TV Everywhere Threatened by OTT Video: What Can Providers Do?

As over-the-top (OTT) content providers continue to offer solid original programming that can only be seen through paid subscriptions to their services—gaining more and more customers along the way—traditional providers are left scratching their heads when it comes to ensuring the continued success of TV Everywhere.

In addition to the content OTT providers offer their customers, they also offer versatility when it comes to watching programming across multiple platforms and multiple devices—from any location an Internet connection is available.

In order to even the playing ground against OTT providers,  TV Everywhere providers must do what they can to combat the advantages the former provides. TV Everywhere providers already have original content. What they now need to do is work on the availability of their services by providing easy authentication.

Nobody likes having to enter several usernames and passwords repeatedly, especially considering how many different log-in combinations  we have to use regularly. If watching TV Everywhere proved to be enough of a hassle, no one would watch it. With easy authentication, however, that hassle subsides.

Steve Donohue recently documented his experience with easy authentication. Having already logged into Adobe Primetime—the TV Everywhere platform that powered NBCU’s Olympics coverage—Donohue was able to download Sprout NOW and access it through the same platform without having to reenter his username and password.

“I didn’t need to verify that I’m a Sprout sub because I had entered my Verizon FiOS user name and password earlier this month after downloading the NBC Sports Live Extra app to watch the Olympics,” Donahue writes.

TVE providers should remember: It’s the little things. Making your content as accessible as possible will undoubtedly encourage customers to watch more and more—all the while providing convenience.