From Insights to Impact: How stc tv is Innovating the Customer Experience Journey

Leading with Vision and Innovation

stc tv is the digital entertainment platform of stc Group, available in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Working with premium global and regional content providers, stc tv offers a vast library of over 28,000 on-demand movies, TV series, and more than 150 live channels, providing an immersive viewing experience across multiple devices (web browsers, smart phones, set top boxes, smart TVs, Apple TV, Chromecast, and AirPlay).

Taking a customer-centric approach, stc tv utilizes advanced data analytics to enhance personalization across the platform, delivering exclusive Arabic, Gulf, and Western content tailored to the preferences of individual viewers.

The platforms’ flexible subscription options and intuitive interface enables viewers to create personalized watchlists, discover new content, and access their favorite entertainment, all from a single account.

Executive Summary

stc tv recognized the urgent need to adapt to rapidly changing market dynamics and evolve to meet digitally sophisticated customer expectations.

The company had to undergo a strategic transformation to enhance its customer experience journey by diving into the intricacies of each user’s engagement with the platform. stc tv began this transformation by understanding that each user interaction was entirely unique and implemented a rigorous feedback mechanism to capture its customers’ digital entertainment needs across all touchpoints. The mechanism provided insights that allowed stc tv to upgrade its content offerings, improve discovery, and boost streaming quality, enabling the platform to create a more personalized and enjoyable viewing experience.

The content strategy’s design was built to connect with diverse audiences, bringing a blend of Arabic and Western cinema releases using a Master Aggregator Model. Through this approach, stc tv aims to offer a rich and locally relevant content mix by partnering with over 30 popular content providers and launching premium homegrown channels.

To match its content aggregator model, stc tv introduced new features that are designed to streamline the user journey. These include content reminders, stream quality adjustments, and personalized watchlists. Meanwhile, the platform reinvented the feedback cycle and used data analytics to keep users at the center of its growth roadmap. By blending innovation with close attention to the needs of viewers, stc tv emerged as one of the top streamers in the Middle East and North Africa region.

How Customer Expectations Reshaped the Platform

By looking closely at real-time customer insights, stc tv was able to better find the pain points in their user journey. This made it realize the immediate need to come up with a plan to address these points and create a more seamless streaming experience. It introduced improvements that enhance content personalization with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven recommendations and improved the platform interface.

Building Bridges with Viewers

The process was based on three pillars: reinventing the feedback cycle, user-driven features, and content strategy. These formed a solid foundation for stc tv’s user experience toolkit.

1. Reinventing the Feedback Cycle

stc tv took a proactive approach using the feedback of its customers to improve its viewership metrics. This helped it transform its user experience approach and create a flexible system that responds to the evolving needs of viewers. The result? stc tv became a more responsive platform that attracted viewers and kept them engaged. This transformation began with implementing an in-app survey (in May, 2022). This was followed by an AI feedback tool in September, 2023.

Direct engagement strategies were merged with advanced data analysis technology. This helped stc tv better understand how users interact with the platform. The use of data analytics and user profiling and AI-enabled Voice of the Customer (VoC) systems gave actionable insights sourced from the observation of user interactions. The process also involved using key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify any gaps and find the areas for improvement.

The success of the process was mainly due to the powerful synergies between the teams involved. The customer experience team developed the strategy. The center of excellence (CoE) team integrated feedback from users and data analysis output. The technology team and product team deployed AI systems to make sure the product enhancements continue to be implemented smoothly. In parallel, the content team expanded the stc tv library through strategic partnerships, tailoring the lineup to customer needs. Regular communication and training programs were carried out for these teams to ensure alignment and coordinate the process.

This agile and phased approach allowed stc tv to continue to innovate new solutions to optimize their offerings. At the same time, the advanced digital infrastructure of stc tv enables quick adaptations. This eventually supported the ongoing process of improving the user experience.

2. User-Driven Features

One of the key pain points stc tv found through observing the VoC system outputs is the lack of control some users experience with the platform. To give users more control over their viewing experience, stc tv added special features like the single account solution. This allows customers to use their account (with a single bill) on multiple devices and with several profiles without disrupting the service.

