Bringing Broadcast Video on Demand to the next level
Author
Eva Respaut
Business, Innovation & Data Director
Groupe M6
Since its May launch, Groupe M6’s streaming service, M6+, has seen a 30% increase in reach and a 45% rise in total hours viewed. Eva Respaut, Business, Innovation & Data Director, highlights the platform’s focus on monetisation, future goals, and data-driven strategies.
You launched M6+ back in May, and there have been some encouraging insights regarding the platform’s performance. Could you share some details with us?
The launch of M6+ has been a success. We have seen a 30% increase in reach and a 45% increase in total hours viewed compared with last year. In just four months, we achieved 3.5 million app downloads, with 40% on Connected TV. Technically, our collaboration with Bedrock ensured a smooth launch across 15 different environments, including OTT devices, Connected TVs, and IPTV. We have expanded our footprint on Connected TV, making it available on 95% of all devices in France.
What was your strategy for the launch?
Our launch strategy included a teaser campaign, a ramp up and finally a full blast, during and after the UEFA Euro competition. We had a massive campaign with ads on buses in Paris and other big French cities, outdoor digital campaigns, and across TV, radio, digital, and social networks. It’s not always easy changing your brand, but we managed to score 88% brand awareness in less than two months, and M6+ was recognised as the number one French entertainment platform.
We focused on the value and depth of our content catalogue which includes 30,000 hours of content, mostly AVOD, exclusives and TV premieres.
We expanded our business activities with Connected TVs. They are exciting devices to work with from a marketing point of view.
Content is king, UX is queen, but data is the ace that wins you the game.
How do you see BVOD evolving? What will bring it to the next level?
You might know the saying: “Content is king, UX is queen” but I add, “data is the ace that wins you the game,” because the future of BVOD relies on three pillars: content, user experience, and data. Data helps viewers find the right content through personalisation and discovery, which is crucial for understanding the market and meeting audience needs.
What about the audience? How do you see their habits changing?
Audiences dictate trends. While linear TV remains strong, BVOD is growing especially for fiction and reality TV content. The demand for personalised experiences is increasing, and streaming habits are shifting towards greater flexibility and availability. We see this particularly on Connected TVs, where exclusive and original content performs well.
How do you approach content creation and curation for your BVOD platforms?
Making great content that appeals to our main audience segments is in our DNA. With the launch of M6+, we pushed our partnership strategy a little further: we partner with leading global content producers, including NBC Hayu, to offer high quality US content. We also reinforced our focus on niche content to engage specific audience segments, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Telenovelas, and Sci-Fi, all of which perform exceptionally well on our platform.
Audiences dictate trends. While linear TV remains strong, BVOD is growing.
How do you create a stronger UX on a BVOD platform to increase usage?
To enhance user experience (UX) on our BVOD platform and boost usage, we introduced several new features:
■ Multi-profiles
This feature allows different members of a household to have their own personalised profiles. It increases usage by creating a personalised experience for each user, making the platform more engaging for everyone.
■ Podcasts
We launched a range of podcasts, including popular content from our radio station hosts and kids’ podcasts such as Gulli. These additions provide relevant streaming options that create more engagement on the platform.
■ Fan-experience
Introduced during the UEFA Euro competition, this feature offers an immersive “expert mode” while watching soccer games, providing real-time data on the game and competition. It enhances the live viewing experience and had an adoption rate of around 30%.
■ Stories format
Available on mobile devices, this feature helps users discover more content related to their favourite shows and find new content. It shows great conversion rates and also serves as an advertising format, currently available for special applications.
These features collectively enhance the user experience and increase platform usage.
Does AI already play a role in this, and if so, how?
Yes, AI takes user experience to the next level. Together with Bedrock we’re developing an innovative AI-driven search bar that allows users to ask specific questions, improving content discovery. This project is very exciting and is based on the improvement of our metadata library, along with the integration of an LLM model into our existing search engine.
Instead of having to type relevant keywords, the user will be able to ask real questions such as: “I am a big fan of Top Chef, give me another cooking show that I would like,” or “my son is 10 years old, we have 30 minutes available, what cartoons do you have?” or “show me a movie that takes place in New York.” The AI-driven search will provide the right type of content.
What are the next steps for M6+?
We are focusing on enhancing the platform and adding new features, to include various kinds of content such as FAST channels, the 2026 and 2030 FIFA World Cup competitions and other formats under development. Our latest partnership with Pluto TV is a great example of our capacity to adapt to our evolving market.
Although our main focus is AVOD, we are also developing M6+ Max, our ad-free paying option that enables users to watch their favourite TV shows before they are broadcast on linear TV. We believe that M6+ should adapt to all kinds of users and maximise its potential by giving them the best possible access to content.