Streaming Wars: The Most Common Customer Pain Points

3. Cancelled shows

It’s always a bummer when your favorite show gets cancelled, and this tragedy often prompts a large group of consumers to express their dissatisfaction online.

Of course, if fans make a big enough fuss online some entertainment companies have been known to backtrack on their decisions.

4. Subtitle issues

Inaccurate, missing, or inadequate subtitles are a major pain point for many people.

Examples of complaints include:

• Characters’ names spelled incorrectly in subtitles, leading to confusion. 
• Foreign-language subtitles appearing simply as “Speaks x language” as opposed to actually translating what’s being said.
• When subtitles are badly timed, so they’re not quite matched with what’s being said on screen.

Subtitle issues are far from impossible to fix, and could help streaming services become more accessible.

5. Issues with remote controls

Have you ever been asked by a streaming platform if you’re still watching a show, only to find your remote is lost under your blanket or on the other side of the room? It turns out people find that kind of annoying.

People misplacing their remotes while they’re watching movies or shows might not be something streaming services can easily control, but perhaps there are alternatives to hand-held devices that could be created and/or promoted, like voice commands.

6. Removed shows or movies

Finally, streaming services removing shows or movies from their platforms is a big annoyance. People were particularly annoyed if they had seen something they planned to watch and then came to find it had been taken down.

A potential way to combat this is by labelling movies or shows that are going to be removed soon, so expectations are managed around how long they’ll be kept online.

The bottom line

Looking at the above list, we see a lot of complaints that relate to the content streaming services provide (missing content, removed content, and cancelled content). This makes sense – a streaming service is only really as good as the content it hosts.

That said, UX is also an important thing to keep in mind when trying to retain customers. Delighting them with superior controls and interfaces is one thing, but getting the basics (like subtitles) right is also super important.

Of course, the above complaints are a general overview of common pain points for streaming services in general. Each service is unique, and understanding what users love and hate in particular can help streaming platforms retain their customers.

This data originally appeared in the Brandwatch Bulletin. If you want in on the action, get subscribed now to get future editions straight to your inbox.