Why broadcasters should stop obsessing over search & browse
Over the last 10 years or so, broadcasters have routinely espoused the importance of improving the search and browse experience on their streaming services. The general consensus is that finding a show to watch for Joe public is too difficult and time consuming. Having recently arrived back from IBC, I noticed this topic was still at the forefront of general industry thinking, with the assumption being that big gains could be made by addressing this “problem“.
Maybe to an extent that is true, however, as someone who has looked into this in some detail, I cannot find anything compelling to suggest that this is the case. Or certainly, not to the extent that warrants doing anything about it. For my money, if you were going to list the problems that streaming services need to address as a matter of priority, improving the search and browse capabilities would rank somewhere between manjana and never. Let me address some of the more popular assumptions one by one:
- Finding a TV show is too difficult.
The biggest misconception. This statement is generally taken as read. Often this will be based on a questionnaire or public poll, which unfortunately turn out to be as useful as a concrete windsock. The question posed will usually be hopelessly loaded, such as:
“Is finding a TV show to watch too difficult?“
To which of course, a large number of respondents accept the invitation to think back to that time 6 weeks ago when they were browsing around for 5 minutes and therefore decide that yes, since you come to mention it, “it definitely is too difficult“.
However, if you ask a different question, like:
“Has finding a TV show ever been more convenient?“
You will also get a majority of people who will answer no. The truth is likely closer to: it is a bit more difficult than it could be every now and then, but it’s not enough of a problem for me to take any action“.
- People are looking for something new to watch
Yes, but not as much as you think. The vast majority of the time when someone sits in front of the TV they will watch something live (news or sports) or they will watch an episode of a show they are already watching, or something they have seen before. The actual amount of time where people sit down to watch a new show or film is severely limited. Introducing a new drama show into your life requires investing time into the plot, growing to love the characters and everything else that goes with it. It is a risky investment, particularly when there are plenty of other safer options available.
- People suffer “paralysis of choice“
One of my favourites. The idea that the average consumer is sitting at home in front of the TV experiencing a loss of bodily function, overwhelmed by the deluge of brilliant shows on offer is at best, far-fetched. Are users really going to unsubscribe because there were too many great shows to pick from? The assumption that the consumer is having a hard time only because we do such a brilliant job is a particularly dangerous one.
Again, it is healthy to ask the opposite question. It could be paralysis of choice, but actually, is it more that there is not that much worth watching right now? I think most people, if we are being honest, would lean towards the latter as the default position. Conflating this a “paralysis of choice“ does not help diagnose the real issue, meaning you can’t even begin to look at how you might improve the service.
- People are influenced by the recommendations of the streaming service
This one is predicated on what the north star is for each company. For example, Netflix may say that if just 2% of users try a new show based on the recommendation engine then it makes business sense. Be that as it may, the average user is far from wholly convinced by them. We would much rather try something which was recommended to us by a friend, family member or even via a conversation we overhear on the train. People first and foremost, prioritise the opinions of other people. There is something in the act of sharing an experience that attracts us and is a gift we love to give. This type of value remains largely untapped by streaming services. This, I believe, is a more interesting area of enquiry. It is often the reason why IMDB ranks higher in search results than the platform that has exclusive rights to the show itself, as it offers some social proof that people actively seek.
I have no concrete evidence for it, but I think the incredible effectiveness of the youtube recommendation engine and sheer weight of content it can provide on any given search, exacerbates the limitations of streaming services search and browse options. Which moves us nicely on to…
- People expect to find what they are looking for
Well no, not really. The average user is well versed to the limitations of the streaming service library. Finding whatever you might be looking for is what youtube, Pirate Bay and to an extent, Amazon is for, whether we like it or not. Streaming services should avoid dying on this particular hill. Don’t play the search engine game unless you have a particularly cunning plan. And no, adding voice search won’t help a great deal either.
- People have to spend too much time browsing
Again, this is a shaky assumption to make. It is worth remembering, people are on the platform to first and foremost be interested and entertained. Browsing has its limits, but it provides this. An industry stat that was often mooted, was that the average user spends 33% of their time browsing rather than watching, the implication being that the service was terribly inefficient and ineffectual. To assume that browsing equates to a negative user interaction may be missing the point, something I was particularly guilty of when working on a previous project. We like browsing; IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd etc are based solely on people’s enjoyment of browsing and recommending. How often do you select a show to find out more, knowing that you will not watch it there and then?
It might be worth revisiting this stat through a new lens and ask, is 33% of time browsing actually enough?
Hyperset is a niche SEO and analytics firm specialising in broadcast media and sports. Please contact stefan@hypersetgroup.com