Given the fragmented TV landscape, there’s not much viewers as a whole want from networks and the pay television subscriptions. Well, there are two things; viewers expect immediate access to content while maintaining flexibility in how they pay for it, according to Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar, the former CMO of DISH’s Sling TV.
“Flexibility and control are paramount for the customer. In this day and age, people expect to be able to go right on their TV and sign into whatever streaming service they want and watch what they want immediately,” Joglekar told Beet.TV’s David Kaplan during an interview at Miami’s POSSIBLE conference.
Bridging the content discovery gap
Despite an abundance of streaming options, viewers still struggle to find what they want to watch. Sling TV’s approach addresses this challenge directly.
“What we focus on at Sling is how do we create a really easy way for you to get into the content you want, whether it’s the NBA playoffs, whether it’s Yellowstone, but then allow you to downgrade to free content,” Joglekar said. “So pay when you want, watch free content when you want, and get rewarded at the same time.”
This flexibility reflects a deeper understanding of viewer preferences that Sling has developed over years of customer engagement.
Personalization drives engagement
Joglekar emphasized how consumer behavior insights have shaped Sling’s marketing approach, with personalization playing a central role.
“The way that people want to watch TV is, first of all, they want to get the content they want at the immediate time they want it, and of course they want to find the best deal,” he said. “So what we’ve done over the last several years is think about how we personalize our marketing and sales experience.”
This personalization extends throughout the customer journey, from initial interest through content consumption and re-engagement.
“Getting the customer into our site, knowing exactly the content that they can watch on the platform, and then seamlessly getting them into content and then allowing them to watch on their device immediately,” Joglekar noted. “And then again, re-engaging these customers after the show is done to let them know about all the other great content we have on site.”
Customer-centric innovation
When asked how publishers can stay innovative in a rapidly evolving media landscape, Joglekar pointed to customer feedback as the primary driver.
“How publishers can stay innovative is really, first of all, listening to the customer. The customer tells us what they want,” he said. “That’s why we’ve done things like introducing rewards, we’ve introduced AI-driven content recommendations because using the tools available is part of it, but really understanding the customer’s needs, what they want, is paramount to improving the experience.”
Finding opportunity in chaos
For marketers navigating today’s fragmented media landscape, Joglekar offered pragmatic advice centered on embracing change rather than fearing it.
“My advice for how a marketer can navigate this landscape is really there’s opportunity in the chaos,” he emphasized. “Listen to your customer, understand what they need, and coming to events like POSSIBLE is great to understand what other innovations are out there.”
The key, according to Joglekar, lies in connecting technological capabilities with genuine customer needs.
“We can take the technology we have and match it with the customer need to really find value,” he said.
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