In a marketplace inundated with many mobile video on demand players all scrambling for a piece of the industry pie, certain fundamental questions must be asked: what makes a good mobile video on demand service?

What are viewers looking for that it needs to be aware of? What sets a service apart from the rest of the pack?

The last few years have seen a great paradigm shift. Consumers have largely moved away from traditional living-room “appointment” TV viewing and desktop computing, turning to a variety of smart devices for all their entertainment, communication and work needs.

According to our Global Video Insights (GVI) Report for 2015, 69 per cent of respondents in the UAE prefer using smartphones for viewing videos. In this scenario, video delivery services need to deliver on multiple fronts to provide the ideal viewing experience to an increasingly discerning audience.

The predominant narrative around a viewer-winning strategy has been that ‘content Is king’. This adage is true of content in any form … be it video, music, art or literature. Without engaging content, you might as well say goodbye to your viewers.

Content is the great differentiator, the one key element that gives a video on demand provider the qualitative edge to thrive in a market that has no dearth of competition and is, in fact, constantly seeing the entry of newcomers across all geographic regions.

It plays a crucial role in not only drawing in viewers, but also retaining them.

But content alone is not enough. Times have changed and new trends in global smart device consumption, fuelled by growing economies and the rise of emerging markets, have transformed the way people respond to and interact with content-sharing platforms.

While it is beyond dispute that quality content is a critical component of any strategy to lure viewers, there are other factors that play as important a role, if not more. These factors must be considered as well. Failure to do so could have adverse consequences for the provider.

Overall quality should be taken as a two-pronged approach, wherein the richness of the content must be complemented by video quality — defined both as resolution of the video as well as smooth continuous playback of the video.

For contemporary media consumers, video quality makes a huge difference to the viewing experience and with the capabilities of current-generation devices, users are uncompromising and expect nothing but the very best.

With this in mind, video on demand services out to grab a slice of the market pie would be well-advised to offer only those videos that meet the highest standards and can keep viewers riveted — not only by the appeal of the content, but the quality of the picture as well.

In an age when one can enjoy unprecedented internet speeds and widespread access, viewers favour services that are not only user-friendly and provide seamless access, but also capable of providing video content of the highest quality in an efficient way.

This means having the right infrastructure in place to support high-definition videos on mobile networks, both modern as well as those older networks operating at full capacity. Not doing so will inevitably lead to unwanted buffering videos and an irked viewer base.

We’ve all had our experiences with videos that keep halting intermittently and can agree that this is a major turn-off. At a time when there is an increasing propensity among viewers to consume media on the go, a good video delivery service recognises the importance of not only giving viewers what they want, but also doing it across any device and any network.

Quality in content is one aspect, diversity is another. If you’re a viewer in the UAE or India, you might be inclined towards watching the latest videos featuring Salman Khan or Haifa Wehbe. But consumer tastes have evolved beyond that.

Contemporary viewers have developed a keen interest for content from foreign artistes and movie studios as well. Forty-two per cent of UAE respondents showed a preference for international content, according to the GVI Report.

Regional content goes a long way but there are also legions of fans who crave material from Beyoncé.

While content, video quality and a buffer-free experience are important pillars in a video on demand service’s approach to sustaining viewership, they mean nothing if the app is not easy for the average user to grasp.

Access to favoured content is important, but that access should be as seamless as possible, because usability contributes to a viewer’s experience and his/her perception of the video on demand platform as much as content. The GVI Report indicates that 46 per cent of UAE respondents showed a preference for apps with a clean and engaging user interface.

Being user-friendly should be top-of-mind for any video delivery service aspiring to be a market leader.

To sum up, content, video quality, a wide selection of material, user-friendliness and a buffer-free viewing experience are the important tools in a mobile video on demand platform’s arsenal. Of course, ticking all these boxes does not necessarily guarantee success.

In the end, what really matters is that the service should know its viewership, its market and what is in demand. Should it tick all the right boxes, a mobile video on demand service has a winning recipe for success.

The writer is Founder and CEO of Vuclip.