3SS and Media Distillery Team Up to Enable Ultra-Personalised AI-Powered TV Viewing

Amsterdam, May 15, 2019 – 3 Screen Solutions (3SS), leading provider of software solutions for Android TV set-top boxes (STB) and multiscreen digital entertainment, and Media Distillery, recognised specialists in the use of AI technology to understand what’s inside video, announce that they have joined forces to launch and co-commercialise a new pre-integrated AI-based end-to-end platform which enables unprecedented TV service personalisation and a range of benefits for operators and their subscribers.

The AI-based solution comprises a wide combination of Machine Learning methodologies to recognise every visual and audial aspect inside video, including faces, speech, topics, logos and text. This deep content understanding and indexing of what actually makes up an item of video content enable user searches that yield highly diverse and accurate results.

Media Distillery’s technology is an ideal complement to 3SS’ 3READY front end and UI/UX solution which has rapidly grown in popularity among major operators. 3READY’s intuitive and adaptive UI helps subscribers easily discover and access compelling content, across content sources whether on connected TV, set-top box, games console, mobile device or browser.

The joint solution brings the era of true personal TV a big step closer, making it possible for the viewer to enjoy his or her own virtual linear channel tailored to his/her likes, embracing content from the operator or broadcaster, web, library, live, on-demand, catch-up, etc, all harmoniously presented.

What differentiates Media Distillery’s AI technology is that it makes each item of content searchable by creating a very broad range of metadata, with a depth and variety beyond that which is typically available using alternative solutions. The result is that the operator gets Deep Content Understanding™ in real-time and on an unparalleled scale.

Thanks to the Media Distillery technology, viewers can not only search for a programme by title, they can search by persons of interest, event or even search for recommendations by topic. The universe of content served by the operator is thus made hyper-searchable.

3READY has recently been further enhanced via the introduction of 3READY Assistant, which significantly deepens standard Google Assistant integration to give operators extra flexibility, and makes Google Assistant more powerful and functional for subscribers. Technical interconnection between Google and 3READY enables a wider array of operator-determined command options and with more granular context, further enhancing the user experience.

Voice assistants are primarily used to search, but “no results found” can frequently appear. However, the combination of voice search plus rich metadata made possible by the new 3SS-Media Distillery collaboration gives operators a powerful set of capabilities that can transform the act of searching, yielding superior user experiences and monetization possibilities.

The knowledge of what’s inside the content combines with the system’s ability to capture and interpret viewer actions and preferences.

The deep, detailed, accurate searching enabled by the joint solution is generations beyond what’s possible by using the traditional operator EPG, metadata and UIs to hunt for content. The days of “No results found” are numbered.

The solution helps operators become better content aggregators because they can gain a deeper understanding of the content they own and/or have rights to use, and will get a better understanding of all the possibilities to monetize it. Part of this is being able to provide an array of search results that is bigger, better and more finely user-tailored.

In parallel, the solution enables the operator to execute next-generation advertising strategies. Because the operator knows exactly what the viewer likes to see, relevant ads can be served which are tailored to his or her tastes and interests.

These capabilities help operators to realize maximum revenue potential from all their content assets, and from their businesses.

Helping the viewer find the content they really want, and displaying their content options with great variety in an attractive, intuitive, easy-to-use interface, will lead to subscribers spending more time interacting with the operator’s service. It will also encourage greater loyalty over the long term because the perceived value is very high.

3READY is highly flexible and pre-engineered to deliver today’s most compelling functional requirements. With its inherent automation and embedded A/B testing capability, 3READY empowers operators, broadcasters and content owners to introduce branded services faster with state-of-the-art application architecture ready to customise to business needs. Operators’ marketing objectives are thus supported, while giving world-class entertainment experiences to subscribers.

Among several awards won by 3SS and its customers at the prestigious 2019 Connies Awards last week, 3READY Assistant was named “Best Use of Connected Technology” . At the same ceremony, Canal Digital was Highly Commended by the Connies Awards judges while Com Hem Tv Hub won the prize for Best User Experience and was also Overall Grand Prix winner.

“While it may be easy to search for content, we all know it is not always easy to find it,” says Roland Sars, CEO of Media Distillery. “With our new joint solution with 3SS, viewers will get much more personal TV experiences, and finding their desired content will be quicker, easier, and more intuitive,” he added.

“With its AI expertise and innovation, Media Distillery is redefining the potential of content aggregation; it transforms an operator’s ability to really harvest content to get maximum yield, benefitting revenues while enabling great, personalised experiences for subscribers,” 

said Kai-Christian Borchers, Managing Director of 3SS. 

“The TV of the future will be both simple and personal, and the combination of Media Distillery and 3READY is making that future possible today.”