Enhancing Viewer Engagement with Interactive OTT Features

OTT media platforms take TV to the next level by offering creators more features to engage their audience. Increasing engagement means more time spent watching your content, and that means more revenue for you. Boosting engagement also helps to raise your brand awareness and create rabid fans who will share your content with others, stimulating your content's growth. In particular, interactive features are some of the most useful.

Enhancing Viewer Engagement With Interactive OTT Features

What Are Interactive Features in OTT Media?

Interactive features turn the audience into an active participant rather than just a passive observer. Some of these features generate visual elements that viewers can click on while watching your content. Other interactive features function as an add-on to the content. For example, live programs may have a chat feature on the right to encourage viewers to talk to one another or the host.

However, there are even more advanced features that can actually alter the content a viewer sees based on their inputs. Consider how you can use each of these kinds of features to engage your audience and raise revenue.

Features for Fan Feedback

Even simple things like a like button can go a long way to increasing engagement with your audience. Many OTT media platforms have these basic features to help users tag content they enjoy, which drives their personalized algorithm to deliver more similar content. However, you can do so much more.

Polls can be a fun way to engage viewers. These can be scripted events that pop up during a program, perhaps asking viewers what they think will happen to the main character. Similarly, quick trivia quizzes can put diehard fans to the test and encourage viewers to go back to older episodes. You can also use QR codes or direct links to get viewers to visit your brand's website or merch store.

Features to Engage With Creators Directly

Demand for live content is up, with 45% of users saying they want more live video. A major reason for this demand is that live content typically includes more interactive features so that the audience can interact with the creator directly. With a live chat feed, creators can respond directly to messages they receive from their viewers and make their content even more engaging. Live platforms also allow viewers to donate directly, often with fun sounds and visual pop ups.

Some content creators use a secondary platform for engagement with their most loyal fans. Patreon, for instance, allows users to pay creators a monthly amount in exchange for exclusive access. Combining features across various platforms can help your content reach a wider audience and take advantage of the key features of each platform.

Features That Change the Content Itself

Have you ever read a choose-your-own-adventure book? This unique content design is starting to make its way into OTT too. Netflix popularized the technique with its Black Mirror episode Bandersnatch; however, interactive content was already widely used in children's programming where it's quite popular. While these techniques require much more planning, they can yield lots of repeat views as your audience explores the various routes a story can take.

If you want to leverage the latest features in your OTT content, schedule a callback with Lightcast.com. We can help you implement these features and more into your conten