Telcos and streaming subscription merchants are capitalizing on bundling partnerships in new and unique ways. An increasing number of merchants are offering products and services for Telcos to bundle as customer offers. Sophisticated targeting of those bundles boosts customer acquisition and retention, monetizing those customers more effectively.

This series explores the market trends creating the biggest opportunities in OTT bundling, explaining the innovative technology required for merchants and Telcos to maximize the full potential.

#1 Gaming is an open goal for Telcos

  • Trend: Gaming takes to the cloud as 5G opens up access to billions more gamers.
  • Opportunity: There are many video and music entertainment bundles and rewards – but fewer gaming offers. Surprising when the gaming market value is bigger than all of Hollywood! Bundle 5G services and devices with the latest gaming subscriptions to upgrade and acquire more game-loving subscribers.
  • Strategy: On-device mobile games or 5G streaming games are only part of the opportunity here. Winning with gaming means supporting online gaming across devices – from desktop and tablet devices as well as dedicated consoles. Ensure maximum offer uptake by reaching new and existing customers, through all channels, including broadband, cable services, home phone and high street retail outlets, in addition to pre-pay or post-pay mobile customers.

Online gaming and related e-sports is already huge business. The global gaming market is predicted to top $159 billion in 2020. That’s a staggering four times higher revenue than the movie industry and three times higher than the music industry.

Now, the sky’s the limit for gaming thanks to two trends. First, the global cloud gaming market is a key growth area – and predicted to skyrocket in size from $170 million in 2019 to $4.8 billion in 2023. Second, with the continued rollout of 5G, experts also predict that “faster speeds and lower latency will unleash a new generation of gaming – and not just on your phone.” It’s clear that gaming is set to dominate the streaming entertainment market in the years ahead.

We’re already seeing activity in this area from the giants – Microsoft recently leveraged the Bango Platform to open access to Xbox subscriptions and console sales. Microsoft has recognized that by delivering Xbox games via the cloud, it can leverage the bundling model used so successfully by other streaming media services. Enabling Telcos to bundle Xbox gaming packages into their subscription packages is a win-win. Telcos leverage a desirable product to increase customer acquisition and retention, while merchants gain a channel to millions of consumers to scale distribution.

Going forward, all gaming requires is a good network connection. Tying 5G and gaming together with smart marketing enables Telcos to bundle 5G packages with the latest gaming subscriptions. An enticing offer and a great route to upgrading customers by giving them what they want. So, it’s the perfect time for Telcos to introduce new bundling options and capitalize on this nascent trend.

The world’s biggest gaming brands are actively growing their global reach and introducing subscription models to build customer retention and engagement. Brands like PUBG (Player Unknown’s Battle Grounds) or Tencent Games, eSports with Garena or their top selling global phenomenon – Free Fire. Many of the top selling games made with Unity or games from Playwing and Gameloft.

And remember that engaging with gamers is not just about the games. There are compelling opportunities to include gaming hardware also, from top brands like Razer.

Capture the full opportunity….

The exploding gaming opportunity, especially cloud gaming, applies to all devices and all channels to market, not just traditional games apps on mobile phones and especially not just the latest 5G handsets.

Winning with gaming means:
  1. Supporting gaming from all devices – desktop and tablet devices as well as TVs, streaming media sticks and especially consoles. Offerings like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with its cloud gaming capabilities fully support tablets and desktop browsers, as well as phones.
  2. Reaching new and existing customers, through all channels, including broadband, cable services, home phone and high street retail outlets, in addition to pre-pay or post-pay mobile customers.
  3. Embracing all the latest ways gamers play and the games they crave. That means moving beyond on-device games with in-app purchases to support subscription gaming services like Microsoft Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Ubisoft Plus or EA Play, especially working with e-sports and big online multiplayer subscription games. It also means supporting leading cloud gaming with major brands like Amazon Luna, Google Stadia or Microsoft Xbox cloud gaming which comes as standard with Game Pass Ultimate.

Bango Resale provides the complete solution to deliver the best results from reselling and bundling products and services – across all gaming services, products and devices. Uniquely, Bango technology delivers the full customer lifecycle for your bundling and resale business. Click here to find out more.

"Embrace all the latest ways gamers play and the games they crave. That means moving beyond on-device games with in-app purchases to support subscription gaming services like Microsoft Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Ubisoft Plus or EA Play, especially working with e-sports and big online multiplayer subscription games"