In a world where content is viewed in ever-more isolated pockets, the viewer’s ability to search and discover similar ‘things’ may appear to be dwindling.

The emergence of over-the-top (OTT) video services – in particular the likes of Netflix and Amazon – have greatly enhanced the quantity (and arguably, quality) of the content available via several clicks of a button.

However, with such a diverse range of media sources and content suppliers, from traditional broadcasters and platforms to new entrant OTT providers, all offering a mix of access rights including free-to-air, Pay TV, PPV, catch-up, subscriptions, rental and so on, it can be overwhelming to viewers when they want to choose something to watch.

With so much available, discovery and search is more important now than ever before to help consumers access the content that suits them best.

Yet, search today tends to be either broad but of dubious quality or narrow but of limited scope.

Each platform operator (including broadcaster catch-up services) will offer sophisticated search across their own content domain but they rarely link to other content sources, meaning that a universal search relies on third parties.

To deliver a compelling search function, such third parties would need to know what area the viewer is in, as well as subscription details in order to rely on each content provider allowing external search of their catalogues by subscriber ID. However, as each provider covets the role of default content gateway this is not always the case. Viewers too may feel uncomfortable disclosing subscription and viewing preferences to a specific platform operator.

In summary, viewer and provider interests are not always fully aligned when it comes to search.

The debate then turns to what is preventing this functionality at present. An argument may exist that enabling such cross-service functionality could risk cannibalising pay TV operators’ service offerings. Others may suggest that it would provide additional value for customers.

Linking to other content sources in a search might result in a lost viewing.

On the other hand, gaining viewer trust and reputation as a universal navigation tool to the broadest content line-up is likely to make that operator the default content gateway with the loyalty benefits that come with it.

The set-top also plays an important role as the differentiator of content providers. With a similar content choice available across different pay TV platforms (and likewise, similar pricing structures), the user experience can be critical. It is not unusual for a single TV to be used as the central viewing platform for multiple connected devices. Set-tops, consoles and connected TVs are all vying for viewership. The user experience can be the differentiator, and an effective cross-platform discovery function could be central to that user experience.

In an increasingly fractured world of content, it is the content provider that delivers greater ease of use that will benefit from recurring viewership and consumer loyalty.

Steve Plunkett, Chief Technology Officer.