Zype Analytics Series (Pt. 1): Finding The Right Analytics Solution

By Chris Smith on November 23, 2016

Data is the new gold rush of our digital age and it’s important that an OTT system can provide ways for content owners to learn about who is viewing their channels, which videos they’re watching, for how long, and lots of other information that is valuable for making programming, business and marketing decisions. In this five part series from Zype, we're going to take deeper look into analytics.

Here’s what you want to look for when searching for the right analytics solution for your video business:

Ease

A lot can be riding on an analytics system, so that’s why it’s important to find one that’s not overly complicated, so everyone on your staff can use it. Early analytics systems often had poor user interfaces and created a situation where only one or two people on staff could interpret them. Not good. Doing it that way was wasteful and completely inefficient.

From a good system, you’ll want:

An easy-to-understand graphic interface

Easy customization

These things will help provide the information that is relevant to your business.

Moreso, it is imperative to know what data is important and what data is not. Spending time, money, and space collecting data that cannot be actioned upon will only slow down your growth and distract you from focusing on what is really important to your viewers. Having the ability to run reports and access performance on the fly and at a glance will ease any business transitions you will need to make.

Comprehensiveness

It goes without saying that you’ll want analytics to feature all of your important data in that easy-to-read interface. Just don't mistake "minimal" for "ease." A lack of information masquerading as lean and simple will set you back. That being said, comprehensive doesn't mean bogging you down with information and stats you'll never use — you will definitely want access to actionable data that might come in handy in the future, even if you aren't using it at the moment. Getting rid of that extra data is a waste, and just means being able to customize your analytics view is more important than ever. You'll want to be able to tweak your analytics to make sure you’re getting an easy-to-understand and useful snapshot of performance tailored to your current needs, but retain access to ALL of your data, including what you might need down the road.

You’ll want your analytics to at least cover these areas:

Content Performance

Viewer Trends

Audience Segmentation

Revenue Metrics

Health

Discovery

Without these things, you’re only getting part of the picture, not the whole. When it comes to scaling and having your video business become truly successful, you should be getting everything you need, not just bits and pieces.

At Zype, our analytics are robust and easy to interpret. Click here to request a Zype demo, and make sure you stay tuned for Part Two of our Analytics Series, coming soon.

Oh, and you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, make sure you dive into Zype's latest white paper and ultimate guide: OTT and Beyond!

Connect your video with viewers, everywhere.