Published on the 23/06/2017 | Written by Donovan Jackson
‘Filmed with a potato, streamed over 56k modem’…
An interesting piece of research out of Akamai, which does something along the lines of content delivery. Apparently, those jerky, blurry and hesitant videos you’re trying to stream over your deficient internet connection could be the reason you’re packing a sad today (or it might be the recent passing of the winter solstice that’s dropped you in the dumps).
Less surprising results from a study which set out to measure viewers’ physical and emotional reactions to buffering and low-quality video were that people aren’t loyal to poor streamers of video (duh) and that those service providers who do it well are more likely to be successful (more duh).
The vendor said in a statement that it has demonstrated how quality of video resolution and playback affects viewers’ engagement with and loyalty to over-the-top (OTT) video streaming services.
When good videos go bad, this is what happens: With the onset of buffering ‘happiness’ drops 14 percent; negative emotions ‘disgust and sadness’ increase by an average of 8 percent; viewers’ feeling of surprise increases 27 percent; attention drops by 3 percent; and focus decreases by 8 percent.
This was assessed through biometric measurement tools including facial coding and skin conductance. As sometime purveyors of the art of ‘percussive maintenance’ on poor performing tech equipment, we’re guessing that such dramatic responses from the 1200 respondents to the survey were neither forthcoming nor assessed.
Akamai said, ‘the findings underscore the importance of delivering consistent, high quality video across any OTT business model’. Whether paid or free.
According to the study (conducted by third-party research firm Sensum) viewers disengage with emotive storylines and react negatively to low-quality streaming incidents like buffering regardless of the brand or interest in the content.
The survey also demonstrates that 76 percent of participants say they would stop using a service if issues such as buffering occurred several times.
Which is probably something most of us instinctively knew all along. If it doesn’t work, ya switch it off and move on to the next thing.
“This research shows there is no place for low-quality video in any streaming business model,” said Ian Munford, a marketing director at Akamai. “The premium online video market is extremely competitive; the battle for revenue share is intense and subscriber acquisition costs are increasing, making differentiators like quality of experience more important than ever. Service providers cannot take risks with streaming experiences that are compromised by low resolution or buffering. They must provide consistent, high-quality experiences to help retain subscribers and reduce acquisition costs.”
It is nice, of course, if the recipients of that content are equipped with decent internet connections. For that, many (but not all, yet) Kiwis can be grateful for the rollout of the UFB network.
Check out the whitepaper.
