Insights with InMobi: A Candid Conversation with Arianne Kader-Cu, Viu Philippines

This article first appeared on The Drum

OTT video streaming consumption has skyrocketed over the past year globally due to the pandemic, which has presented many new opportunities.. In fact, Southeast Asians streamed over 650+ billion minutes of streaming content on their mobile devices in a single quarter as per a recent report from Media Partners Asia. Over 80% of OTT platforms reported that the vast majority of their customers consume content on their mobile devices.

We present to you an excerpt from a conversation between Arianne Kader-Cu, Country Manager, Philippines at Viu TV, and Sudhanshu Saxena, Director, Supply Partnerships, SEA at InMobi. They discuss the rapid growth of OTT consumption seen in the region, the challenges and opportunities brought on by the lockdowns, what future innovations is expected in the space OTT, and much more. Watch the entire discussion below:

Sudhanshu: OTT video streaming consumption has skyrocketed over the past year due to the pandemic, which has also brought with it new challenges and opportunities. In SEA, that content was powered by OTT and the device of choice was Mobile. What has this been like for you at Viu if you look at the exponential trajectory in the last 1.5 to 2 years especially?

Arianne: One challenge that has really emerged from the pandemic is really the fact that a lot of our productions have halted or are even currently at this point being halted. But we've made sure that there are plenty of protocols in place to keep our crew and our partners safe. Another challenge is while the demand for an appetite for online viewers has increased, of course, we as an industry really must work together to combat piracy. Although we see growth on our platforms, I think overall as more people were home, piracy did start to increase more as people are craving for content.

In terms of opportunities, what was really amazing that happened is that we found that in the pandemic, you know, people are looking for their passion, They're very much aligned to doing things that they believe in, or they're passionate about. And while they have this time to choose, they're aligning also with brands who support them or educate them. And, one passion point that we've identified is really the passion for premium Asian content and Korean content specifically. We've also been able to take that data and apply that to some of the original content that we create. Understanding the shifts in the behaviour of consumers and our viewers and what they're seeking out. We've been able to not only adapt to the content that we produce on our own for Viu originals but also what we license.

Sudhanshu: Over 80% of OTT organisations reported that the majority of the consumption is happening on mobile. I would love to hear how critical a pillar mobile or smartphone for your users is. And how has mobile guided the user experience or product or business strategy at Viu?

Arianne: First talking about the user experience when watching on our platform. We are predominantly female on our user base - about over 70% of our viewers are female. A K-drama is typically about an hour-long, and you would have to read the subtitles. You're fully locked in and immersed in your show. And it's a relationship. And it's very intimate, you're holding your phone close to your heart. And you're really absorbing and really into the content that you're watching. And that is really driven by that experience, you're essentially having a relationship with your phone to watch your favourite, K-drama stars. So in terms of kind of user experience, we really zoom in again on that emotional and entire ecosystem of what it is like to watch a K-drama.

On the business side, in terms of advertising, and again, we do have quite a bit of our users still on the free layer, I would say about 80 to 90% of our advertising impressions are coming through our mobile app. So while we do have TV, and we do have the web on the laptop, it's really being generated through their mobile app. Meaning most of the users are downloading our app to view the content. So it's really essential, not only in terms of the overall experience of the user but then of course, from a business perspective. Our ads are being generated through that.

Sudhanshu: Recent reports are indicating that a significant number of users are willing to have ad experiences on OTT platforms in exchange of viewership. Advertisers are also showing a great amount of interest in targeting premium users in a very clean, curated, and brand-safe environment. How do you see advertisers responding to this great opportunity?

Arianne: We work alongside brands to figure out what is the best campaign and what can we do, depending on their objectives. There are so many things that are changing right now with targeting, and cookies. And there's a lot of great things that are changing actually, I think it's about time that we look and understand really, about privacy and respecting the viewer, at the same time supporting our ecosystem, which is through our brand partners.

No matter what, inherently, whether it be us doing our own marketing or working with our partners, it's important to have that personal relationship with the viewers. Because if we don't understand them, or if we don't have a way to understand their affinities, we will not know what will drive, engagement metrics, click-through rates or even, you know, loyalty on our platform, or the ability to ensure that we're serving the right content to these users. It all comes down to ensuring that we have the right behaviors aligned with the target market that we're trying to opt for. And when we do this, and we look at an entire campaign with our Brand Partners end to end, we look at all the behaviors that are available. And again, particularly for us, we are the female network now. While women are very complex, there are a lot of things that we do enjoy as a group. So, it's a lot easier for us to identify those cohorts, and work with our brands to speak with them or develop that relationship.

To learn more about advertising with InMobi, visit www.inmobi.com