Corporate TV: The Next Big Thing in Enterprise Communication

One of the most significant ongoing challenges for communication professionals is figuring out what engagement technology to invest in next. And unfortunately, there is a great deal of noise in communications platform space these days. Technology companies are pushing 'innovations' ranging from short-form asynchronous video (basically corporate Snapchat) to self-service live streaming (basically corporate Twitch) to audio huddles . . . which, to the disappointment of many, turned out to be nothing more than video meetings with the video turned off.

It's fair to say the enterprise communication technology space is in a bit of a creative funk right now, and the time is right for something new. But the good news is, the 'something new' we are seeking is already here—and it's called Corporate TV.

What is Corporate TV?

In its simplest form Corporate TV is an 'always on' video portal similar in design to any popular subscription streaming service or app, but purpose-built for enterprise content—training courses, onboarding videos, sales enablement tools, demand generation assets, recorded webcasts and company town halls being a few examples. Much like a consumer streaming service Corporate TV provides viewers (in this case employees and external stakeholders) with usability features including carousel viewing, customized channels, playlists, cross-recommendations, robust search, account security, and the very familiar 'movie app' experience companies like YouTube and Netflix have been training us to love since the mid-2000s.

But above and beyond the usability stuff, Corporate TV comes with things that transform enterprise communication into an engaging, audience-building powerhouse. Features like flawless video viewing on any device (including Smart TVs), the ability to stream live events, multiple subscription and e-commerce options, and full integration with mission-critical applications in the marketing, HR and communications stack are also standard. To put it more simply, Corporate TV gives enterprises the opportunity to deliver video content to stakeholders in the same manner professional media organizations deliver it to their customers . . . at a fraction of the cost, and without requiring an IT team to manage it all.

Corporate TV for Internal Communication

When it comes to Corporate TV for internal use, enterprises can now offer employees a single, out of the box, easy to manage and highly familiar experience for accessing video content across the organization, as well as its departments and functions. Content producers can also make individual videos or entire playlists accessible by role, department or team, and track internal engagement with video assets down to the user level.

But with Corporate TV, delivery of on demand video is just the beginning. Corporate TV can be used to stream and manage live internal events as well—including monthly town halls, recognition ceremonies, wellness festivals, benefits workshops, culture summits and sales kickoff meetings. And Corporate TV platforms come with their own intelligent video delivery networks, which support an unlimited number of concurrent viewers and automatically optimize video content for each end-user device.

Corporate TV for External Communication

If distributing live and on demand video to employees in a Disney Plus-style format is an exciting thought, imagine what marketers can do with this technology for external audiences. On the stakeholder engagement side, a single Corporate TV portal can be set up to serve every external group an enterprise supports. Customers, partners, contract employees, vendors, analysts, investors and even board members can be served video via Corporate TV, with both on demand video and live events (product rollouts, partner training, investor calls, analyst briefings and customer summits) secured and accessible by user type.

And for demand-focused marketers, Corporate TV offers a nearly unlimited ability to build audiences, generate leads and drive revenue directly. Corporate TV can be the home for an enterprise's most high-value marketing and lead generation assets—all of which can be placed behind authentication or paid subscriber walls, and integrated with existing marketing automation and marketing analytics technologies. Live marketing events like thought leadership sessions, web shows and entertainment-focused content can be made available in a variety of registration models including free, paid, recurring subscription and even ad supported.

Wrapping it Up

It is rare when technology allows an enterprise to approach stakeholders in a truly different way. But as we discussed earlier, Corporate TV can turn any internal or external communication effort into a media-quality experience—for a fraction of what companies like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO Max paid to develop their platforms. It's also an exciting technology that market-leading companies like Salesforce, DemandBase and Terminus have recently implemented for VERY high profile use cases (Google it) and thousands more companies are scrambling to learn about.

The message here is simple: if your organization isn't giving Corporate TV a serious look in 2021, your competitors surely are—which means you're already behind.