The power of UX – if content is king, and distribution is queen, is your user experience your ace?

Many of you may have read the line that ‘content is king and distribution is queen’ and vice versa.

This makes sense as media owners need to build bespoke content for each platform and make sure that content is there on what could easily be 8 platforms – radio, podcast, audio clip, Facebook post, Instagram picture, Tweet, Youtube video, listening apps,  in addition to usual the website posts. And that’s without touching on functionality within a platform like Facebook Live or Video 360.

What is now becoming another key differentiator is the user experience on all of those platforms.  Some of them might be out of our control but nonetheless, as media owners we need to make sure we make it an easy seamless pleasurable experience for the consumer.

In the audio visual world, many think Netflix is winning because it has the best content.  Whilst there is truth in that, Netflix have been working on another key area – the user experience.  In the time between season 2 and season 4 of House of Cards, there have been 25 updates on the Netflix app.  Whilst some of the updates have been simple bug fixes, many are significant.  They have updated the app to run on the latest ipads or work with 3-D touch (part of the latest iphone).   They have also improved the kids experience giving them a different UX to adults or they have modified the experience on chrome cast.  They know that distribution is queen!

In our own world at SCA, we have just relaunched our NRL and AFL apps with improved functionality (including a new navigation and better controls) alongside new content like speedy stats.

As the content job becomes more complex, digital leaders need to make sure the product roadmap is dynamic, data driven and built to deliver the best consumer experience.  It’s no good if we have the best content but we can’t get it to the user in a way that delights.

About: Vijay Solanki

Vijay is the Director of Digital & Innovation with Southern Cross Austereo.

Prior he was Philips Senior Director – Global Digital Innovation at their HQ in Amsterdam. His radio experience goes back to 1999 with Capital Radio, later launching Shazam. He’s been involved with digital strategy for other brands like Castrol and Blackberry and the growth of NME.com.