NTV+ passes OTT TV milestone

Russian pay TV service provider NTV+’s OTT TV service passed the 150,000-subscriber milestone in 2019, claiming a high rate of customer retention.

The service had 151,500 subscribers as of the end of the year, up 81% on the 2018 figure. NTV+ said that 85% of customers renewed their subscription.

The proportion of subscribers to the OTT TV service who also took the NTV+ satellite-delivered pay TV offering amounted to 14% of the total. The operator said that the decrease in conversion rates of satellite customers to the OTT TV service was due to the higher relative growth rate of the OTT TV offering. Satellite pay TV customers have access to an online multiscreen offering that enables them to watch channels from their pay TV line-up on any device.

The OTT TV offering expanded its line-up during the course of the year, adding the Start.ru video service and a number of movie channels as well as new Watch Now feature that highlights all films and TV shows that are going live on the service or have been broadcast over the last 24 hours.

NTV+ also introduced one-time purchasing of movies on the platform, which had previously only been available for sports events.

The OTT TV service features eight thematic packages encompassing factual, movie, kids, sport, adult and entertainment content, as well as a package of international channels. On-demand services that have been integrated include Amediatek, featuring content from HBO, Megogo, and Start.ru.

The offering also includes a 24-hour catch-up service for most channels.

“The past year has demonstrated that the main trends have not changed: the audience continues to migrate to the digital environment; the viewer is becoming less and less tied to one screen; internet access and data transfer speeds are growing. Therefore, the future lies with operators who can offer integrated products and quality services in all environments. The increase in the NTV+ online television audience shows that the strategy we have chosen is the right one: cooperation with popular libraries, a convenient sales process and modern technical solutions ensure the successful development of our own OTT platform,” said Konstantin Smirnov, director of digital products at NTV+.