As the TV ecosystem gets crowded, aggregators become more valuable to consumers

Hub’s annual “Monetization of Video” study tracks which TV providers consumers feel provide the best value and which attributes make one provider more valuable than another. This year’s findings highlight the value of platforms that can simplify an ever more complex TV ecosystem. “There’s no question that the golden age of streaming has made TV more fun for consumers,” said Jon Giegengack, Principal at Hub and one of the study authors. “But it’s no fun trying to get the most out of that content when it’s spread across so many providers. Aggregators enable viewers to get something playing on the screen with as few clicks as possible. This is a big opportunity for pay TV operators to reclaim their traditional role – only this time instead of bundling networks; they’re bundling platforms,” he added.

Among those who consolidate access to multiple services through any device (e.g., a cable box, a Roku, Amazon or Apple box, a smart TV, etc.), 91% say that having access to multiple services in one device makes their viewing experience better, with more than half (52%) saying it makes the experience “a lot” better. When asked how aggregators improve the TV experience, the most common reason mentioned (39%) is that it makes it easier to watch content across all of their different sources. But for many, it also makes it easier to manage the subscriptions themselves: a third say they like the ease of adding new providers (34%) or of pausing or canceling them (31%). And 33% say they want the convenience of consolidating multiple subscriptions into one bill.

An 87% of pay TV subscribers who watch streaming platforms through their set-top box say the ability to do that makes their pay TV subscription more valuable. And almost half (48%) say it’s a lot more valuable. Our research showed similar results for derived value: among pay TV subs who watch SVODs through their set-top box, 70% said their pay TV subscription was an “excellent” or “good” value. Among pay TV subs who *don’t* integrate their streaming platforms, it was only 50%.