Digital technology has changed the way we work, in all sectors. In the distribution of rights and the sale of video content (TV content, series, documentaries, animation, cinema films, etc.), the sending of VHS & DVDs to TV broadcasters or other media has given way in recent years to digital streaming tools for screening content.
Although most catalogue distributors now have sites on which they highlight their new releases, these sites are often more of a showcase than a real sales and screening tool for their content buyers.
If you have produced video content or you distribute a catalogue, we will see here how to create your own screening platform to develop your activity of selling rights and distribute video content.
1. The client experience on your screening platform is the key
Offering a beautiful premium platform for your catalog is above all about offering qualitative customer experience. If you have quality content, you must have a screening platform that is up to the task. Netflix has created what we call “a Netflix-like experience”. A large part of their success is linked to the impeccable experience they have given their platform. So even in B2B, make sure you offer a streaming platform with top-notch user experience (UX). And this goes through several points:
Performance
This is the basis: having an optimized streaming infrastructure so that the content is played seamlessly regardless of the Internet connection of your clients. This requires suitable encoding profiles, adaptive streams, a CDN (Cloud Delivery Network) to distribute content worldwide without buffering.
The platform and interface must be fast, fluid and in line with the navigation standards. No need to look for innovation here: your screening platform must offer a neat design similar to the best: Netflix, YouTube, HBO etc… The pages must load quickly, and the general navigation must be intuitive.
At OKAST, we offer an optimized streaming platform in the cloud to absorb all types of loads. On the distribution side, we use Cloudfront, one of the best CDNs in the world.
Reach more people with multi-languages
Offering a screening platform in several languages is the guarantee of reaching more people and optimizing the customer experience. In particular:
– Contents: the best is to offer several language versions to reach as many people as possible. An English version of course, but also other versions if available. Tools such as OKAST allow you to upload a clean feed version and add audios in different languages, or just allow you to offer subtitle files in different languages.
– Metadatas: it is always better to offer the metadata in several versions if you have them. And of course, have an interface that displays them in the right language according to your user’s browser.
– Screening platform interface : it may seem trivial, but having the navigation interface (buttons, menus etc…) in the language of your buyers is a real added value. OKAST, for example, offers an interface with several languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese or Japanese!
Security
Many distributors sites offer content via Youtube or Vimeo players. Or video players that simply play .mp4 files hosted on a server. All these solutions, unfortunately, offer a very high risk of piracy, since there are many online solutions or plug-ins that allow you to download the videos in one click.
Solutions such as OKAST offer a higher level of security by providing encrypted and secure encoding, allowing content to be played only in the associated player. Furthermore, encoding an .mp4 file in “adaptive streaming” format allows the content to be cut into micro-segments, which are stored in place of the mp4 source files (which are themselves easily downloadable). Of course, it is also possible to encode with DRM-type solutions for an even more secure solution.
No competing content
Some tools such as Youtube or Vimeo offer affordable video player solutions, but often the problem is that competing or similar content is offered or broadcast alongside your video (not to mention advertising in some cases).
It is important when you are promoting your catalog, no other content will interfere in your customers or buyers experience.
2. Smart tools to boost your sales
Offering a beautiful screening platform with an optimal customer experience is a real added-value, but it’s not enough. Indeed, it must integrate tools to boost your sales and content distribution activity. Here are some tools that your screening platform should offer:
Customer Viewing Data
When offering a screening platform, it is essential to monitor the activity of your prospects, in this case, the content buyers. Understanding which customer has viewed which content allows you to make a more qualified follow-up, but also allows you to offer them other content more suited to their search or need.
In the same way, having the % of viewing of content is a very important point because it gives strong indications on the interest of a buyer for a content. The more he has viewed, the more likely he is to buy the broadcasting rights.
In addition, viewing data can give you very useful information about the performance of your catalogue, and understand which of your flagship films, for example, are the ones that will allow you to trigger volume deals.
On OKAST we provide a detailed view of each user’s viewing, but also view statistics for each content (number of views, average duration, last view etc…). Handy to enrich your CRM and increase your sales, right?
Autoplay feature
It may sound simple, but activating an autoplay feature can help you increase the consumption of your catalogue on your screening platform. Indeed, the automatic linking of videos allows your customers to discover content that they would not have looked for by themselves.
On OKAST you can activate this autoplay feature in a click to push your viewers to consume more videos and increase the number of rights sales opportunities from your catalog.
Algorithmic recommendation
Algorithmic recommendation also offers a good tool to push content to your customers and increase the opportunities. Indeed, by proposing similar programs, you can develop the “discoverability” of your catalog.
Better yet, you can help some of your buyers who are looking for content around a theme via your platform’s algorithm by automatically offering them selections of content associated to a video. And a customer for whom you do a part of their work is a satisfied customer 🙂 .
On OKAST you can activate the recommended content function with one click.
Advanced Search Filters
The advanced search is another very important tool for audiovisual content buyer. Indeed, thes sometimes need to do very precise research on an editorial theme, and filter results on the duration or even the quality of the content etc.
By offering a real advanced search tool with filters on your screening platform, you once again facilitate the work of your clients and buyers. And above all, you increase the possibilities of making a bigger licensing contract (volume deal or package deal).
Flexibility
Depending on the tools you use, it is sometimes difficult to change the content (editorial) or the shape (design) of your platform or site. If to change a text or a banner on the home page of your site you need the intervention of your tech team it is probably that you do not have the right tool. An efficient distribution or screening platform is a platform where you can have a lot of editorial flexibility: being able to offer categories or thematic selections, highlighting your lineup and your news, pushing ephemeral programming linked to the news…
On OKAST, the “smartlist” tool allows you to create playlists very easily in a few clicks (and of course to make them evolve over time or update them). Our page builder feature allows you to add new components (carousels or content mosaics) to your homepage and customize them (image formats, formatting options, number of elements per scroll etc…). This gives you a lot of flexibility to change the background and shape of your platform with just a few clicks. And if you want proof of this, take a look at some of our customer’s B-to-C streaming platforms.
Also, multi-project management makes it possible to create several platforms from a single interface. You can, therefore, create ephemeral platforms linked to specific events in just a few clicks…
If you are looking for a simple and powerful tool to create a streaming platform for your catalog, we have launched the Screener+ offer: no setup costs, no initial investment!
More info here: https://okast.tv/screener
