22.10.19
by Editorial Staff
From web to iOS and Android, DIVA is the ultimate player solution for sports fans - here’s why
22.10.19
by Editorial Staff
From web to iOS and Android, DIVA is the ultimate player solution for sports fans - here’s why
DIVA is approaching the end of an intense year of innovation and updates, but this hasn’t stopped us continuing to push the boundaries of the OTT fan experience with a major release for the product. The revolutionary video player continues to play a crucial role in defining how fans engage with sport today, both live and on-demand.
Content is no longer enough - interactivity and personalisation increasingly are placed at the core of consumer demand. Added pressure comes from a widespread need for sports organisations and rights holders to monetise more effectively, and reach fans outside of their base with an impactful and bespoke offering.
That’s why we’re excited to announce the 4.8 release of DIVA, which brings to users’ screens an enhanced user engagement system thanks to the integration of LiveLike’s Audience Engagement Suite, as well as a new suite of e-commerce tools.
After client demand, we are also pleased to reveal that video recommendations have also landed on DIVA, and will play an increasingly important part in today’s content consumption experience on any screen and device.
From web to iOS and Android, DIVA is the ultimate player solution for sports fans - here’s why.
Deltatre announced earlier in September its partnership with LiveLike to produce a joint solution for sport and entertainment clients around the globe who place a greater focus on social engagement and gamification around live content. LiveLike combines live sports streaming with immersive technology to create a greater social community for fans and friends.
With this new release of DIVA, broadcasters and rights holders now have a powerful social and editorial toolset under their belt. From alerts to polls, to the integration of quiz and trivia, the video experience can now be more social and interactive than it’s ever been before. The goal for operators is to attract as big a slice of the total available audience as possible and delivering editorially-driven, community-based features are one of the top mechanisms in which to find success.
Here you can see an example, where we have integrated LiveLike’s widgets on the top-left area of the screen (on tablets, mobile in landscape mode and HTML5/desktop) and on top of the title and tabs in portrait modes.
But how does this work in practice? The editor who’s ultimately responsible for the integration is fully autonomous in deciding if and when the feature appears. This action doesn’t require coding. It’s simply a case of choosing the widget to be shown on the video player interface is via the LiveLike back-office.
Picture this. You’re at home, comfortable on your sofa, and you access your go-to OTT service to watch your team playing an important match. Your favourite player is wearing a personalised jersey, limited edition, and you wonder how you can put your hands on one before anyone else.
The new DIVA release brings to clients the integration of a smart e-commerce system. Keeping the focus on video, and never becoming an intrusive and unwanted guest across the viewing experience, rights holders can now push contextual notifications, in real-time, to persuade users to purchase a specific product. That limited edition jersey we mentioned, as well as a limitless variety of other merchandise, is now just one tap away for consumers.
The full purchasing journey has been considered as part of this update. Our new system pushes in-video notifications that create a link between the video content to the digital shop where physical items can be purchased. A companion area allows users to navigate items and manage a fully customisable wishlist while continuing to watch the video. Ultimately, a link to the external shop prompts users to the final stage of their journey, in order to finalise the purchase.
Importantly, the wishlist represents the key element of the experience, a never-intrusive-yet-always-accessible for a seamless e-commerce experience that is complementary to content consumption.
The definition of personalisation is to design experiences that adapt to customer needs. In this context, video recommendations are a valuable form of personalisation - even though relying solely on a ‘passive’ form of recommendations can sometimes result in impersonal video experiences.
Video recommendations are made more effective in this latest release across different devices. Users can now be presented with a variety of related content that is shown straight after the end of a previous asset to help keep users engaged and make the video experience an uninterrupted flow.
If engagement is the keyword here, DIVA is certainly leading in that direction, pushing the idea of ‘active recommendations’, which take the user straight to the next piece of relevant content, to drive consumption to the next level.
Among the other improvements that this new release of DIVA brings under its belt is the possibility for end-users to now ‘cast’ video content from their iOS / Android devices or web browser to the big screen via a Chromecast device. Then, users will still be able to use the enhanced features of DIVA or navigate through the website on their mobile device in the meantime.
Finally, operators can now rely on a fully customisable layout on HTML5 to better control the way they present their offering. To meet most customers’ needs, DIVA now gives the possibility to personalise the main layout of the player in a controlled way. This means that admins can decide which icons to show, adding special ones and positioning the controls based on specific requirements, amongst other components of visual control.
DIVA now looks to the future with the aim to expand its set of features around enhancing the viewing experience and extend them to all the devices and platforms. Mobile e-commerce will land soon, as well as the ability for operators to integrate user engagement functionalities on HTML5 too. Look out for the next release in a few months time.