Redefining SonyLIV's OTT Subscription
Overview
Between 2019 and 2021, SonyLIV experienced exponential growth, solidifying its position as one of India’s leading OTT platforms.
Market Growth Stats
2019: SonyLIV’s user base tripled, while content consumption increased 7x compared to the previous year. Smaller towns saw a 4x surge, and metro areas grew 3x. (Statista, MediaNews4U)
March 2021: The platform reached 21 million unique visitors in India, though retention rates fluctuated. (EnterpriseAppsToday)
Client
SonyLIV
Category
Entertainment, B2C
Contribution
UX Research, UI Design, Prototype, Design Handoff, Testing
Team
1 × product designer, 1 × product managers, 3 × engineers
Year
2021
Impact
• 22% increase in paid subscriptions post-redesign.
• Faster decision-making due to improved plan clarity and UX flow by 40%.
• User engagement with plan selection increased 2.3x, showing improved interaction and confidence in purchasing decisions.
• Conversion rate (% of customers who complete a purchase) increased to 47.8% (due to the lower price points being available).
• Cancellation rate reduced by 16% (again due to lower price points being available).
Process
The Challenge
Despite this massive surge in users, the subscription conversion rate did not grow proportionally. The existing plan selection experience was unclear, lacked structured pricing differentiation, and led to high drop-offs at checkout.
To capitalise on SonyLIV’s growth momentum, we redesigned the subscription selection and payment flow to:
- Simplify decision-making with structured plan comparisons.
- Improve pricing visibility & upsell strategies to increase conversions.
- Streamline the payment experience, ensuring a seamless transition from selection to checkout.
The Result
The redesign directly contributed to a 22% increase in subscription conversions and a 17% drop-off reduction.
Sprint 1
Discovery Phase
- Data Analysis: Google Analytics revealed a 38% exit rate on the plan selection page.
- Internal Research: Customer support data indicated users frequently dropped off due to pricing confusion.
-Competitive Benchmarking: Studied Disney+ Hotstar & Zee5, which had better-structured plan layouts and smoother checkout experiences.
Sprint 2
Hypothesis: If we simplify plan selection through clear feature comparisons, add psychological pricing nudges, and improve payment clarity, we can boost conversions and reduce drop-offs.
Wireframe Exploration
- Multiple Plan View: Side-by-side comparison of all plans.
- Two-Plan Selection: Simpler comparison to reduce decision fatigue.
- Single-Plan Checkout: Minimalist approach to fast-track users into purchase mode.
- QR-based payment, CTA clarity, and discount visibility.
Sprint 3
- Final Design Enhancements.
- Side-by-side plan comparison to eliminate confusion.
- Psychological nudges ("Best Value Plan", "Most Popular Choice") to drive engagement.
- Clearer pricing structure across monthly, quarterly, and annual plans.
- Optimised payment flow with discount callouts and QR-based transactions for easier checkout.
Final Validation Checks
- A/B testing showed 40% faster plan selection times in the redesigned interface.
- Stakeholder validation gave the new design an 85% confidence rating.
- Post-launch data confirmed a 22% conversion increase and 17% drop-off reduction.
Outcome
Competitive benchmarking guided the redesign. Stakeholder validation ensured clarity improvements. Post-launch analytics confirmed increased engagement and conversions.
- More users successfully completed the subscription process.
- 17% drop-off reduction on the selection page.
- Fewer failed transactions due to improved payment steps.
- 40% faster decision-making in plan selection.
- 2.3x increase in engagement with the subscription flow.
Final Outcome & Next Steps
The redesign directly contributed to SonyLIV’s exponential growth, making the subscription experience more intuitive, user-friendly, and conversion-focused.