Another added function allows users to adjust the stream quality based on their internet connection. stc tv also focused on features that personalize the user experience, such as the content rating (like/dislike), selecting preferred genres, and content availability notifications.

Other extra features include an enhanced ‘live TV’ catalog that integrates program posters into the traditional Electronic Program Guide (EPG). Options like ‘rewind’ for linear TV programs (for up to 14 days) and the live TV search feature also simplify the streaming experience. Finally, thematic user interface skinning added another layer of customization. So, users can now change the way their app appears and benefit from a selection of themes that mark special events and seasons.

3. Content Strategy

stc tv’s Master Aggregator Model, brought together content from over 30 leading global and regional networks, offering extensive and diverse entertainment from Disney, Star, Rotana, SBC, discovery+, STARZPLAY, AnimeKey, and more. By focusing on a Saudi-centric content strategy, the platform successfully integrated Arabic content with popular Western TV series and cinema to deeply engage local audiences.

In addition to this curated mix, stc tv introduced a range of homegrown channels (stc tv cinema, stc tv drama, stc tv sports, stc tv family, stc tv kids, and stc tv anime), ensuring a broad appeal across various interests.

Catering to the region’s growing e-sports community, stc tv launched five dedicated e-sports channels during the 2024 Esports World Cup, alongside more than 5,000 pieces of crowd- sourced, short-format gaming content. These additions reinforced stc tv’s distinct position in the competitive over-the-top (OTT) space, offering a blend of local and international entertainment to audiences across the MENA region.

Delivering Measurable Success: How Enhanced Customer Journeys Drive Tangible Outcomes

stc tv’s customer-focused strategy led to substantial improvements across key performance areas:

Third OTT Provider in Saudi Arabia: stc tv secured its place among Saudi Arabia’s top three OTT platforms in ‘engagement,’ ‘brand power,’ and ‘saliency’ measures.
Improved Customer Loyalty: In-app Net Promoter Score (NPS) has increased by 95% from an average of 22 NPS in 2022/2023 to an average of 43 in 2024 (Jan to Sep, 2024). This indicates the increase in customer loyalty as a result of all the CEX enhancements throughout the year.
Customer Satisfaction Excellence: stc tv ranked a strong customer satisfaction (CSAT) score of 86%.
Outstanding App Rating: stc tv scored the highest Google Play and App Store ratings among global and regional competitors, reaching 4.7/5- and 4.6/5-star ratings, respectively.
Boosted Engagement: The platforms achieved a threefold increase in viewership, accumulating over 210 million hours of content viewed across both app and home
Customer Retention: The initiative elevated customer retention, significantly reducing churn rates.
Decreased Complaint Ratio: stc tv customer enquiries and complaints dropped by 60% throughout the past few months due to optimized app performance and ease of use.

Customer Perception Improvements

The company's strategic shift toward a customer-centric approach, supported by advanced digital tools, resulted in notable improvements in customer satisfaction, engagement, and internal efficiency.

Not only has the impact been witnessed through healthy KPIs, but it has also been reflected through a spike in positive social media engagement by customers and reaching the top three OTTs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia based on its level of engagement and brand power, according to the Kantar Brand Health Tracker.

Takeaway

stc tv’s journey has clearly demonstrated how placing the customer at the center of its strategy, combined with next-gen technology, can transform market presence, customer satisfaction, and internal processes. The platform’s focus on real-time feedback analysis, personalization, and flexible content offerings has led to an impressive 80% year-over-year (YoY) growth in active subscribers and higher CSAT.

By continuously refining its content strategy and implementing user-driven features, stc tv has successfully positioned itself as one of the leaders in the digital entertainment industry. The platform’s ability to merge high-quality local and international content with innovative technology and a seamless user interface ensures it stays ahead in a competitive market.

As stc tv continues to innovate and evolve, it is well-positioned to shape the future of entertainment, providing audiences across the region with a smooth, customized viewing experience.