The way broadcasters and content providers distribute content has drastically changed within the last couple of years. With a significant increase in audiences flocking to OTT platforms in the last year, the media industry has undoubtedly changed everyone’s leisure time.

However, the sudden increase in users on OTT platforms has also increased a number of challenges broadcasters and content distrubtors face when it comes to how viewers view their content. One of the biggest challenges these platforms face is centered around security and conversion. How can broadcasters ensure that their omnichannel experiences are secure enough to ensure that that only those who are paying or subscribing to the platform have access to the content. 

Unfortunately for platforms that only require a simple password login, password sharing and identity theft have long been issues that have cut into the pockets of providers. Today, content distributers need to put their best foot forward to securely authenticate and authorize users to avoid and eliminate any possibility of  any user sneaking into the network that may lead to financial losses or brand reputation tarnishing.

What is OTT Authentication

Authentication refers to the process or action of verifying the identity of a user. Through the use of various authentication methods, content providers can verify that the right viewer  is trying to access their content. As mentioned above this helps to cut down on identity theft and lost revenue. Currently MVPD authentication is the most popular form of authentication with 43% of US broadband households with traditional pay TV are likely to switch to a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD) in the next 12 months.

This method helps broadcasters deliver content to viewers who have paid for the service and also allows them to present locally specific content based on user location to ensure the right audience is being offered the right contentensure that his content can only be viewed by authorized people, and the content viewer also wants to ensure that the received content is indeed from the right sender and that it has not been accidentally or maliciously altered 

Benefits of Authetication

Simplified User Experience

No one likes to remember long credentials, especially if they can utilize the true potential of frictionless login across all applications and connected devices. While SSO is on the verge of becoming an industry standard for authentication, OTT platforms need to quickly gear up for enhancing the user experience through SSO and Federated SSO.

OTT users perceive your enterprise as a single entity, and they expect you to treat them like a single customer. If you have multiple websites and mobile apps under the same company umbrella, there’s no reason you can’t meet this expectation.

Each customer has one account. One set of credentials that they can use anywhere they interact with your brand. Since the market is flooded with plenty of OTT platforms and publication websites, the ones offering a seamless experience to the users would surely get more signups and subscriptions.

Restricting Content

With the increasing access to media over OTT platforms, a major challenge for the entertainment industryis setting age restrictions for specific content. While some media platforms aren’t focusing on creating sub-profiles, the competitors are already leveraging access management for a single identity used by multiple users.

Whether we talk about a particular category of content for premium users or setting age restrictions, access management plays a crucial role in enhancing the user experience for every business. Authentication also offers broadcasters the ability to provide exclusive content based on predefined parameters. For example, unauthenticated viewers can download the app and watch basic programming while authenticated users are able to unlock additional content. There is also the ability to offer tiered access based on the user’s subscription level. This allows OTT platforms to gain more signups, increase retention rates, and scale business growth.

User Profiling

Media businesses need to understand that registration fatigue could be why they lose a potential subscriber. Honestly; nobody wants to share a large amount of personal data in a single go, especially during the sign-up process. Keeping the subscription form compact is the best way to ensure a quick sign-up from the users’ end.

Authetication lets you gather important details about a subscriber over time and not everything in a single go. This not only improves user experience but eventually helps to build credibility in the long run. Authentication enables you to gather consumer data through various stages of the consumer’s journey to share their information as they interact with your business.

Final Takeaways

With the increasing number of data breaches and compromised identities worldwide, OTT platforms should consider getting a robust authentication solution in place.

Whether it’s delivering a seamless omnichannel experience across multiple devices or managing billions of identities, authentication has become essential. 

For more on how Clearbridge Mobile can help deliver an authentication solution to your OTT platform, take a look at our in depth case studies for New England Sports Network and Yes Network to see how we revolutionized their live sports streaming OTT apps.