Competitor Analysis: TV Subscriptions & Services

In order to get a better view of what was already out there and potential capabilities of My Sky, we have investigated several companies and websites. We want to create a solution that has a viable business case for the brand, that increases engagement with customers.

Netflix

Netflix allows you to instantly watch unlimited movies and TV programmes, episodes & films over the Internet on your TV via a PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, or any other Netflix enabled device. You can also watch instantly on a computer. Netflix is a good example of a Hybrid Recommender System. They make recommendations by comparing the watching and searching habits of similar users (i.e. collaborative filtering) as well as by offering movies that share characteristics with films that a user has rated highly (content-based filtering).

Netflix personalise your movie and TV show suggestions through your "Taste Preferences" helping them to make better recommendations for users. When you fill out your Taste Preferences or rate movies and TV shows, it filters the thousands of selections to get a better idea of what the user would like to watch. Their recommendation algorithm that takes certain factors into consideration, such as:

• The genres of movies and TV shows available. 
• The streaming history, and previous ratings the user has made. 
• The combined ratings of all Netflix members who have similar tastes in titles to you. 

This algorithm predicts what they’d like to view. Netflix recommendations really dial in when you rate movies and update your Taste Preferences. The Taste Preferences survey allows you to rate different categories, such as Storylines, Sub-Genres, Cultures, and Special Interest. You can also select Often, Sometimes, or Never for each category that you would or would not prefer to view. This helps us learn what types of movies and TV shows the user wants Netflix to recommend.

Netflix also have a "My List" that lets the user create a customized row of movies and TV shows to watch later as they browse the catalog. Once several titles are added to My List, Netflix "sorts it", presenting the titles users are most likely to want to watch right up front. The reasons Netflix consider moving titles to the front of My List are:

• Adding a title to My List recently 
• A new season of a show in My List has recently become available to watch
• If a friend watches a title recently which is in My List (Only used if your Netflix account is connected to Facebook) 
• If a title in My List which expires soon and may become no longer be available 
• Taste preferences and viewing history is also taken into account

Netflix gives you the option to rate movies and TV shows that you have watched or that have been recommended to you on a 1 to 5 star rating scale, with a one star rating meaning 'Hated It,' and a five star rating meaning 'Loved It.' You can also rate titles from the movie description page for a movie or television show, and users are invited to rate a movie or television show after they’ve finished watching a title as well. Rating movies and TV shows is an easy way for users to help teach Netflix what you like. The more titles rated, the better the suggestions will be. If you're seeing movies you're not interested in watching, you can use the Taste Preferences survey to fine-tune the suggestions we make. Simply click on the Taste Preferences link on the Your Account page, and rate the categories you do not wish to view as Never. You may also click on Not Interested for a show or movie title to let us know not to suggest that to you.

In terms of a social element, each Netflix profile can be connected to a different Facebook account, providing friends-based suggestions and further personalising the Netflix experience. Once you connect your Netflix and Facebook accounts and agree to share, everything the user watches (including past activity) is automatically shared on Netflix with their Facebook friends. The user and their friends may see each other’s viewing activity and ratings through features such as “Friends’ Favorites” and “Watched by your friends” rows available on the Netflix website and certain devices.

Youtube

When watching a video on Youtube, you can subscribe to the person who uploaded the video to keep up to date with his or her uploads, the member's latest video will appear in your personal channel's "subscriptions" section. If you subscribe to channels you can also receive notifications when new videos are published. Youtube also lets you click on the favourite link on videos to add the video into your personal channel's "favourites" section. For Sky, this could be used to notify users with catch up programmes they have "favourited" when they become available to view. 

Youtube also have a "what to watch next" section which gives video recommendations based on previous videos you have watched. Usually, they are videos with similar titles or videos by people you have subscribed to, or watched a video from recently. A downfall of this is that it's not all that accurate, for example, multiple videos by the same person can appear from watching a single video. (demonstrated in the screenshot below)

There are many ways YouTube members can interact with one another. You can send private messages or make a public comment through a user's personal channel. You can also comment on individual videos, unless the video's creator has turned off that feature. Users used to be able to interact by rating one another's videos as there was a rating mechanism that ranged from one to five stars under each video. Now users can only give a thumbs up/down on videos. The more "thumbs up's" a video receives, the more likely it is to appear on the main Youtube videos page, leading to more exposure. 

Beamly/Zeebox

Beamly call themselves "the social and content network for TV" which allows you to follow, comment on and share TV programmes. Founded in 2011, Beamly (formerly zeebox) has grown from small beginnings in a front room in London to a global business employing 120 passionate engineers, designers and editors in New York, London and Sydney – with backing from Comcast, NBCUniversal, Viacom, BSkyB and Network TEN, and partnerships with some of the world’s leading broadcasters and channels.

