The Rise of Short Content: How Big Streaming Players Are Embracing Short Videos

Today’s streaming services are no longer tied down to movies and web series.?

There is biz beyond conventional offerings.

Take stand-up specials for instance, it was something people never thought would enter the streaming realm.?

However, this change in offerings is not merely confined to content genres, there is also a significant switch in the runtime of these shows.?

Short, Snackable Content Peaks Viewership among GenZ

Short-form videos are all the rave now!

Episodes of hour-long runtimes were once welcomed when video streaming just kick-started. But, times are changing and so are viewing habits.?

A million views are only a few reels apart; social apps have tried, tested & made it big with clippings of mere 60s.

Today, even the best titles are criticized for their lengthy runtimes.

The bottom line is straightforward — people are bustling around, embracing occupied lifestyles, and making conventional 60 - 80 min videos tiring after a point, no matter how rich.

Moreover, the urge to reduce subscriber churn is now bigger than ever!

Streaming Giants in for Bite-sized Broadcasting?

It is phenomenal how much the video platforms have transformed in their style of content delivery with random sequences of popular clippings/ highlights on full-screen swipeable feeds.?

And this is not the first time OTT biggies are experimenting with small, snackable videos, they’ve readily adapted to the short-content trend years back, bringing in shows that are 20 -30 min long.?

The preview feature now available in most streaming platforms is also a classic example of how audiences get drawn by 30s-long teasers on deciding whether or not to watch a full-length movie.

What does this mean for Budding OTT Entrants?

All the experiment relating to short-form videos is the result of a modern realization that the audience’s viewing habits have tremendously changed and everything right from the UI/UX to the content library, audiences demand a more versatile setup they will never be tired of.?

The short-media landscape is only a tiny fraction of the change in the conventional structure of media and broadcast houses.?

Going forward, only delivering content in a form that aligns with the growing demand and OTT trends will help sustain streaming players in this massively-competitive space among the millennials & genZ.