our look at the year ahead January 2014
Welcome from our Chief Executive There has been an undeniable shift in the market with TV everywhere becoming the leader of the pack never before has it been so important to deliver content across platforms and screens efficiently and effectively. The explosion of connected devices means viewers are demanding their favourite content whenever, wherever and however they choose - all at the touch of a button. And although broadcasters and content owners are responding to this change and delivering the much sought after TV everywhere experience, they are facing the commercial challenges of enhancing the viewer experience whilst embracing new routes to market. At PayWizard we believe that in order to truly monetize the multiplatform world, it is important to combine an intelligent subscriber management technology with rich marketing functionalities and a powerful finance system. And that is why our enterprise class software platform does exactly that. Our award-winning technology enables us to deliver a highly interoperable end-to-end solution that will enhance the viewer experience across all screens. After a very busy and successful 2013, which saw the launch of our dedicated subscriber and payment solution, PayWizard has continued to welcome new clients including BT Sport, Discovery Networks and NBCUniversal. 2014 is set to be an exciting year for us all and we look forward to what it may bring to the market. I m sure that this year will see some of these great new trends come to light, and see existing technologies grow from strength to strength. Jonathan Guthrie Chief Executive
Our SMS processed over 500,000 DSAT enablements in one month 7 platforms and devices 7countries across the globe SVOD & Subscription Android and Online ITV has increased distribution online in the UK and on other IP platforms such as YouView. 2013 supporting our clients tv everywhere strategies pan european over 401m viewing requests this year truly managing and monetising the multi-platform world
considerations for your 2014 roadmap 1. Subscriber Management The rise of content everywhere means subscriber management isn t as straight forward as it used to be. Responding to consumer demand, and making content available on different platforms and screens makes managing multiple payments problematic. So we believe that a new type of Subscriber Management System (SMS) is required in 2014 - SMS 2.0. If broadcasters and service providers want to meet the needs of a new type of viewer and build long lasting relationships, then they need to adopt a SMS 2.0 approach to truly exploit the content everywhere experience. By combining payment processing, intelligent subscriber management technology with rich marketing functionalities and customer service operations, SMS 2.0 can create a compelling personalised consumer experience, increase customer satisfaction and life time value. 2. TV Everywhere Integration Over the past 12 months we ve seen plenty of change in the broadcast industry - some technologies have come and gone (3D who?), whilst others have certainly prospered (all hail the second screen). We have seen the rise of 4K and Ultra HD, big data making a stand, and many have been trying to see through the Cloud. Content everywhere has certainly been the leader of the pack - never before has it been so important to deliver content across platforms and screens efficiently and effectively. And the opportunities it presents will certainly be impacting the market next year. So as we step into 2014, we anticipate that it will be just as dynamic a year. And here is why TV everywhere also means TV revenue models are no longer restricted to a subscription service in the home. Broadcasters and media organisations face the challenge of data consolidation and managing viewer entitlement and authentication across devices and platforms, whilst maximising operational efficiency and enabling a consistent user experience on all screens. Brands and broadcasters need to be able to authenticate and perform entitlement checks and deal with messaging traffic across a number of screens and territories effectively and efficiently. In order to do this, companies should connect their platforms togetherthis will allow them to draw out data and extend their audience reach without compromising on security. At PayWizard we believe that this TV everywhere integration will put the broadcaster into a position to effectively drive the full revenue lifecycle of the customer base. Bringing data together into a single view and building a complete profile of the audience not only means TV everywhere strategies can be properly managed, but also encourages service adoption, increases user satisfaction and helps reduce churn in the long-term.
