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This blog post is last updated in November 2025.
While numerous factors influence streaming churn such as price, content, and customer service, one often overlooked aspect is content discoverability.
A service may well have masses of content that would appeal to a subscriber, but if that content can’t easily be found, it’s effectively worthless. Viewers today are impatient. They don’t churn because there’s nothing to watch; they churn because they can’t find what they want to watch, fast enough. The moment a user starts scrolling in frustration is the moment they start considering leaving.
In this blog, we’ll explore how discoverability - supported by a unified data foundation, AI and great UX - can increase engagement, boost satisfaction, and reduce churn.
An engaged viewer is more likely to stay loyal. When users can easily find content that resonates with their interests, they watch more, explore more, and keep coming back.
High engagement directly impacts profitability because an engaged user is less likely to “ditch and switch” to another platform. Discoverability plays a pivotal role by reducing friction and guiding users to something they genuinely want to watch. Done it right, your streaming services will not only extend session duration but also create a deeper connection between user and platform.
It’s all about making the right content feel immediately within reach.
Having an attractive and compelling content catalog might help attract new users, but it’s not what keeps them. Retention depends on how quickly viewers can go from opening the app to pressing play.
Good content discovery minimizes this journey. Intuitive search functionalities, personalized recommendations, and clear navigation make it effortless for users to locate content they love.
Emerging agentic AI systems are now transforming this process even further. Instead of waiting for users to search or browse, these AI agents can proactively anticipate needs — adjusting the homepage, highlighting trending content by region, or even reordering categories in real time based on intent signals.
In this new paradigm, discovery becomes predictive rather than reactive, helping users start watching within seconds and creating the seamless immediacy they expect.
Every viewer is unique. They have different habits, moods, and ways of discovering content. The most successful services recognize this and tailor the experience for each individual.
By leveraging data on viewing history, preferred genres, and engagement patterns, video providers can create personalized discovery journeys that evolve with the user. When done right, this doesn’t just mean “recommended for you” rows — it means a dynamic interface that feels alive, adjusting as tastes shift.
But personalization is only as strong as the data beneath it. To deliver relevant, adaptive recommendations efficiently, discoverability must be supported by a unified data foundation — one that connects user behavior, metadata, and contextual insights.
Agentic AI can build on this foundation to act autonomously — identifying gaps in engagement, experimenting with different content placements, and continuously refining what each user sees. This marks a shift from static recommendation systems to self-optimizing discovery engines that learn in real time.
In today’s streaming world, users expect their experience to travel with them, from phone to tablet to TV and back again.
A viewer might start a football match on their mobile device, then switch to a TV for a more immersive family moment. If the transition feels effortless, it reinforces a sense of continuity and trust.
Cross-device consistency is crucial for retention. A well-designed, intuitive architecture ensures that navigation, recommendations, and watch progress all align across screens. This not only improves satisfaction but also broadens engagement — encouraging users to explore content in more contexts, more often.
Based on our historical data, we have found that simply streamlining content structuring and grouping can potentially lead to a 20% improvement in product usability. A smooth experience across devices minimizes the learning curve and enables users to explore a wider range of content on various devices.
Beyond algorithms and recommendations, the small design details matter. Interactive touches - like auto-playing previews, hovers, and motion design - can transform content exploration from passive scrolling to active discovery.
These micro-interactions provide subtle feedback, spark curiosity, and create moments of delight that keep users engaged. The goal is to make discovery feel natural, to make every interaction feels fluid and intentional, and to guide users intuitively toward new content that excites them.
Reducing churn isn’t achieved through one feature or one design choice. It’s the result of aligning technology, data, UX, and strategic insight to create a consistently rewarding experience.
At Accedo, we view churn reduction as a multi-faceted initiative — combining personalized content discovery, unified data systems, and advisory services to help streaming providers understand, retain, and grow their audiences.
We can help you evaluate how well your service performs in terms of discoverability and user experience. Our solutions offer actionable insights into how your OTT platform is performing, pinpointing opportunities to enhance engagement and strengthen retention. Contact us to learn more.
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