Are consumers willing to try a streaming co-viewing feature?

About 25% of internet households say they would be very likely to try a co-viewing feature if offered by their favorite streaming service, Parks Associates revealed. “More consumers watch streaming content while at home and watch it with others more often. Co-viewing is most popular in households with children, according to our most recent data,”  said Eric Sorensen, Senior Contributing Analyst at Parks Associates. “Interactive elements, such as watching statistics or fantasy games on another device, are a typical occurrence among sports enthusiasts,”  he added.

Parks Associates will host “Personalization and the New Video Viewer” virtually on July 21 as part of the fifth annual “Future of Video: OTT, Pay TV, and Digital Media.” The firm’s research reveals that streaming opens the door to more immersive, engaging experiences for consumers, such as co-viewing services to share with fellow viewers.

At Future of Video, Parks Associates’ analyst team will present new consumer trends on video viewing followed by a fireside chat with Robert Gelick, Chief Product Officer of Paramount. Two interactive panel discussions, “New Video Experiences: Live, Social, Interactive” and “Building Loyalty through Content,” will bring together industry executives to discuss new opportunities to capture and retain consumer attention.

"The ways consumers engage with content is rapidly changing. SVOD, AVOD, and FAST platforms provide consumers with more choices than ever, which means content providers have the opportunity to acquire and engage with viewers on multiple platforms and with unique content experiences. The explosion in FAST growth is just one example of this,"  commented Jon Cohen, SVP of Business Development and Distribution at Frequency and one of the panelists.

“Streaming personalization is an ever-expanding functionality that has enabled brands to reach audiences at a grand scale through the medium of video. Whether it be for major brands like the NFL which are moving towards streaming platforms, or traditional broadcast affiliates aiming to build out their OTT offerings, the personalization of content and experience - along with the data that powers it - is an emerging force within our industry,”  added Ed Laczynski, CEO of Zype and also a panelist.