Current challenges, best practices, and recommendations for building an "emotional experience" with viewers.
Click here to complete the Study: SurveyMonkey
T render Research and our study partners engaged the entire 50,000+ OTT Executive Community on our second annual benchmarking study of OTT/streaming user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX) best practices and current challenges. Our goal was to better understand how video streaming services can move beyond transactional experiences to deliver a more engaging "emotional experience" that drives improved acquisition, retention, and monetization. We are very excited that this survey has become a benchmarking study since we can now compare responses to last year's inaugural study.
Study Experts
Brian Mahony
CEO, Trender Research
Brian Mahony is the CEO of Trender Research Inc. and President of OTT Executive Summit & Magazine, where he leads a 50,000+ member executive-level community providing consulting and expert witness services, and creating, producing, and promoting events, webinars, white papers, and custom research. Brian has 30 years experience leading strategy, product management, business development, sales and marketing teams. Over the years, he has launched over 20 technology-based products or services, several of which have received “product of the year” awards by various media. Brian was named “The Decade's Top 100 Voices of IP Communications” by Internet Telephony and a finalist for "Best Marketing by a Private Company" by Light Reading. His web site projects have earned Webby Award and Summit Award honors, and he is an expert in Salesforce.com, social media, and SEO/SEM. He has been quoted in various media including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Gizmodo, Light Reading, Telephony, and Telecommunications, and as a guest panelist for Digital Trends’ “Beyond the News” podcasts. Brian has also presented at major industry events including IBC, Digital Hollywood, CONNECTIONS, IPTV World Forum, Internet Telephony, TelcoTV, FTTH Expo, VON, and SUPERCOMM. Brian holds an MBA in marketing and business strategy from UNC-Chapel Hill, a BA in Philosophy from the Boston College Honors Program, and is Certified in Integrated Resource Management (CIRM) by APICS.
Shawn Johnson
Ex-Discovery/NBCU
Emmy® Award winning Executive, Speaker, Innovator, Entrepreneur & Futurist - Shawn is Former GVP Global Product & Design for Discovery Inc. Responsible for Product, Design, Brand and Customer Experience, he defined the Product Vision and Go-to-Market Strategies for Discovery+ and TVE products, platforms, services and experiences. Combining an award-winning product portfolio with technology and business acumen; his products have been used by billions of people around the world; delivering engaging experiences that create positive, memorable and lasting relationships through evolving product and technology ecosystems. Prior to Discovery, Shawn served as VP of Experience Design for NBCUniversal where he built an industry leading Product Design Team using design strategy, and brand experience to produce some of the best products, applications, and channels with millions of passionate fans; including the foundational vision for Peacock. Over the past two decades, Shawn has worked with amazing clients including, Nike, Unilever, Sony, Budweiser, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Coca-Cola, Nissan, and Walt Disney Imagineering. Blurring the lines between impossible and possible, Shawn thrives at the intersection of product design, technology, and the imagination of the human spirit. He attended Otis Parsons School of Art & Design, and became one of the youngest instructors at the prestigious design school.
Pooja Bal
Vice President, Global Strategy and Advisory, Robosoft Technologies
Pooja strikes a perfect balance of academics and application with experience in management education and business transformation of several clients across industries. She has deep experience in digital strategy design and implementation, change management, operating model and structure redesign, business process optimization, and customer experience management. At Robosoft, she has the unique task of driving change not only among our clients but internally as well. Pooja has worked with IBM as Sr. Advisory Consultant - Strategy and Interactive Experience (iX) Practice and also with consulting companies such as Upohan and Nihilent Technologies. She has delivered complex multi-cultural transformation programs that helped clients across the globe digitally reinvent their businesses. Pooja is a certified Balanced Scorecard Practitioner and was visiting faculty for management development programs conducted by Tata Management Training Center (TMTC). She is also invited by various B-schools to conduct lectures in the area of Strategic Management. Pooja is a keen student of Systems Thinking and Indian Classical Music. She is an art connoisseur and strives to bring art in daily human life.
Fonz Morris
Head of Global Conversion, Netflix
Fonz Morris is an experienced growth design leader and entrepreneur with a strong track record of success. He has over a decade of experience in product design, working with notable companies such as Coursera, Xfinity, and Netflix. He has played a crucial role in converting millions of users. In addition to his professional work, Fonz is a mentor and public speaker, with engagements at Columbia University, An Event Apart, and Afrotech under his belt. He holds a certification in Design Thinking from Stanford University and studied at Oxford University, Morehouse College, and The Wharton School.
Jonathan Molod
Chief Product Officer, Capra Project
Jon is a transformational executive with a 25+-year record leading product strategy and development organizations, developing diverse, high-performing teams, and launching successful products at the forefront of technology trends. He combines data-driven analysis, creative thinking, and customer focus with relentless problem-solving, delivering results from vision to execution and operations. Through his career spanning entrepreneurial startups, consulting engagements, and large corporate entities, he has exceled at building alignment among a broad range of constituents, developing and continually improving amazing products that enhance consumer and business value in rapidly evolving industries. Previously, as Senior Vice President, Strategy and Planning at Xfinity and a member of the executive team of $60 billion Comcast Cable, Jon was recruited to build new capabilities, including coordinated go-to-market execution, centralized competitive research and analysis, and a long-term strategic planning function. Before that, as Vice President of Product at DIRECTV/AT&T, Jon led the Digital Innovation Lab, transformed product development to an Agile process, and oversaw the product strategy, design and development for DIRECTV NOW, delivering twice the projected subscriber base in the first year. Jon’s earlier career includes successful entrepreneurial ventures and consulting work for leading media companies, including Liberty Global, Rogers Communications, Comcast/NBCUniversal, DIRECTV, Sony, and WWE, delivering firsts in long-form streaming, live streaming, TV Everywhere, and Over the Top.
