Optimising how viewers discover and watch their new favourite shows.
An audience-centred approach helped TVNZ drive double-digit growth in viewer engagement, reach and retention for TVNZ OnDemand – with updated features driving a 200% growth in audience engagement.
Challenge.
The TVNZ OnDemand service caters to a wide variety of viewers and use scenarios – which poses unique product and design challenges. The opportunity was to resolve the increasing tension between the ability to offer a large volume of available content, while also delivering a simple and elegant experience.
The TVNZ OnDemand service caters to a wide variety of viewers and use scenarios – which poses unique product and design challenges. The opportunity was to resolve the increasing tension between the ability to offer a large volume of available content, while also delivering a simple and elegant experience.
Solution.
Built on a foundation of iterative viewer research and rapid prototype testing, we worked with the TVNZ product team to prioritise design changes that would have the most significant impact. The most substantial opportunity was to focus optimisation efforts on eliminating as much friction as possible from the ‘discovery’ and ‘continue watching’ experiences.
Built on a foundation of iterative viewer research and rapid prototype testing, we worked with the TVNZ product team to prioritise design changes that would have the most significant impact. The most substantial opportunity was to focus optimisation efforts on eliminating as much friction as possible from the ‘discovery’ and ‘continue watching’ experiences.
Impact.
The improvements delivered a significant boost to the product and its ongoing roadmap. Despite a plethora of alternative viewing options, engagement with the TVNZ service is increasing. Viewers are watching more content than ever before – with a 39% year on year increase in weekly reach – and substantial additional streams watched per week.
The improvements delivered a significant boost to the product and its ongoing roadmap. Despite a plethora of alternative viewing options, engagement with the TVNZ service is increasing. Viewers are watching more content than ever before – with a 39% year on year increase in weekly reach – and substantial additional streams watched per week.
Results.
The streamlined TVNZ OnDemand experience is helping viewers explore and watch new content and also pick up where they left off, resulting in deeper engagement with the service.
With over 25 hours of customer testing and empathy interviews, synthesised into robust experience recommendations, the TVNZ team were able to implement with greater certainty of the outcome.
The results have been substantial from the outset:
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200% improvement of viewers continuing and completing shows compared to baseline – by redesigning the ‘Smart watch’ module, so users can easily pick up where they left off, by suggesting viewers’ next likely episode and showing episode details so they can skip if they’ve seen it on linear
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40% improvement in viewers discovering and watching shows from the new ‘Trending’ and ‘Popular’ categories to make it easier to find new shows
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50%+ increase in the use of the redesigned and easier to use ‘Favourites’
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50%+ increase in engaging with related shows, through features such as a redesign of how viewers access show information, including on mouse rollover
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50%+ increase in watching related shows – by improving the quality of recommendations and surfacing them at crucial points in the viewer journey, such as after a show finishes and the end credits are rolling
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27% increase in the number of streams per viewer, per session
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17% increase in viewers watching multiple episodes per session
Of critical importance was the discovery that there was greater opportunity making these improvements as an alternative to the more expensive and complicated intent of ‘personalising’ the experience.
Personalisation is an important feature of any streaming service – but by focusing on more achievable and adjacent optimisations, TVNZ has been able to make fundamental improvements faster and with more immediate impact for viewers.
Project Summary
Client: TVNZ
Project: OnDemand supercharged
Duration: 2018 — 2019
Awards: Best Awards 2019 / Optimising Finalist