RATIONALE

Hub Entertainment Research asked consumers why they didn’t enter their Sign In information. The top answers were:

• The process seemed too time consuming
• I couldn’t remember my password
• I didn’t have my user information handy
• I decided to use a different method of watching the programs from that source

When it comes to overall satisfaction with the Sign In process, consumers give the highest scores to basic cable and Netflix, and consistently more negative scores to premium networks and TV service providers.

Consumers have clearly communicated that they do not want to be forced to enter their credentials every time they are accessing tv everywhere content.  Cable companies and content providers must continue to develop verification processes that function behind scenes to maintain a customer’s credentials on specific devices and in the home.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

Verification Duration

1. Allow consumers to remain signed in for a minimum of 30 days on all devices inside and outside of the Home (persistent authentication).
2. Allow for shorter persistent authentication time frames for premium networks.

“Remember Me”

Explain the “Remember Me” functionality, including:

• How long the device will remember the user’s Sign In details
• How automatic updates may disable the “Remember Me” functionality
• What will happen after the verification time-to-live expires
• That premium networks may have a shorter time-to-live in order to maintain a higher level of security.

When a browser updates, it destroys the "Remember Me" cookie, regardless of the TTL setting; this becomes less problematic with in-home auto authentication.