#1 Custom Television Network

A custom television network is a relatively new technology. It’s a platform that delivers a variety of TV programming (that you can control), combined with the ability to message to your patients. Your messaging can take many forms; from your own videos and commercials to “digital signage” imagery, and programmable text on the screen. The Custom TV Network, pioneered by companies like It’s Relevant TV, keep television on the television, combine it will messaging, and provides ample control to the medical practice.

#2 Medical Information TV / Digital Signage

Medical Information TV provides a limited library of medical content, typically geared at medical specialties. At first glance these services, including ViewMedica, seem like a great match for a medical waiting room, but a closer examination of patient feedback shows that the content could use a boost. The goal of these services is to “educate your patients”, but if your patients aren’t engaged enough to watch the TV it’s really had to get that done.

The videos play on loop and can get very repetitive for patients sitting in front of them for any length of time. For this reason patients tend to “tune out” fairly quickly. They’d rather browse social media on their phones than watch a TV filled with only medical content and advertising for the practice.

Medical Information TV providers typically charge for access to videos and may charge extra per video you want to use. Some providers place pharmaceutical ads on your television that may become a source of added stress or anxiety for your patients.

#3 Cable Television

Cable TV is the service most often used in medical environments across the U.S. Cable lacks the ability to control anything other than choosing the channel you are on in any given moment. Competitive advertisements, inappropriate content and more can come across a cable TV broadcast. And short of advertising on cable, you can’t put your own messaging on the TV.

Best ViewMedica Alternative

While ViewMedica’s library of medical videos on demand is very much appreciated by doctors and specialists, you can do better than ViewMedica’s VM Cast service in your waiting room. Playing a small selection of medical videos that may not be relevant to your patients, over and over as they wait is a surefire way to lower patient satisfaction. Instead we recommend a custom television solution like It’s Relevant TV. Keeping the content relevant is crucially important for better visitor experience and online reviews.

Utilizing ViewMedica in the exam room, on a tablet for instance, is a great way to have videos on demand to show your patients. But it’s just not as good of a fit for the waiting room.

It’s much wiser to use a service that focuses solely on waiting room TV to provide the best patient experience, instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Relevance is key to keep engagement high. Check out It’s Relevant TV and Rele.tv for truly relevant solutions for medical waiting room environments.

Keep ads out of your business!

Business owners are looking for solutions to remove ads from their TVs. Whether you operate a restaurant, retail location, medical office or car dealership, you’d likely prefer an AD-FREE TV option for your visitors to enjoy. But cable TV is riddled with ads, and streaming services like Netflix aren’t legal to use inside of a business. So what can you use that gets rid of the ads, is legal, and will still entertain and inform your visitors?

There are a few “custom tv” options out there today that can help you achieve these goals. They are all services that have secured content for commercial display to save you from licensing worries, but they are not created equal. The services differ in the following ways:
1. Size of Content Library
2. Variety of Content
3. Cost

If you don’t care to read about all of the details and would rather skip to the punchline, we believe that It’s Relevant and Rele.TV are the best options for Ad-Free TV.

1. Size Matters (for content libraries)

Q: What’s worse than seeing a TV filled with countless ads?
A: Seeing the same programs over and over on an endless loop

Many companies that provide tv services to business operate with a limited library of content. Content is costly, and many of the largest custom TV operators purchase their content to use forever. And they only purchase just enough content in order to keep their expenses low and maximize their profits. This leads to a lot of looping channels, and unsatisfied viewers.

As a business owner you want to find a company that works with TV networks and content producers regularly to make sure you have fresh content year round. The more content they have the less “loopy” you will feel watching the TV.

2. The Greater the Variety, the More People You Will Please

No matter what you do you can’t please everyone all of the time. But if you use a TV provider that is only offering a limited set of content, or only a handful of channels to choose from, it’s even harder to make your visitors happy.

Many industry folks think that their visitors want to hear about their industry while they wait. But it’s just not true.

Just because you are at a car dealership waiting for your car to be repaired, or at the doctors office waiting to be seen by a doctor, does not mean you want to hear about car or medical stuff the whole time. People in those situations are typically happier when they can take their minds off of the fact that they have to be there. Location owners can do their visitors a great service by putting a variety of content in front of them.

A lot of services tout their ability to remove outside ads from TV, but they also remove TV programming from the TV at the same time! A lot of times these services are referred to as “digital signage” and they have pretty much tossed the baby out with the bathwater. They use a television to display a looping set of videos or image slides (signage) instead of TV programming. And who wants to watch a sign???

3. Ad-Free Doesn’t Mean It’s Free. You Still Get What You Pay For

The third thing to look out for when selecting an Ad-Free TV provider for your business is cost. Cost is typically the top of the list for most businesses when considering their options, but the TV is one area you do not want to skimp on.
Here’s why:
1) The TV shapes visitors impressions of your business environment.
2) The TV can be a great tool to communicate with your visitors.
3) What’s on the TV can generate more business for you, or take business away.
4) Positive waiting experiences lead to better online reviews.

A lot of business owners gravitate towards “Free TV Services” for their businesses. And who wouldn’t want something for free? Well the old saying “you get what you pay for” holds true here. Free TV services typically have limited content, and are often ad-supported. And if you can’t control the content and/or advertising, it’s not worth it. Not even for “free”.

There are a number of services you can find for under $100 a month that will give you better content, an ad-free experience, and provide ways to promote your own business on the TV. We recommend taking a look at It’s Relevant TV and Rele.tv for feature-rich ad-free TV options.

These platforms include licensed television shows without the commercials that usually accompany them. So the content is high quality, but the focus remains on you, and providing your visitors with a great experience. And unlike the majority of television, these are built for your business, not for advertisers.

Month: February 2022

ViewMedica Alternatives for Waiting Room TV – VMCast Reviews