Colombia. Telemedellín, a channel with a presence mainly in the city of Medellín, now reaches a larger audience, thanks to its new OTT service available by App called TM+, part of its digital transformation strategy.
This OTT that is presented as an App for its viewers, has managed to bring the transmission of the channel to people who no longer consume television in the traditional format, that is, who prefer streaming, or who are outside the territory and do not reach to "connect from the signal". With their slogan of "TM+ or TMplus, say it how you want, but download it" they have sought to boost the use of the App among their audience.
Carlos Duque, technical editor of the channel, was in an exclusive interview with TV y Video magazine, a space where he explained why this project arose (available in AppStore and Google Play), the scope it has had, the benefits for users and where the growth of Telemedellín is now pointing.
TVyVideo: Where did Telemedellín's idea of offering an OTT service through an APP come from?
Carlos Duque: Within the entity's strategic digital transformation plan, we are clear about the purpose of reaching new audiences from the end of 2021. Even previously we have made several updates to the image and names, such as our news section now being NTM, these adjustments to the visual identity have helped us focus on the diverse audiences we have, preserving the principles of the channel.
At that time we wanted our own OTT to be the anchor of the channel, a starting point to offer live and on-demand content.
We considered several options, including doing everything from scratch, but assembling all that technology is expensive and requires special maintenance, such as the part that takes care of CRM services. Then looking for a more favorable alternative we find TVCoins, a newly created company whose solution has been previously chosen by Amazon and several leaders in the content sector.
It is important to note that the change in the way we create content has been done for a long time, obviously it is not the first time that digital content is delivered. For in this case we are adjusting formats such as documentary and series for our audience, we have made a very important curatorship in front of the load of content, to see that they have an important value and contribute to the application, for the channel quality is more important than quantity.
TVyVideo: How does the OTT offered by TVCoins work?
Carlos Duque: TVCoins gave us a white line OTT, this means that they put all the technology and equipment and we in Telemedellín put the 'face' or design. This solution operates under an agreement where the contents are marketed and the profits are distributed. Marketing occurs with the automated sale of online guidelines.
TVyVideo: Can Telemedellín filter or verify that the pattern is not contrary to its institutional principles?
Carlos Duque: When the agreement was signed, we filled out a form choosing what type of guideline is allowed. That is, we define what can be promoted. Alcoholic beverages, gambling, cigarettes, all that was parameterized so that advertising is akin to the identity of the channel.
However, as the App and the metadata it handles grows, due to the information and preferences, users will have a more selective and personalized pattern.
TVyVideo: What are the notable results of implementing the Telemedellín App?
Carlos Duque: We are the first channel in Colombia that is on TVCoins, this on the one hand makes us pioneers. On the other hand, the official launch was made on August 1 during the Flores fair in Medellín, after that we achieved 30 thousand downloads in the first month.
TVyVideo: How is this OTT different from having the contents available in other online options?
Carlos Duque: In the application, although there is a third party supporting us at a technical level, we have total control of the contents and metadata. We can know who consumes, how they do it (hours, days and through which device) and our brand should not share space with others, different from what happens on platforms such as YouTube, where its name and image is always present.
In short, this is an alliance to have content with access from mobile devices with greater control and brand management.
TVyVideo: What advantages does this OTT have for the public of Telemedellín?
Carlos Duque: Many people consume paid OTT, our case is a free OTT for the user, whose financing mechanism with guidelines also includes a disruptive business model in which points are delivered to content consumers, which accumulate and when they reach a certain amount can be redeemed by purchase cards on Amazon, at the rate of moderate values and by criteria of TVCoins.
Finally, Carlos concluded that for Telemedellín the way of "making television" is a continuous transformation that changes and adjusts every day. "Within this model, there is to stop labeling ourselves as a 'television channel' and become a media system, because television is focused on a device and we stop being just that, you can consume us in many ways.
That is, Telemedellín has shed that traditional qualifier and is now a media system with multiple content delivery platforms. "We will not leave traditional TV, but we see it as important to transform ourselves to reach the spaces, and the ways, in which our different audiences consume content."
