How Sling TV uses live events to stand out in the streaming TV space
December 01, 2022 | By Jareen Imam, Sr. Content and Editorial Manager
This blog post is a part of our coverage for the annual Amazon Ads conference unBoxed. At the 2022 conference, advertising leaders gathered to see our latest products and to discuss ways brands are inventing on behalf of their customers.
Missed the event? Explore more from unBoxed 2022.
Audiences today have more options to choose from when it comes to streaming their favorite content. This means streaming TV brands need to find ways to stay top of mind with audiences and inspire them to keep coming back to their services.
At unBoxed 2022, the annual Amazon Ads conference, held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City from October 25 through 27, we sat down with Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar, senior vice president of marketing for Sling TV. Joglekar oversees all marketing initiatives for Sling TV including brand development, acquisition, lifecycle marketing, retention, and online retail.
During the interview, Joglekar shared how Sling TV stands out in the streaming TV space and how the company builds connections with their customers.
What is Sling TV known for?
Sling TV is best known for being the first live-TV streaming service to market, and we innovate in the live-TV space.
How do live events help Sling TV stand out and build meaningful connections with audiences?
Live events are cultural moments that unite people at a singular point in time. In the TV and streaming world, live events have always drawn the biggest viewership and buzz. For example, sports, award shows, national or worldwide premieres, and weekly airings of top shows. It is literally can’t-miss content. Because of the timeliness, audiences may want to watch that content live, especially so they don’t get any spoilers on social media or by word of mouth. Live is Sling TV’s bread and butter. We built our business on offering live TV and continue to build ways for customers to further engage with each other and these moments by developing new innovative product features, like watch parties and live sports scores.
How does Sling TV keep audiences engaged when there are so many digital channels for watching content?
We try to stay top of mind with relevant audience by staying top of mind with sponsored ads. There’s a constant stream of customers cutting the cord or looking for a better value. Additionally, we have always-on content that’s relevant to a variety of audiences, and we want to make sure we’re top of mind at all moments. Sling TV also has a deep library of VOD content—40,000 titles—that are available to customers during all seasons.
What’s the biggest challenge to brand growth today, and why?
There are more streaming options than when we first launched. That means a lot of noise in the streaming space. Sling TV is a service that brings together the best of live paid TV, free streaming, and direct-to-consumer services. Our challenge is cutting through the noise and making sure customers understand the breadth of our content.
What advice do you have for brands interested in jumping into digital marketing?
It’s more important than ever that creative and media work together hand in hand. Great creative not getting in front of relevant audiences is likely going to yield negative results. Once you have that constant, test and learn. We are learning more about our customers every day, so never stop testing.
What gets you excited about the future of streaming?
Since Sling TV launched, we enabled customers to take control of their entertainment. We’ve seen a lot of new players come into the space since, and at times, that has created confusion for where content lives and a price crunch on where customers can spend. I think the industry’s ability to help customers easily find the content they want to watch and stay easy on their wallet is very exciting, and Sling TV can play a huge role in that.