Streaming service shows the bliss of not having to choose what to watch

You work all day, so choosing what show to watch after hours shouldn’t feel like a job. Live TV streamer Philo calls that “streaming stress” in its latest campaign to promote the bliss of its upcoming, curated channel where one doesn’t have to choose a thing and instead just sit back and watch. The average American household subscribes to more than four different streaming services and spends nearly twenty minutes a day scrolling through options, according to research from Kantar cited by the brand. While Philo is another streaming platform, featuring live TV from popular channels as well as an on-demand library, it seeks to set itself apart through a curated “Comfort Channel” offering, that is a constant stream of fan-favorite shows from networks including VH1, Nickelodeon and HGTV. The offering will launch in August. The “Channel Comfort” campaign created with agency Red Antler juxtaposes scrollers experiencing “streaming stress” against their serene counterparts who take the form of alien creatures. A lead spot begins with a woman scrolling through a massive roster of tiny TV show posters on her couch. “When did watching TV become so complicated?” asks the video’s narrator. “What if you could just turn it on and watch like you’re meant to watch?” This question ripples the woman’s face to reveal a surreal living room where two Stonehenge-like faces draped in moss, flowers and a snail exhale peacefully while watching the History Channel. The joyous monsters also include a trio of giggling fuzzies watching “Spongebob Squarepants,” a multitasking, metallic puppet streaming from multiple devices in a bathtub, a fluffy pink ball crying over a romance scene and a flock of feathered and flowered humanoids dancing around a laptop. The otherworldly montage of oddities ends with the tagline, “With Philo, you can just tune in to your most comfortable self,” as a being seemingly made out of puff jacket material levitates off its couch. “TV used to be about unplugging, but now many of us struggle to keep up with everything we’re expected to binge in one sitting—not to mention all the different platforms,” said Red Antler's Executive Creative Director Lindsay Brillson in a statement. “Philo is a peace offering amid the streaming wars.” The spot and shorter vignettes were shot in Mexico City by women-owned production companies Honor Society and The Producers. The spot’s creatures were executed through puppetry, animatronics and costumed actors. They were further enhanced by post-production from Bandit Editorial. The spots will run on cable TV and digital platforms through September. The “Channel Comfort” campaign will continue through print ads beginning in September.

Streaming service shows the bliss of not having to choose what to watch

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