Over the last few years, Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), Disney (NYSE: DIS), Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) and a seemingly endless list of other platforms have battled it out for access to viewers’ wallets in what can only be described as “the streaming wars.”
While senior care providers aren’t directly butting heads with the likes of those businesses, some are starting to invest in streaming capabilities of their own. Most recently, for example, Synergy HomeCare has entered the battlefield through a new partnership with Saltbox TV.
On Tuesday, Synergy announced that it would be teaming up with Saltbox TV, a free streaming platform geared toward seniors, to introduce strategic programming to its clients. For Saltbox TV, this is a first-of-its-kind partnership with a home-based care provider.
“What we are doing is educating our franchise system about the availability of Saltbox TV, then arming them with resources they can use with their caregivers to help our clients access their programming,” Rich Paul, chief partnership officer at Synergy, told Home Health Care News.
Synergy is a Gilbert, Arizona-based non-medical home care franchise that operates roughly 380 franchise locations nationwide. The company offers companionship services, in addition to personal assistance, housekeeping, live-in care and 24-hour home care services.
In today’s crowded film and television landscape, it seems impossible to not have at least one streaming-services subscription. In fact, more than 40% of adults stream a subscription video-on-demand service, up from 30% in 2018 and 16% in 2015, according to data from Leichtman Research Group.
Not unlike the Criterion Channel and Mubi, steaming services that have solidified their brands by curating a film content library meant to engage dedicated cinephiles, Saltbox TV has a similarly targeted focus.
This means a variety of programming created for seniors, ranging from content centered around promoting healthy lifestyles, to nostalgia in the form of classic film and TV.
“We see the partnership as a service opportunity,” Paul said. “Like Synergy, Saltbox TV is focused on the interest of older adults that are often unaddressed by some of the entertainment outlets that are out there.”
Still, Synergy was most attracted to Saltbox TV’s specialized programming on topics such as the aging process, dementia and Alzheimer’s.
While the partnership marks the first collaboration with a home-based care provider, Saltbox TV isn’t new to the senior care space. Currently, Saltbox TV is available in 5,000 facilities, including CCRCs, retirement communities and nursing homes, according to the company.
Under the partnership agreement, Synergy will also provide original content to Saltbox TV.
“We will be partnering with Saltbox TV to look at ways in which we can collaborate on creating some original programming together focused on the topics of aging, home care and other things of that nature,” Paul said.
As streaming becomes more ubiquitous than ever, partnerships like the one between Synergy and Saltbox TV may become the norm, as they can provide a new way for home-based care providers to keep clients engaged.
Plus, Synergy’s role as a content creator uniquely positions the company to be able to shape the programming that directly addresses the needs of the demographic it serves.
“There’s research that’s been conducted on the impact of nostalgia on individuals living with Alzheimer’s and dementia,” Paul said. “One of the things that we recognize is that nostalgia can help enhance psychological well-being among seniors, … so we see this as an opportunity to not only leverage Saltbox TV’s existing programming but also to be able to further reinforce some of what they’ll develop over time.”
On its end, streaming giants like Netflix have had trouble capturing the senior market, though that’s starting to change.
In fact, according to Business Insider, individuals 50 and above are the likeliest demographic group to consume Netflix original content.
The post Synergy HomeCare to Develop Original Content with Streaming Service Saltbox TV appeared first on Home Health Care News.
