Now that we have reached a point where we are flooded with a plethora of good content, we can not only consider the content’s quality when trying to get people’s attention.

In an article on Marketing Land, Peter Minnium explains why to stay relevant, creators from the media industry should also consider the context in which consumers choose to consume the content. The article refers to the consumption of content on television; however, it can also be applied to other mediums as well.

High quality content is the main player in the war for people’s attention online. Games of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and The handmaid’s tale are good examples of this.

Even though we are surrounded by a plethora of good content, viewers still only have 24 hours in a day. Therefore, it's a good idea to understand in depth the considerations that viewers must make when choosing which content to consume.

To understand the context, Peter asks four questions:

Who are you watching with?
The content we watch with friends is different from the content we see with coworkers or kids.

What type of access do you have?
Which device do you watch with? Do you prefer cinema or home viewing? Do you use a cable package or do you have a smart TV and stream Netflix? Or do you even watch directly through your smartphone?

How does it fit into your day?
Are you one of those who only watch in the evening at home? Maybe you prefer to watch on your smartphone on the train on your way home from work.

How many program options are available to you?
Were you interested in the new film because of a launch campaign or did a friend convince you to see the newest comedy? Most of us have a watch list that we keep from all the advertisements we have seen, colleague recommendations, etc. The more times we encounter content on different platforms, the more likely we are to watch it.

Good stories and quality will always interest us. We like to watch good content. Therefore, the title of King still belongs to content. However, you cannot ignore the context in which the content is provided to us. If we want to be on the winning side in the war for the viewer’s attention, we need to understand in depth what affects their viewing choices.