Tassilo Raesig, COO and Managing Director of Joyn GmbH
Comacon: Good afternoon Mr. Raesig. Please introduce Joyn to us briefly.
Herr Raesig: Joyn is a cross-channel entertainment streaming platform. Joyn offers an extensive range of free content with numerous live TV channels, series, documentaries and films on demand, media libraries and sports content from ProSiebenSat.1, Discovery and other content partners, all bundled on one platform. Users get even more entertainment with the premium offer Joyn PLUS+. This includes additional pay-TV channels and even more on-demand content such as international exclusives and local originals.
Comacon: Joyn originated as a streaming service from the TV groups ProSiebenSat.1 and Discovery. Are the classic TV stations eliminating themselves, or is the program being supplemented and expanded with Joyn? What are the differences in users and content between the classic TV stations ProSieben/Sat.1 and Joyn?
Herr Raesig: Joyn is an ideal addition to our shareholders’ entertainment and product portfolios. Through Joyn, ProSiebenSat.1 and Discovery Communications have created another distribution channel for their content. On the one hand, we address exactly the same audience and are the place where viewers can catch up on missed shows on TV. On the other hand, we also offer content on demand and integrate additional content partners. So that our users find everything bundled on one platform.
Comacon: Especially this year and last year the VoD market has changed a lot. On the one hand, new services (Disney+, HBO) have been added. On the other hand, the number of users of streaming services has increased strongly due to the global COVID pandemic. How does Joyn stand out from other services and generate your USP? What impact did the year 2020 have on Joyn in terms of users and the program?
Herr Raesig: First of all: The streaming market is not a “Winner-Takes-It-All-Business”. Of course, with the mass of streaming services, sooner or later there will be a consolidation. But the demand is increasing, as the Corona lockdown period has just shown. Joyn claims a unique position in the German market: With our “Freemium” model, we are clearly positioned in the German market and thus have an important distinguishing feature. A consolidation of different entertainment offerings in one app and under one roof was something that many people were looking for. The combination of a free offer with live streams and a media library with catch-up, preview content and local originals, as well as a premium area with live streams including pay TV in HD, even more exclusive international content and premium originals, as well as films and series have not been available on the German TV market until now.
The year 2020 is a challenge for us all. We have seen an increase in the use of our platform, especially in the months of April, May and June, some productions of our originals had to be stopped. This means that we had to find new, innovative ways to fill our content pipeline and now we have to pay more attention to hygiene measures in our productions so that we can continue shooting and working accordingly. The way we work on the set has changed, the way we produce has changed – but nonetheless, everyone involved has quickly adapted to the new reality and together we are able to cope with these new circumstances.
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Comacon: Illegal access, password sharing or screen capturing. Especially streaming services have new challenges to protect your content. What are the biggest problems / challenges here? What is Joyn doing to protect its users and data?
Herr Raesig: An ideal user experience as well as simple, trouble-free and secure usability of our apps on all devices is our top priority. In order to guarantee security when playing the content and to prevent illegal access, we use various protective measures in accordance with the licensing requirements. These include, for example, that we only allow one simultaneous stream per account and that the number of devices that can be streamed per account is limited. Basically, all of our content is protected by industry accepted digital encryption and rights management procedures.
Comacon: VoD has changed and expanded the possibilities for advertising and marketing. Especially with regard to targeting, online services offer many advantages. Scattering losses can be minimized. Which possibilities does Joyn currently offer for advertisers and what does the future of advertising in VoD look like?
Herr Raesig: The possibilities for advertisers on Joyn are manifold. On the one hand, Joyn as a local and digital streaming platform unites the two worlds, lean back and forward, by combining live TV and VOD content. On the other hand, users can use Joyn via various devices. This means that advertisers can reach the user on the small screen or on the laptop / tablet while on the move, but also at home in front of the big screen, whether on the TV set or the game console. Thus we offer an ideal advertising environment for creative user journeys. In doing so, we meet the current demand for common targeting criteria such as gender or age and are constantly expanding these criteria. Of course, we adhere to the requirements of the European data protection basic regulation (DSGVO). Our goal is always an intelligent advertising management to achieve the best possible balance between advertising and user acceptance. The same applies to the future: we as well as other VOD platforms will continue to offer user-friendly advertising products combined with an intelligent control and will have to optimize them continuously in order to convince both users and the advertising industry.
Comacon: Linear television seems to receive less and less attention, especially among the younger generation. What does the future of television look like? Will linear television at some point be completely replaced by Video on Demand services or just continue to be supplemented?
Herr Raesig: Less relevant is the distribution through which viewers consume content. So it is classic via cable / satellite or via streaming. And of course, VoD content will continue to gain in importance. Users appreciate to access their favorite content exactly when they feel like it. However, live TV should not be underestimated at all. Joyn accounts for 50 percent of total usage of live TV content. Many people still want to watch the news at certain times of the day, for example, or watch live sports , or simply don’t want to be spoilt for choice in a large media library, but use the curated content on live TV.
Comacon: How will Joyn expand over the years?
Herr Raesig: It is our goal to have a german Out Of Trend – platform that gives access to cross station content. We are sure: Joyn will be the number one streaming service in Germany.
Thank you for this interview and we will be watching the development of streaming services closely.
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