Shannon McKenzie
Director, Creative Products, NBCUniversal
SJ McKenzie combines her skills in creative direction, research, writing, producing, and design with over a decade of experience in media, entertainment and sports. She is an Emmy award winning senior producer and mulit-patented product designer who drives the vision and values of best in class consumer experiences. She currently leads product strategy, UX research and product design as the Director of Creative Products for NBCUniversal's Content Distribution Group she collaborates with a powerhouse portfolio of brands including: NBC Entertainment, NBC News, NBC Sports Group, USA, Bravo, Syfy, Universo, Telemundo, Universal Kids and Peacock. Formerly, as the Director of Product Development at NBC Sports, McKenzie brought to market some of the world's largest scale sports digital media experiences across web, mobile and OTT platforms including; The Olympics, The Super Bowl, The World Cup, Le Tour de France, Formula 1, The French Open and more. She harnesses the power of quantitative data and qualitative insights to uncover new opportunities for growth and to optimize existing products for impact. She understands the technical systems, specifications, workflows and supply chains that make art and storytelling a cohesive and compelling consumer experience in an omni-channel distribution world. Her empathy and team-building skills create a culture of innovation and collaboration for her team and for the business. She holds a BA in English Literature from Carleton College and an MBA in Media Management, Marketing and International Business, from Fordham University.
Scott Barton
Chief Product Officer, MyBundle.TV
Scott Barton is Chief Product Officer at MyBundle.TV, the premier online platform connecting broadband providers with tools to simplify streaming television products and services. In this executive role, Scott is responsible for MyBundle.TV’s efforts to simplify and optimize the streaming video landscape by identifying and executing solutions that align the interests of consumers, streaming services and broadband providers. Prior to joining MyBundle.TV, Scott was SVP, Product at WOW! (WideOpenWest), where he oversaw product strategy, roadmap, pricing, packaging and product operations. Prior to that, Scott spent more than 16 years at Starz, where he led the Digital Programming and Products team and oversaw product strategy and content programming for the STARZ App, starz.com, and Starz On Demand products across platforms and distribution partners.
Charles Angelis
Director of Content & Strategic Operations, Mometu
Charles Angelis is the Director of Content & Strategic Operations at Mometu, a free ad-supported streaming platform with a focus on hand-curating niche experiences and exposing users to unique, hidden gems from all over the world. Charles’ background prior to Mometu includes Plex, Apple, and teaching digital media and video production at a career-tech pathway high school.
Jim Griffin
AI Practice Head, Robosoft Technologies
Twenty years of analytics, AI, machine learning, CRM, and loyalty experience in USA, Central and South America, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia Pacific. MBA in Marketing from the University of Minnesota. Post-graduate work in Statistics at UP Diliman. Faculty at UT Austin, McCombs Masters Business Analytics (MSBA) program.
Study Partners
About OTT Executive Community
OTT Executive is a vibrant community of over 50,000 professionals including most of the top executives and thought leaders in the media & entertainment industry. The community engages across social media (including the largest LinkedIn group dedicated to OTT: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1994425/), participates in primary research, informs members via white papers and webinars, and annually converges during the OTT Executive Summit (https://ottexec.com/). Over the years, we've also sponsored executive dinners, sailing cruises, and cocktail receptions around major industry events. OTT Executive Community & Summit is managed and produced by Trender Research.
About Robosoft Technologies
Robosoft is a full-service digital transformation company with a vision to Simplify Lives. We offer end-to-end solutions in product advisory, design, engineering and analytics. We partner with enterprises to craft delightful, intuitive digital experiences that drive brand preference. We are a subsidiary of the $1.5 billion TechnoPro Holdings, Japan - a leading technology solutions company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. We have partnered with several prestigious brands across the globe including Discovery, ESPN, AAA, HP, McDonald’s India, Paytm, NDTV, Viacom18, Disney, BSI and more. We have crafted over 2000 digital experiences and our apps have garnered over a billion downloads. Voted ‘Mobile App Development Company of the Year’ at the Amazon Mobility Awards, our other prestigious awards include Top Wearable App Developers, Best UX Design Agency 2020, ‘Products, Upgrades, and Innovation of the Year' at CEO World Awards, Best of App Store, Apple Design Award, BAFTA, Stevie Gold Winner at American Business Awards to name a few. Visit Robosoft.com.
About Trender Research
Trender Research™ Inc. is a consumer technology consultancy, market research firm, content publisher, and events producer that combines expert analysis with the voice of everyday people. Trender Research is dedicated to capturing the voice of various demographic groups with different levels of technical proficiency. Our expert analysis is supplemented by the contributions of Trenders, or everyday consumers, who contribute insights about how they use technology. The Trenders, who come from all walks of life, share unique perspectives about how technology helps or hinders them. Through virtual focus groups, surveys, and conference panels, the Trenders also serve as a source of quick and candid feedback for clients looking for input on new or existing products or services. Visit www.trenderresearch.com.