Aggregation is the latest term in vogue in circles where the future of the streaming industry is discussed. Customers shouldn’t be intimidated or alarmed by the word; aggregation is simply the term used when two streaming services bring their content together on the same platform. Amazon’s Prime Video Channels is an example of an aggregator, a destination where users can view content on various streaming platforms and subscribe to those platforms as well.

• New data from Hub Research shows that 73% of streaming users think it’s too hard to keep track of the amount of content available and where to stream it.
• Hub’s numbers also show 59% would pay for a platform that aggregated content better.
• The data has special implications for ESPN as it prepares to create a new streaming service.

How Hard is Finding Content?

Prime Video Channels is a good start, but it does not offer every streaming service or information on the libraries of all top platforms. There are literally millions of titles to stream worldwide, and with relatively few aggregator platforms out there, it’s no wonder the average customer spends more than 10 minutes trying to find a new show or movie to stream.

New data from Hub Research demonstrates that consumer frustration about the overwhelming nature of their choices is beginning to mount. There’s simply too much content out there for most people; 81% of respondents to Hub said they thought there was a limit to the number of streaming services they needed, even if price was not a consideration. Further, 73% said it’s too hard to keep track of where shows are available to stream.

This clearly leaves room for a “one-stop shop” type of app that allows users to view titles and purchase subscriptions to any streamer they want. Fifty-nine percent of Hub’s respondents said they’d pay for a streaming platform that provided such aggregation, proving that the more streaming content a platform carries, the more valuable to customers it will be perceived as.

“Viewers are excited about the volume of content to choose from. Their biggest problem now is figuring out how to use it all”, said Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub. “Companies who can make entertainment simpler (through things like bundling or universal search) will attract more subscribers. But even more importantly they’ll be offering a service for which many are willing to pay extra – a huge win for companies seeking to make streaming profitable.”

Data Shows Why Future ESPN Streaming Service Needs the NBA

The data has implications for essentially every media company with a streaming platform, but ESPN executives will want to pay special attention. Disney is intent on launching a streaming version of ESPN that won’t require a cable subscription by 2025, and the company already reportedly has designs on making that platform a top-flight aggregator.

Word began to circulate in March that ESPN had been in contact with other sports outlets about potentially allowing it to advertise where fans could watch sports on their channels and streaming services. That would be a hugely important feature to an ESPN streaming platform, not the least because it will help users perceive the platform as a good value, despite a price point that’s almost guaranteed to be north of $30 per month.

That’s precisely why ESPN should think long and hard about the number of NBA games it offers in its next broadcast deal with that league. The NBA’s current broadcast contracts with ESPN and TNT expire after the 2024-25 season, and it's been reported that ESPN wants to sign up for a reduced package in the next deal.

But ESPN would be best served in keeping a sizeable package of NBA rights in its next deal, particularly if it has an aggregation feature that shows where users can see sporting events available on other platforms. Such a feature could make ESPN look incredible by comparison to its peers if it has games from the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB all on one streaming platform, but it has to make sure it has robust offerings of each to keep the side-by-side view impressive.

The number of broadcasters holding sports rights is already growing, and that list is likely to grow longer until the new ESPN streaming platform launches. That platform could change the sports broadcasting marketplace entirely, but Hub’s data shows that it will need to maintain a big variety of top sports (including the NBA) to be truly successful.

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