HBO Max is the latest streaming service to add TikTok-like short-form video to its platform to help users find something to watch. The service is also launching an experimental AI-powered conversational search experience, Warner Bros. announced Tuesday. HBO Max, like other streaming platforms, is rethinking content discovery as large libraries make it harder for viewers
HBO Max is the latest streaming service to add TikTok-like short-form video to its platform to help users find something to watch. The service is also launching an experimental AI-powered conversational search experience, Warner Bros. announced Tuesday.
HBO Max, like other streaming platforms, is rethinking content discovery as large libraries make it harder for viewers to find something to watch and audiences become accustomed to short-form content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
With its vertical video streaming and AI search feature, the platform aims to give users more ways to browse its content library and find something to watch.
The new “Shorts” icon in the bottom navigation menu of the HBO Max app will open a feed of trailers, clips, and bonus content. The company says that the content that appears in a user’s feed is personalized to their individual tastes and preferences based on viewing history. If users find a video they find interesting, they can start watching the TV show or movie right away, or they can choose to save it to their list to watch later.
Warner Bros. also says that the clips included in the video are powered by an artificial intelligence tool that uses scene-level metadata to analyze thousands of hours of movie and TV show content to surface the most engaging scenes for discovery. HBO Max editors then decide which clips best represent the streaming service’s content library.
HBO Max joins streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ and Peacock, all of which feature vertical video streams to showcase clips from their content libraries.
Warner Bros. says the new vertical feed is being tested with select iOS users in the US before rolling it out to more devices and markets.
The new conversational search feature uses natural language understanding to interpret queries and recommend relevant movies and TV shows. For example, you can search for terms like “looking forward to a comedy,” “dysfunctional family drama,” or “best movie for a girls’ night out” to find relevant recommendations.
It’s worth noting that Netflix launched a similar AI-based search experience for its users last year. HBO Max and Netflix aren’t the only streaming services leveraging AI, as Amazon has an AI voice search experience on Fire TVs that answers open queries about TV shows and movies.
The new experimental HBO Max feature is available to select Android users in the US, with plans to expand to more devices and markets soon.
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