Currently, anybody can access multiple entertainment platforms and consume a great deal of content. This fact allows us to have a wide cultural background based on our experience, and to share our opinions and recommendations with other regular consumers of content. At this point, the arising question as operators is: “If I’m a regular content consumer and I’m up-to-date regarding movies and TV series, why should I leave the management of my fleet to an external company?”. Very simple. The management of the content of the entertainment platforms must be done having in mind three key points: Knowledge of the necessities, audience data, and objectivity.
When we start a business or engage in a new entrepreneurial trip, we tend to fall in certain, common mistakes in order to cushion if we don’t obtain the wished rentability. To be fair, this “cautious” mentality, keeping in mind the voracious competition that exists in the bus sector, slows us down when it comes to growing up. Considering that, currently, having an entertainment system is a luxury and a differentiator factor of our competition, the truth is this will end up turning into a necessary quality standard to have a place within the market.
We have to also keep in mind how your passengers consume their content (cell phones, built-in screens, central screens, etc.) to boost it. Here in Azimut, based on our experience, we know the most used forms to access said content to improve the satisfaction of your passengers. Therefore, it will depend on the first impression a passenger has had regarding your entertainment service. When it comes to fidelity, there are no second chances.
For every motive seen up until now, we have to make the most out of every action we take with our entertainment system. For example: imagine you are going to add to your fleet the successful new entertainment system to differentiate yourself from other operators. The first step would be to know that, to exhibit licensed content in a public place, you need to have the according to public exhibition license.
Now, there are four possible ways, all of which we’re going to analyze one by one:
1. To hire a company with more than 10 years of experience in the market, and it is going to understand your needs.
2. To acquire directly on your own amongst different distributors, and under your own criteria, content for your platform.
3. To acquire content directly from different distributors having them choose their content for you.
4. Utilize content originally intended for private use (DVDs, digital content, etc.) to exhibit it in your entertainment system.
We’ll quickly address the first point to do this even though, unlike the following ones, this is the illegal and punishable way of proceeding. While it’s the cheapest and most tempting, it’s, by far, the least professional. It is NOT allowed to exhibit content without a license in public venues, so buying content in the usual market to that end is illegal. If your intention is to offer a quality service while setting your sights into the future, this is the worst option, and it’s only a matter of time before the possible penalty turns into a reality.
Let’s start with the legal options with the second point. You decide, at that moment, that you’re going to handle the content yourself given that you’re the one who knows your routes best, passenger profiles, etc.
It turns out that, since you don’t really have any knowledge of the market, by lack of time, you decide to select movies and TV series you’ve seen and liked. At that moment, you make a (great) economic investment. You do not know if that content is going to be to your passengers’ liking, and will be unable to analyze the impact, either positive or negative, of the selfsame content will mean a valuable time that, as a professional, you could be investing in any other aspect of your business. It will be hard to keep track of the satisfaction of your passengers and the investment would be incalculable. To carry out the reproduction of that content in the vehicles, a safe platform in which to upload the acquired content and to be able to exhibit it needs to be in place on the bus.
Nowadays it is mandatory to have a DRM (Digital Rights Management) certificate, which is a requirement so that the studios allow to exhibit that movie in public and it wouldn’t be able to be copied, nor modify the content of the movie (safety against piracy).
If we go to the third point, we see you’ve decided to acquire the content directly with a distributor and to be advised. That distributor, to understand what you need, must know every possible aspect of your business. You must give them that information so that they can offer the best offer possible. Also, you’ll have to prove them with viewing time so they can analyze both the tendencies and passengers’ profiles. To ensure a positive impact on the experience of your passengers, this should be the way to acquire your content from an external company, which is going to decide for you. Similar to the previous point, it has to have a certified platform for the studios (DRM) to upload said content and to be able to be played on the bus.
After having seen three out of four possibilities, let’s go with the fourth one. This option will suppose a recurring time saving and long-term peace of mind. The initial investment is negligible with respect to the benefit obtained since, even though it isn’t tangible, the success of your business is tied directly to the satisfaction of the passengers. If you offer your passengers service and content of quality, you’ll improve their opinion about that trip, and you’ll boost their fidelity regarding future ones. And not only their trips, but their families’, friends’, etc. There’s no better advertisement than a satisfied passenger. But, why hire the management services of my entertainment platform to an external company? Azimut, for example, provides the next benefits:
– You’ll know at every moment WHERE your vehicle is, WHAT content is being watched, and HOW they’re being consumed.
– You’ll get a monthly audience report with the detailed consumption and service advice.
– We will help you manage the inquiry service so that you’re up-to-date about the satisfaction of your passengers and their opinion regarding the service.
– You will not have to worry about choosing and handling the content. We do it for you. We select the content based on audience data, which allows us to offer a selection of quality, analyze tendencies, and renew content with as much frequency as you need.
– We will assess you about how to monetize the investment you’ve made in the entertainment platform (ROI).
– You’ll have at your disposal the best team to help you however you see fit regarding the service.
The objective of Azimut regarding the content is to improve the satisfaction of your passengers by giving them an excellent service.
Time and resource savings and increased profitability.
The option recommended by Azimut and by all our customers.
The first you have to think before taking a decision of this magnitude, which is going to mark the future of your business is, “How do I value entertainment system onboard?”. If you value the satisfaction of your passengers and you think of the positive impact it has in your return of investment (ROI), the answer is that you GREATLY value having a quality entertainment system onboard.
Going back to the initial points, you know the needs of your fleet. What you need is to analyze the consumption data of your passengers to understand the passengers’ profiles you get in your trips, and to handle the management of contents with absolute objectivity. It can be overwhelming to start to offer this service, this is why here in Azimut, we’re at your disposal to assess you in whatever aspect you need to start it up.
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