How push notifications work
The viewer grants permission, and the device registers a token with Apple's or Google's notification service. To send a message, the streaming service passes it with the token to that notification service, which delivers it. Tapping the notification can open the app directly at a title.
What streaming services send
- A new episode of a series the viewer is following
- A live event about to start
- A reminder to continue something half watched
- New arrivals in a genre the viewer watches
- A rental about to expire, or a title leaving the catalog
- A payment problem, or a trial about to end
Doing it well
Relevance decides everything. A message about a series the viewer is watching is welcome; the same announcement sent to everyone is noise, and noise leads people to switch notifications off, after which you cannot reach them at all.
Ask for permission at a moment when its value is obvious, such as when the viewer adds a series to their list. Limit how many messages one person gets per week, respect time zones, and measure opens, plays that follow and opt-outs.
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