3. Blended monetization One of the opportunities that TV everywhere has presented is monetization. But companies need to diversify their offerings; both advertising and pay funded, and create new routes to market in order to embrace a multidevice, multi-platform, multiterritory monetization strategy in 2014. Blending monetization and 4. Actionable Data The key to any successful monetization strategy lies with actionable data. Actionable data determines what is really relevant to the viewer, giving companies a more intimate picture of customer behaviour and preferences. Broadcasters and service providers can use actionable data to drive direct and meaningful relationships with consumers, using personalisation and targeted marketing campaigns to improve audience retention and profitability. maximising transaction success across major global payment schemes and worldwide currencies will allow broadcasters to improve monetization opportunities and in turn, improve customer experiences and loyalty. 520m homes in 40 countries will watch tv and video online - both paid and ad-supported 74% of consumers get frustrated when offers have nothing to do with their interests We believe that over the next 12 months these four factors are going to play a vital role in creating a holistic TV everywhere experience. Providing personalised content and creating a compelling user experience is becoming increasingly important to brands and broadcasters and SMS 2.0, TV everywhere integration, blended monetization and actionable data can make this dream a reality. The ability to build a profile of an audience and their preferences is a great advantage - not only does it allow companies to get their propositions right, but it can also drive revenues and profitability. So if any media business wants to make their mark on 2014 and deliver a compelling TV everywhere experience, then PayWizard strongly recommends getting to grips with these four winning factors. Jamie Mackinlay Commercial Director
our clients are leading the way Racing UK selected PayWizard s Subscriber Management System (SMS) to support its TV Everywhere strategy Racing UK Anywhere. PayWizard consolidated Racing UK s disparate CRM systems to provide a single view of its customers across connected devices and platforms maximising operational efficiency and enabling a consistent user experience on all screens. Racing UK Anywhere enables customers, in the UK and Ireland to enjoy top-class racing from 33 of the UK s top tracks on Sky TV, Freeview, Desktop, iphone, ipad, Android and Mobile Web. Racing UK will broadcast 733 races in 2014 and are using the PayWizards flexible payment options and customer support services. We have launched on multiple platforms and screens. But we found that having different systems for multiple devices and multiple relationships meant that gathering payments became problematic, and we therefore required a one account approach. Upgrading with PayWizard was seamless and provides exactly what we need to enable a smooth and consistent consumer experience across all screens. Clive Cottrell Marketing Director Racing UK Our integration partners included:
Extending audience reach without compromising content security is one of the biggest challenges facing premium content broadcasters today. We have chosen PayWizard to help us overcome this challenge. Its robust platform and extensive experience in the media industry make it an ideal partner for such an important part of BT Sport. Marc Watson CEO BT TV Our integration partners included: PayWizard s award winning enterprise class software was chosen by BT as middleware to enabling the brand new BT Sport channels on BSkyB s DSAT platform. We integrated BT s SMS with Sky s conditional access (CA) to allow Sky customers, around the UK and Northern Ireland, to buy and watch BT Sport through their existing set-top box. BT Sport has over 2 million customers subscribed to its channels and customers can enjoy high profile sporting fixtures throughout 2014 including Barclays Premier League matches, Aviva Premiership rugby and live woman s tennis.
what do our experts think about SMS? PayWizard are proud of our people and with over 16 years experience in the media sector, we have learned a few things along the way. Implementing your subscription and billing platform should take a matter of weeks or months, and it should be cost effective- it should not impact on IT, finance or operation resource too heavily. It is therefore important to check your vendor s levels of productisation, solution specific functionality and configuration capability to ensure a quick time to market. Revenue generation within the broadcast and media sector is constantly evolving. The industry is being driven by changes in products, services, devices and platforms, so it is important to have a SMS that is flexible to changes in direction. This will ensure that your SMS can quickly respond to expanding or emerging markets. Ultimately, you need an SMS that can perform. It is crucial that you seek a highly operationally focused vendor who has invested heavily in the development of a robust, scalable and continuously monitored platform to ensure it can manage and support your business. Gordon Tainton Chief Operating Officer Debbie Leishman Chief Operating Officer - Services Craig Baxendale Director of Product Development
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