, and how they can contribute to key components like measurement and monetization.

Personalization:
When it comes to monetization as well as building and maintaining an engaged audience, data is showing that content recommendation technology is paramount. Recent research indicates that when viewers are presented personalized video recommendations, consumers will view the suggested content as often as half of the time. Being able to pair a video - or an ad - to the viewer based on time, location or device is an important step to a multiscreen deliver strategy, especially as more providers come onto the market and massive archives become even larger. It promises a better experience for viewers and will ultimately drive more revenue for the provider.

Continuous Service Evolution:
Realize that the launch is only the starting point. Now you need to deliver an increasingly better experience during the service’s lifecycle. The key is to secure processes and tools for continuous improvement. Most video service providers are too focused on the immediate service launch, instead of securing a team, budget and plan for the long haul. Still, consumers expect a great and continuously improved user experience during the lifetime of the service. Understand your audience’s viewing behavior, what they want to watch, which devices are most popular, their drop off rates, which features are used the most, or how the consumer navigates through the experience, etc. Understand exactly how your audiences are engaging and evolve your service to match their preferences and behaviors.

The Right Monetization Strategy:
Whether via subscriptions or an ad-based model there are best practices and emerging trends that content providers need to consider when building their multiscreen experience. If subscription, ensure your partner has a seamless sign-up and sign-on process as well as a air-tight seal on content protection and security. For advertising, it’s a continual process of A/B testing to get the right ad load for the right device, matching the appropriate length of ad to content and incorporating personalization into the ads as well as the content. Further, programmatic trading is an efficient way to sell your inventory. In particular, premium content providers trading in private programmatic settings are seeing boosts in eCPMs and higher yield as advertisers and brands are more comfortable buying programmatically.

It’s all about creating a long-term vision and securing the right foundation, processes and technological advancements from personalization to monetization to ensure the experience is the best it can be. Do this and you will be well on your way to success in this new OTT world.