"Beamly brings together cutting-edge technology and the creative energy of stars, programme-makers, superfans and journalists to create the ultimate destination for TV lovers. It’s fun. It’s addictive. And best of all, it’s totally free on iOS, Android and the web."

Beamly provides a platform for discussion of TV, here are it's features:

• Follow the shows and stars you love, and get personalised stories and social feeds – updated live 24/7 
• Discover what to watch with our super-smart personalised guide - and get handy reminders so you never miss a second 
• Find and follow other fans who share your passions 
• Chat and share in TV Rooms – Beamly's unique social spaces for TV, hosted by stars, experts and passionate superfans 
• Interact live with your favourite shows via custom playalong games, live votes, fun quizzes and more!

IMDB

Primarily, IMDb provides information about movies, actors and TV series'. You can add movies to a "watchlist" and rate and leave reviews on the titles you have seen. IMDb knows what you "show interest in" when you give a movie a positive rating or add a movie to your Watchlist, they track that as a movie that you are interested in. IMDb chooses "personalised recommendations" by taking all of the movies and TV shows that you've either rated or added to your Watchlist. Then, IMDb compare your data to ratings made by other users and find movies and TV shows that people with similar tastes to you; employing a collaborative filtering method. For each recommendation, you can view a list of the movies or TV shows upon which the recommendation was based. Usually this is due to the user either rating these titles highly, or adding them to their Watchlist.

Virgin Media

Virgin Media, like Sky, have an extensive range of services from TV channels to TiVo. Below is a full list of services they provide:

