The Future of Retail: Streaming into your Living Room

THE INDUSTRY VANGUARD The trend has been quietly bubbling under the surface for several years now, yet many of the retailers we spoke to are already well on the path towards a lean-back content offering. Indeed, over six in ten (61%) With subscription-based platforms like Netflix continuing to prove popular with audiences worldwide, four in ten (40%) retailers are also using an over-the-top (OTT) content application or streaming device. For this, the confirmed that their organisation is currently offering TV-like content experiences, and a further third (33%) have plans to do so within the next two years. Speaking more generally, 85% of those surveyed said they are looking to target consumers in their living rooms. top four platforms of choice were YouTube (72%), Amazon Fire TV (68%), Apple TV (56%) or Android TV (50%). Of those respondents whose organisation is already offering TV-like content experiences, the majority are doing so via either an owned online video channel or portal (57%) or a third-party one (48%). Over two in five (43%) have entered into a partnership with a broadcaster to offer sponsored content — such as the relationship between Matalan and ITV, or Iceland and Channel 4 in the UK — while a third (37%) have been experimenting with live programming such as streamed event coverage. This approach was also the most popular (37%) with those retailers who are planning to offer TV-like content experiences in the future. ©2017 Brightcove, Inc. All Rights Reserved. With such a clear effort being made by so many, just how successful are these early adopters in their media endeavours? Are the benefits matching the expectations to date? Or is the initial outlay proving too much for the eventual outcome? 2 INDUSTRY LEADERS RED BULL Perhaps the most famous example of a brand turned media company is that of Red Bull. Originally solely an energy drinks retailer, the company is now known worldwide for its production of high octane, top-quality sports and youth-oriented content. From TV shows to magazines, movies, and more, its hugely popular broadcast content is churned out across every media channel going — including TV, theatre and web streaming. In 2012, the company famously created, produced and distributed Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking leap from outer space to Earth — something which earned them more than 8 million live views on YouTube alone (source). To put it into perspective — that’s an equivalent viewership to the season six finale of Game of Thrones. What retailer wouldn’t want a slice of that?! More Recent TV Trialists CHANNEL 4 Channel 4 has partnered with UK frozen food experts Iceland to offer a brand new cookery show, Eat the Week with Iceland. Presented by well-known British TV chef Simon Rimmer, the ten episode series will focus on making mealtimes fun again for families, while also showing people how to use frozen food to reduce food waste. HUNGRYHOUSE Following a successful TV ad in 2016, delivery platform Hungryhouse recently commissioned a new ‘mockumentary’ video series about the lives of the stars of the ad, friends Jay and David. From Chow Mein to Fame screened in May 2017, and aimed to use comedy to reinforce the UK’s favourite pairing of reality TV and takeaway. MATALAN Clothing retailer Matalan has teamed up with ITV and Time Inc. to produce Matalan Presents: The Show — a bi-weekly fashion programme that runs on its website and YouTube. Fronted by British TV presenter Denise van Outen, each six-minute show features industry journalists and experts discussing the latest fashion news and trends. ©2017 Brightcove, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3
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