Content may arguably still be king, but viewers favor streaming TV app interfaces and user experiences that get them into relevant content faster and without friction – while some say a poor UX is reason enough to cancel a service altogether.
These are a few of the insights gleaned from the latest consumer survey and study fielded by Hub Entertainment Research, in partnership with CTAM, into how viewers feel about their TV app user experiences, existing pain points and some potential feature favorites.
Off the bat, one thing worth noting from the report is what viewers compare their TV app experience to.
As others in the streaming industry have pointed out, streamers and CTV players are not just competing with each other but rather the wide and diverse array of apps and entertainment options out there that people spend time with and give attention to.
That sentiment came through via Hub’s data which found users judge their TV app experience against that of all other apps across categories, including Instagram and TikTok.
Viewers generally satisfied with TV app experiences
First, some good news for TV apps: Overall, users appear to be generally satisfied with the experience.
Per the findings, 90% of respondents are at least somewhat satisfied with their TV app experience (note, this specifically states that Hub isn’t asking about quality of content within said app but rather the design and user experience).
And of those, a healthy 48% report being very satisfied, while just 2% said they were somewhat or very dissatisfied.
TV apps also appear, for the most part, to be delivering relative to app experiences in other categories.
Asked to compare the TV app experience as better or worse than other apps they use, a greater share of respondents pegged TV apps as a much better (16% among those age 13-24 and 20% among those age 35-64) or somewhat better (22% age 13-24; 25% age 35-64) than the likes of TikTok, Instagram and Reddit. And a notable proportion (35% age 13-24; 39% age 35-64) felt TV apps were about on par with others they use.
Still, more than a quarter of younger respondents find the user experience stronger on apps in other categories than TV. About 27% of those age 13-24 said the comparative experience is at least somewhat worse on TV apps, including 12% that said “much worse.” That figure dips to 16% among those age 35-64, with 6% categorizing the TV app experience as much worse than other apps.
That said, consumers appear to be generally satisfied, but the survey also found room for improvement and highlighted how negative user experiences can translate to frustration and even churn.
Per Hub and perhaps surprisingly, more than one-third (36%) of viewers report having canceled a TV streaming service not due to price or content but specifically because of a bad app experience. That jumps to a whopping 43% among those under 25 who reported the UX as the sole reason they’ve cancelled a streaming service.
Discovery continues to be the biggest pain point
Hub’s report, Value by Design: Building a Better Streaming UX and Discovery Experience, also tested 20 UX issues to find out how often they happen and how frustrating it is when they do.
Without zeroing in on a specific issue, 72% of Hub respondents said they experience at least one UX problem that leaves them “extremely frustrated” while 80% experience one issue that happens “all the time.”
The firm followed up with testing of 13 UX design solutions to find five that are most likely to add value to a subscription. The full report and data is only available to CTAM members, but Hub’s excerpt shared a couple of takeaways.
One is that discovery continues to be the biggest UX pain point for viewers, with the report citing information overload and a lack of context as contributing factors for viewers trying to find something to watch.
It’s another piece of analysis that supports the notion of a continued content discovery challenge for viewers on streaming amid a fragmented entertainment world with no shortage of options.
TV content discovery happens on and off platform
Hub’s survey data supports another idea, which is that viewers aren’t finding content via their TV apps only.
Just under one-third of Hub respondents said they do research on what to watch next entirely within TV apps, while nearly one-fifth report doing so entirely outside of TV apps. However, the greatest proportion (49%) use a combination of both their TV app and outside sources to find their next watch.
This led to one of Hub’s 5 tenets of TV apps, which is that phones are part of the TV experience, as viewers research and decide what to watch on their mobile device before jumping to the TV.
Streamers trying to work alongside this user behavior and leverage continued consumer mobile video consumption and affinity can be seen via major players more recently introducing, revamping and upping the features offered on their mobile TV apps.
For example, NBCUniversal’s Peacock recently undertook a fandom-focused product refresh, including AI-powered mobile features, and has introduced things like new formats with swipe-able vertical video microdrama unscripted series for mobile and interactive games meant to encourage more regular use and daily habits. Leaning into short-form and vertical video with things like clips and highlights, meant to cater to mobile usage, help with discovery and deepen engagement have also been undertaken by the likes of Disney, ESPN, and Fox One, to just name a few.
Netflix, meanwhile, rolled out a redesigned mobile app in April that introduced a new vertical video feed dubbed “Clips,” which is meant to serve as a personalized highlight reel to help viewers decide what to watch based on short clips from series, films and specials, tailored to their tastes.
According to Hub, younger viewers in particular report deciding what to watch before turning on the TV at 43% vs 35% of older viewers.
And a strong proportion of those younger viewers turn to social media for recommendations, with 48% of viewers 13-24 saying they hear about shows and movies from trailers on social platforms (vs 38% of older adults).
This also speaks to the notion that platforms like TikTok and YouTube represent both competition and opportunity for streaming services.
Social video certainly competes in capturing finite consumer time and attention but apps also offer a place for streamers to promote their content and engage and deepen community fandoms.
Still, some like NBCU’s Peacock have also previously shared the belief that the best place to find and enjoy NBCU content should be within the company’s own app – hence part of the reason behind efforts to build out more robust and engaging and short-form mobile experiences.
Viewers want to jump in easily, pick up where they left off
From a design and navigation standpoint, Hub found the most damaging issue is when apps bury common tasks or often-used features that make them more challenging to find.
For example, having to scroll too far to find a “Continue Watching” row or “Watch Lists” that aren’t highly visible and easy to navigate to.
Per Hub, viewers favor apps that open directly into content and don’t induce decision fatigue.
The study identified two, albeit seemingly simple, solutions that would most impact viewing behavior: Pinned Continue Watching and Watch Lists.
For Pinned “Continue Watching” and Pinned “Watch Lists”: 46% and 39% cited loving these features respectively; a respective 63% and 56% said they would absolutely use it; 42% and 36% think it would make their subscription more valuable; and 48% and 43% said it would make them more likely to keep their subscription.
This also feeds into Hub’s fourth TV app tenet, which states that personalization is the biggest unmet expectation for viewers’ TV app experience.
Per Hub, viewers are keen for what they watch and save to actually help shape what content they see and can easily find the next time they use a TV app.
As mentioned, younger viewers are turning to social platforms for content discovery and more relevant recommendations are another area for TV app UX improvement, especially among Gen Z.
The survey found that the idea of more relevant recommendations was highly appealing to Gen Z viewers, as 59% said that TV recommendations don’t feel like they’re designed for them. Older viewers could also benefit, as 45% in that cohort reported the same sentiment.
“This research underscores the extent to which TV apps are compared not just to other TV apps, but to all of the apps consumers use across categories,” said Jon Giegengack, founder of Hub Entertainment Research and one of the research authors, in a statement. “Viewers have high expectations, and even small moments of friction can quickly accumulate to cause frustration and abandonment. The findings are clear that improving even seemingly small frustrations can have a big impact on satisfaction, engagement and churn.”