There have been few things to celebrate in 2020, which has reportedly culminated in the worst year on record for the makers of party poppers and streamer manufacturers.
However, if there’s anyone – or anything – that deserves a bit of a brag in this tumultuous year, it has to be Network 10’s Broadcaster Video on Demand (BVOD) platform, 10 Play, which is enjoying its biggest year on record, boasting a 29 per cent lift in minutes viewed and a 23 per cent increase in monthly unique viewers year-on-year.
10 Play has continued to roll out its unified app platform (UAP) it’s calling “world-class” (although it doesn’t have the official sticker on the box) on connected TVs with the new platform now available on the likes of Apple TV, Telstra TV, Amazon’s FireTV, FireTV Stick Lite and Android TV.
In partnership with ThinkPremiumDigital, B&T is exploring how premium content — which is 42 per cent more cost-effective than run of the internet, according to research by GroupM — drives better business results for advertisers.
With a whole lot of new bells and whistles, the app improves the audience experience on 10 Play with visually rich and editorially curated navigation features.
And, because it also comes with a compulsory user login, it rains data that might just require a trip to the Bunnings bucket aisle.
The latest roll-out follows the launch of the app on Telstra TV back in May. The improved audience experience of the app saw total video consumption jump 63 per cent and total visits grow 14 per cent on the Telstra TV platform.
It also claims another nifty advantage over its rivals, something 10 calls the Premium Pause. The Premium Pause offers advertisers an innovative, immersive and non-intrusive video format to engage with audiences on BVOD. When a viewer pauses their program, the content slides to the side and the advertiser moves front and centre.
Network 10’s digital sales director, Sophie Hicks Lloyd, tells B&T: “Since the launch on Telstra TV earlier this year, the market has been buzzing about the opportunities available on the new 10 Play app. It’s fantastic that we’re able to offer more scale and inventory across more platforms.”
The platform is currently home to six of the top 15 local series on BVOD including MasterChef Australia, Australian Survivor, Bachelor In Paradise, Neighbours, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and The Bachelor Australia.
Hicks Lloyd adds: “Bach-Nation shows, and MasterChef Australia have proven to be multi-platform hits, not only engaging large audiences on linear but also attracting a significant audience on digital.”
10 Play is deliberately aimed at a younger audience who tend to do most of their viewing via phones and tablets.
“That said, content wise, we’re not just focused on young, we’re focused on the young and the young at heart,” Hicks Lloyd adds.
“We’re about brand-safe, family-friendly TV that you can watch in a group. The sorts of shows we sell are very 10 and very authentic. I’m particularly proud to be taking The First Inventors to market in 2021, a series which shines a light on indigenous Australian invention.”
While linear TV continues to play a significant role for 10, streaming is also big business.
Hicks Lloyd says, “Streaming is one our priorities – and the priority of CBS globally. It’s all about the content. That’s what draws the audience in and the streaming platforms that can secure great content are going to perform best.
“If your user experience is fantastic and the content is what they want then they’ll stay there. It’s that simple.
“For our ad partners, it’s about our content because we’ve proven we have consistency.”
And streaming, of course, goes hand in hand with connected TV. With 60 per cent of the total 10 Play audience viewing on connected TVs, it’s an area 10 is prepped to further capitalise on.
Hicks Lloyd adds: “We need to ensure we deliver a top-notch user experience on connected TVs so we can show off our great content. That’s where we are really setting ourselves apart.”
And the opportunities for advertisers are also innovating.
“We’re focusing on evolving these premium ad formats which sit side-by-side with content in a complimentary way. It’s about grabbing viewers’ attention and surprising them but in a way that doesn’t impact their viewing. We want the audience to love watching the ad as much as they do the content,” Hicks Lloyd says.
