Streaming Media Connect Sneak Preview: Now It’s Personal - AI and Streaming Personalization
No other events provide the clarity and information you'll find at Streaming Media conferences. That’s why Streaming Media attracts serious, high-level technology decision makers ready to do business. For more than 20 years, our events have been the No. 1 gathering place for streaming industry professionals. Join us this August 20-22 for the next installment of Streaming Media Connect, a FREE online event.
On Tuesday, August 20, leading new media and technology producer and strategist Chris Pfaff will moderate the panel “Now It’s Personal: AI and Streaming Personalization.” Many of the ways AI is poised to alter the streaming ecosystem happen behind the scenes, involving the streamlining of workflows or the automation of repetitive production or delivery tasks. But AI also has the potential to transform viewing experiences, making them more personal and immersive. The panel explores what’s possible and what’s probable and how we can expect to see AI’s real-world impact on streaming experiences take shape in the months and years to come.
Confirmed panelists include Chris Regina, Chief Content Officer, TCL, Shobana Radhakrishnan, Senior Director of Engineering, Google TV, Alex Gruber, Chief Product Officer, Deltatre, and Arash Pendari, Founder - Creative Director - Product Evangelist, Vionlabs AB.
Moderator Chris Pfaff is renowned for integrating leading-edge technology into the media and entertainment community. He was the first to use IRC for an interactive corporate webcast; produced one of the first DVDs, in March, 1997; produced the first HD animated logo; produced numerous multipoint broadband events in the late-1990s; produced some of the first mobile short films in 2002-2003, and produced the first Twitter Wall in 2011. His company, Chris Pfaff Tech/Media LLC, provides strategy and marketing services for leading technology service providers, technology firms, and new media companies worldwide.
Panelist Shobana Radhakrishnan leads Google TV engineering at Google, focusing on experience, personalization, and cloud systems. Prior to this, she led teams that built high-scale streaming platforms enabling personalization at Roku. Her experience also includes engineering leadership roles in companies such as Netflix, Symantec, and Yahoo, as well as startups.
When asked about where he sees AI having the biggest impact on personalizing streaming experiences, Pfaff says, “The ability for AI to detect users' complex moods or sentiments – combined with external events – to personalize streaming video, will have an enormous impact on viewers' choices, their stickiness, and the overall value of streamers' libraries.”
Radhakrishnan says, “I think AI has the best ability to bring the most valuable news, the most delightful content and the most immersive experience tailored to the preferences, habits, and even the mood of the user at the time. Think of your own personal assistant that can take all the barriers and churn of finding the best content, changing settings on your device to best render streaming devices and just get you to the point of relaxation and entertainment at the speed of thought! When done with the right privacy and security aspects incorporated effectively, AI can bring the best experiences for everyone in the family and home across the world.”
Panelist Alex Gruber is a seasoned executive with over two decades of experience in product leadership. He specializes in building and nurturing teams that deliver exceptional products that drive company growth and innovation. Most recently, Alex served as the Vice President of Product at Carbyne, where he led the strategic direction of the product and go-to-market. Before that, he was the VP of Product Management at Vonage, where he led the transformation of the business unit, launched several groundbreaking products, one of which was awarded a patent. At SigmaCare, a healthcare startup, he served as the Director of Product, overseeing the design and rollout of the company’s flagship product.
"AI is touching nearly every part of streaming these days," Gruber says. "Recommendations and ad targeting are where we see the most real-world use. It’s all about boosting revenue while keeping viewers happy. Since revenue is a major focus for streamers, using AI to show people content they actually want to watch and ads that don’t make them reach for the skip button helps reduce churn and creates more value for the ad inventory."
Regarding what he has seen as the best example of AI's impact on streaming user experiences to date, Pfaff says, “There has been some stunning work from Cineverse and Viaplay in recent years on intelligent search. This is the core of what AI can do to create a service - with a decent library, of course - that really becomes a personalized, AI-driven video service. That is the essence of what the cognitive features and heuristics can deliver for subscribers.”
Radhakrishnan says, “Google TV is actually an AI-first streaming platform and has been from the get-go bringing the goodness of Google search to find great content on TV. We have seen amazing CSAT scores and user reviews after we enhanced the traditional Android TV, from the successful platform it already was, to AI-enabled, content-forward immersive user experiences that users love across the world.”
"Personalization and smart ad targeting are prime examples of AI’s impact on the streaming experience," Gruber says. "AI doesn't just know what you like to watch, but also when and how you prefer to watch it. It analyzes hundreds of variables (if not more), considering factors like whether you’re watching alone or with family or if it's raining outside to suggest the perfect show. For ads, AI targets based on user behavior and external factors such as weather and time of day. So, if you're watching a comedy, you'll see uplifting, funny ads that match the show's tone. If it’s a movie about a trip, the ads will be related to travel or food. It’s all about making ads as relevant and engaging as the content you enjoy."
Panelist Chris Regina is Chief Content Officer for TCL North America. Since joining the company in February, 2023, his focus is on building the company’s AIGC initiative, IDEO interactive, strategy, acquisitions, UI/UX and original development for the TCLtv+ FAST/AVOD streaming service. "At TCL, we believe that the role of AI extends beyond personalization and platform navigation,” he says. “We are thinking bigger and are investing in content creation powered by AI. AI can be a new tool for storytellers to help bring extraordinary visions to life."
Radhakrishnan, Gruber, and Pfaff are optimistic about the consumer adoption of and trust in AI as personal assistants in their streaming experiences, especially if proper measures are implemented to protect data. “Using a 'privacy by design' methodology should prevent users' data from being improperly manipulated or shared, so that the burden lies more on the AI builds, and the kinds of IP sensors/beacons that could help personalize streaming experiences,” Pfaff says. “I think that users will interact with their streaming services in more real-time conversational manners, so that core personal data is not necessarily the driver for a personalized stream.”
Radhakrishnan says, “I think it is more about understanding that it is always important to remember it is all about user delight and trust. When those are gone, all bets are off for any product, especially one that's right in the living room in your home. Putting together the right mindset into evolving a product and the best practices associated with it, including transparency and control in the hands of the user, it is possible to take personalization to great heights without making a lot of difficult or unnecessary trade-offs for the product or the user.”
Gruber says, "AI is like any tool - we can use it as a tool or weapon. We need to ensure we have strong privacy policies in place and that data is not sold, shared, or improperly used and, as much as possible, de-identified. But it doesn't have to be all or nothing. I think the key is being upfront with users about how their data helps improve their experience and giving them easy ways to control what they share. Even for more privacy-conscious users, we can still offer a decent experience without getting too personal.”
Pfaff agrees that once this mindset is established for viewers, “I think that users will be willing to train their services and devices better to gain desired results without having to trade too much information.”
Panelist Arash Pendari is Founder of Vionlabs Cognitive AI. He is a serial entrepreneur and a keynote speaker with a rich history in media and game production, particularly in creating special effects through cutting-edge technology. Arash stands out as an innovative serial entrepreneur. He’s the visionary behind Vionlabs Cognitive AI, a pioneering solution transforming the media entertainment industry. Vionlabs is at the forefront of producing rich, automated metadata from films and TV series, like mood analytics, keyword extraction, and producing thumbnails and preview clips. This has empowered streaming platforms to showcase their content more effectively, optimizing viewer engagement while enhancing the overall entertainment experience and reducing viewer frustrations.
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