• Premium channels: Premium channels and package upgrades must be kept for at least 30 days. You must subscribe to Sky Sports and/or Sky Movies in SD to take these channels in HD. Sky Sports News HQ HD not yet available on Virgin Media. Sky Movies Premiere +1 not available in HD. 
• Sky premium HD channels: Sky premium HD channels £7 per month when subscribing to Sky premium SD channels.
• TV channels: Channel line-ups are subject to change. Channels may be subject to change, including regional variations. TV packs currently exclude some teletext services. ITV HD is subject to regional variation. ITV HD is not available where STV HD or UTV HD is available. 
• HD: HD TV set required and V HD/TiVo box connected with HDMI cables required for HD channels. V HD Box may differ from that shown. 
• Catch Up TV: Catch Up TV content available for seven days after broadcast. Catch Up TV is Virgin Media’s pick of the week’s TV. 
• Watching on your mobile: Virgin TV Anywhere: Content available to view depends on TV package. Not all channels from relevant pack available. Selected programmes may not be available to view. Virgin TV Anywhere app: Only available to TiVo customers with compatible device (currently iOS devices and selected Android™ mobiles and tablets only). Sky Sports & Sky Movies: Only available via the Sky Movies and Sky Sports apps (iOS only) or websites to customers who subscribe to these channels. 
• Virgin TV Anywhere: Content available to view depends on TV package. Not all channels from relevant pack available. Live streaming and On Demand available in the UK with broadband or Wi-Fi internet access only. Access via PC, Mac or TV Anywhere App (TiVo customers only). TiVo tools for TiVo customers only. Minimum 800Kbps recommended per device accessing the service concurrently. UK only. Maximum of 2 devices. Selected content may not be available to view. 
• Virgin TV Anywhere App: Only available to TiVo customers with compatible device (currently available on iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and selected Android™ mobiles and tablets only). End User Licence Agreement applies. Visit virginmedia.com for full terms and conditions. 
• Sky Movies & Sky Sports website and apps: Only available via the Sky Movies and Sky Sports apps or websites to customers who subscribe to these channels. Sky Movies app only available on iOS 6 and above, and Android 4.x. Sky Sports app only available on iOS 6 and above. Separate End User Licence Agreements and terms and conditions apply to the Sky Movies and Sky Sports apps and websites'. UK only. Maximum of 2 devices. Selected content may not be available to view. 
• On the go – Virgin TV Anywhere, Sky Movies & Sky Sports: UK only. Maximum 2 devices. Selected content may not be available to view. Virgin TV Anywhere: Content available to view depends on TV package. Not all channels from relevant pack available. Live streaming and On Demand available in the UK with broadband or WiFi internet access only. Access via PC, Mac or TV Anywhere App (TiVo customers only). TiVo tools for TiVo customers only. Minimum 800Kbps recommended per device accessing the service concurrently. 
• Multi-room: Not all channels are available with multi-room streaming. See list of channels available. 
• Multi-room streaming: If you are using Powerline, subject to your household electrics supporting the required network speed. Multi-room streaming is only available on selected channels. View full channel list. 
• TV On Demand: Once purchased, all chargeable On Demand content must be viewed within 48 hours. Sky Anytime and TV On Demand content you receive depends on which TV package you take. 
• Movies On Demand: FilmFlex On Demand movies are pay by title. 
• Music On Demand: Music On Demand is included with TV size: XL or pay per video with TV sizes: M+ and L. 
• PictureBox: PictureBox has 60 films available at any one time. Seven films are refreshed each week. Like Premium channels you have to keep your PictureBox subscription for 30 days. 
• Sky Sports HD & Sky Movies HD: You must subscribe to Sky Sports and/or Sky Movies in SD to take these channels in HD. Sky Sports 3 HD and Sky Sports 4 HD are not included. Sky Movies Premiere +1 not available in HD. It's £7 a month for Sky Sports and Sky Movies in HD. 
• Sky Sports: The F1 Logo, F1, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trademarks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula One group company. All rights reserved. 
• 3D On Demand: A 3D TV, a V HD Box, an HDMI cable and 3D glasses that are compatible with the TV are required to view content in 3D. 
• TiVo: The monthly TiVo charge is £5 per TiVo box (on top of your M+, L or TV XL package). Content available to view depends on your TV package. TiVo box remains property of Virgin Media. 
• Information about your TiVo use: By having the and/or using the TiVo service you give us your consent to use your viewing information to personalise your TiVo experience (in addition to the other purposes set out in our privacy policy). We may share this information with third parties in an aggregated form. This will not personally identify you. This aggregated data may be used by those third parties for marketing purposes. TiVo, WishList and the Thumbs Up logo and the Thumbs Down logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TiVo Inc. and its subsidiaries worldwide. 
• TiVo features: Record three shows and watch a fourth you recorded earlier. Music on Demand is not discoverable by the search function. 
• New customers: 500GB TiVo box activation is worth £49.95. 1TB TiVo box activation is worth £99.95. If you take a 500GB TiVo box as your first box, the activation fee will be waived. If you take a 1TB TiVo box as your first box, we will reduce the activation fee to £49.95. 
• Netflix offer: Available to new customers taking the Big Easy bundle and above. One voucher per household. Redeemable by Virgin Media account holder only. Voucher must be redeemed by 29th April 2015. Offer available until at least 29th January 2015, subject to limited availability while stocks last, we reserve the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer is not redeemable or refundable for cash and cannot be exchanged for Netflix Gift Subscriptions. Limit of one promotion will be applied towards each monthly membership fee for your Netflix account. For details go to virginmedia.com/netflix. 
• New Netflix customers: You’ll need to register with a valid email address and accept Netflix’s terms and conditions of use (netflix.com/termsofuse). Access to the service at no additional cost lasts 6 months from the date you redeem your voucher code. 
• Existing Netflix customers: You will get a 6-month break from charges from Netflix. At the end of the 6 months Netflix will recommence charging. Netflix usually retails from £5.99 a month.

TiVo

TiVo service gives you access to a whole wide world of movies, TV and music on demand. With access to 800 of the latest blockbusters as well as much loved film classics, most of the films are released on the same day as the DVD, and some even at the same time as the cinemas. There are loads of TV series' you can watch back to back. You can play, pause and rewind TV On Demand. It's easy to find what you want to watch with Search, or browse by collections: comedy, action, drama, fantasy etc. The What to Watch Now menu tells you what shows have recently started, what’s starting immediately and what’s coming up in the next five minutes. Plus, they are sorted into Popular, Movies, Sports and Kids, so you can find the shows to suit you at a glance.

TiVo employs algorithms, searching several thousand key details (favorite actors, movie and TV genres) to remember what you like and what you don't, so it can suggest new things you're more likely to love. The control has 'Thumbs Up' and 'Thumbs Down' buttons which let you rate what you watch instantly. So if you gave New Girl the 'Thumbs Up', it might suggest you catch other comedies like The Big Bang Theory and 2 Broke Girls. Over time, the TiVo box can learn exactly how to "push your buttons". Suggestions are saved in a Suggestions folder in My Shows, ready to watch when you want.

Users can take their WishLists (plus much, much more) with them wherever they go in the UK with Virgin TV Anywhere. It’s available for all Virgin TV customers and lets you watch live TV and On Demand, discover new shows and even record remotely on your computer, iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, selected Android mobile or tablet.  TiVo, also records some programs it assumes it's owner will like, based on shows the viewer has chosen to record. However, in TiVo-focused online chat-rooms and in secretive admissions to one another, some say they resent being pigeonholed by TiVo's suggestions.

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