The Business Case for Premium UX in IPTV and OTT Services

Competing in a Crowded Market

Today, most telecom operators and ISPs offer IPTV or OTT video streaming services to their subscribers. At the same time, global giants like Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, and Disney+ are competing fiercely for attention. Everyone is chasing the same goal: win new subscribers and keep them engaged for as long as possible.

The big question remains: how do you stand out in this crowded market?

Beyond Content and Price

It’s no secret that content and price are the key drivers for attracting subscribers. But the next most critical factor is often overlooked and that is premium user experience (UX).

What is the value of premium content if it’s buried under a poor interface? Great shows or movies mean little if users can’t find them easily, or if the viewing journey is frustrating. A clumsy onboarding process will lose you potential subscribers, while confusing purchase options will drive paying users away.

Why Premium UX Matters

As global streaming services expand, awareness of UX’s importance is finally growing. Still, many providers deliver an average or even poor experience, leaving market share on the table.

I strongly believe that any viewer deserves enjoyment in watching their favorite content. To feel good while quickly finding interesting content and start playing it. I do believe that premium UX in video streaming should become a commodity.

Can One Size Fit All?

Another interesting question is: Can premium UX be done in a one size fits all approach? 

Can we all just copy Netflix UI and that will solve all the problems? I don’t believe so. I believe premium UX depends on many factors and needs to be adapted to viewer habits for different geography, demography, and different user segments. It is different for Live TV, Catchup or VOD service. It is also different for Sport content, TV shows or other types of content.

I believe every provider of video streaming service should be able to configure their own Premium UX adapted to their specific needs. And you should be able to do that without changing the client apps, without any development or integrations and without being dependent on your platform or app vendor.

Simplicity Is Genius

Albert Einstein once said: “Any darn fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple.”

The same holds true for streaming UX. True ease of use doesn’t happen by accident. It requires effort and attention to detail. From reducing the number of clicks to presenting content in a visually irresistible way, every part of the user journey must be carefully designed.

How to Measure Premium UX

The funny fact is that viewers usually don't tell you directly that your UX is good. But they will complain a lot when something is bad or eventually they will even leave the service. So the first thing you can measure is dissatisfaction of your users and churn that you have.

Some practical measures include:

• Churn rate: unhappy users leave, satisfied ones stay.
• Engagement: better UX leads to longer sessions and more content consumed.
• Navigation time: how quickly can a user open the app, find content, and press play?

But beyond metrics, there’s something more subtle: the feeling. When a streaming app is truly well-designed, you notice. Navigation is smooth, actions feel natural, and the interface almost disappears into the background. That is when users smile and think, “This is the right app for me.”

Industry Data and Benchmarks: Why UX Directly Impacts Success

The impact of UX on streaming success is measurable across the industry:

• Discovery Drives Engagement: More than 80% of viewing on Netflix comes from personalized recommendations, underlining the importance of smart UX and discovery tools.
• AI Moves the Needle: AI-driven personalization isn’t limited to Netflix. Platforms like Peacock have seen viewing time increase by 40%, Disney+ retention rise by 15%, and Hulu’s ad engagement jump by 50%.
• Multi-Screen Behavior is the Norm: Viewing habits are shifting as around 40% of U.S. users now spend more time on user-generated content than on traditional streaming, especially among younger audiences.

These numbers confirm that premium UX is critical. Operators who ignore it risk higher churn, weaker engagement, and lower ARPU. In contrast, those who prioritize UX stand to build deeper loyalty and drive stronger business results.

The Myth of “All Apps Look the Same”

At first glance, many streaming apps seem identical: horizontal rails, metadata, previews. But UX is more than surface-level UI. Small differences in navigation, onboarding, or content discovery can be the line between average and premium.

Take Netflix and HBO Max, for example: similar layouts, yet vastly different experiences once you start using them. These small details shape user satisfaction.

Details That Define Premium UX

What separates a good UX from a great one? Often, it’s in the fine details:

• Smooth rewind and fast-forward options
• Smart content discovery and personalized recommendations
• Interactive video thumbnails for scene previews
• Highlight reels for sports events
• Rich metadata with trivia and behind-the-scenes insights
• Curated thematic rails to promote content

All these factors combined provide premium UX. So even though some UI might be similar, there are many other things that will make your viewers enjoy your content. And at the end, the most important one, quality of the streaming is what this is all about. A good OTT platform will provide you with tools to see how good your streaming is, how many errors are there, which are the users having some issues. But this is a separate topic that will be covered in one of the next blogs.

Our Approach at UniqCast

At UniqCast, we invest heavily in these details because they make all the difference. Unlike global giants who focus mainly on VOD, we must ensure the same seamless experience across Live TV, Catchup TV, and on-demand content.

Are you interested in evaluating and enhancing the video streaming service you offer your viewers? Would you like to explore ideas and share experiences? Do you want to see how UniqCast has developed premium UX OTT apps and how we can assist you in improving your service's user experience? If you are a service provider or considering launching a new video streaming service, contact us; we would be happy to help.

We believe our platform provides a comparable solution to the best in the industry and we’re proud to show it. If you’d like to see premium UX in action, don’t hesitate to request a demo or visit us at the IBC 2025 show where we show our latest developments including third-party content provider integrations and AI-generated shorts that both contribute to user experience greatly. 

Looking Ahead: The Future of Premium UX

The streaming industry has reached a stage where content alone is no longer enough to secure long-term success. As markets mature and competition grows fiercer, premium UX will increasingly be the deciding factor that separates leaders from laggards. Future-proof services will not only focus on simplicity and usability but also leverage personalization, adaptive design, and emerging technologies such as AI-driven recommendations and voice or gesture-based navigation.

For providers, this means that investing in user experience is essential. Viewers will expect platforms that feel effortless, intuitive, and tailored to their individual habits. Those who fail to adapt will face higher churn and lower engagement, no matter how strong their content library is.

The next big wave in streaming will not be about who has the most content, but who delivers it in the most enjoyable, intuitive, and premium way.