Though the new Technicolor media discovery app, M-GO, is aimed initially at the CE market, the company is also talking to Pay TV operators about how it can be used on their set-top boxes or via companion screens to improve their customer experience. A key feature of M-GO is the ability to deep search using metadata spanning 100,000 movies and 300,000 TV shows, and the search and recommendation engine will embrace Pay TV content, Technicolor’s own online VOD service and other third-party OTT VOD stores. According to Greg Gudorf, Chief Operating Officer for MediaNavi at Technicolor, the content business rules can be adjusted for each operator to ensure that the OTT VOD complements rather than competes with the Pay TV offer.
There is no solid trend for how Pay TV operators with their own VOD are going to balance the need to protect their own catalogues yet respond to consumer demands for more choice. Companies like Netflix are attractive thanks to good value subscriptions covering a mass of long-tail content. Pay TV providers could grow their own catalogues but another option is to focus on the most popular titles and make it easier for their customers to find the rest, taking the credit for being a one-stop user interface for all things good in entertainment. And now, as well as embedding their own search and recommendation into the general ‘middleware’ of the platform, they have the option of harnessing a media discovery app like M-GO as well.
Technicolor says M-GO stands apart from the media discovery crowd for a few reasons. First, it understands each of us as individuals rather than households, using personal log-ins to ensure that we get recommendations based on what we like rather than the heaviest video user in the building. “When my children were still teenagers it drove me crazy that my Netflix recommendations were skewed to what they found important, so that I never got valuable recommendations. So from the start we have recognized the needs of the multi-person household,†explains Gudorf.
Another strength of M-GO is the relevance of its search and recommendation results, the company says. Gudorf emphasises that the app delivers curated content suggestions that are filtered, rather than a raw list of online locations where there are no guarantees that the source is even legitimate. “Consumers just want to find a movie or TV show so they can watch it and that need is not going to served by listing every link to every movie reference on the web,†he notes. The app also encompasses both OTT and live broadcast television.
As part of the studio and Pay TV establishment, Technicolor can be trusted as a partner within the existing content ecosystem rather than a disruptor. That fact should not be underestimated in the current climate.
Gudorf is keen to point out that the initial opportunity for M-GO is with CE vendors. Technicolor launched the app at CES this month with three impressive partnerships: the app will be pre-loaded onto all Samsung Smart TVs, all VIZIO Smart TVs and also Intel Ultrabooks this year. That will give M-GO significant penetration and visibility quickly.
The fact that VIZIO is actually providing an M-GO button on its remote control is the icing on the cake: VIZIO users can launch right into the app without browsing the TV interface first. “The response of the CE market underscores the strength of M-GO in realising the need for personalisation,†says Gudorf. “That is driving how we are being exposed to the consumer, and where we are positioned in the UI hierarchy on the platforms.â€
Where the relevant content for consumers is in the Technicolor VOD offering, it is presented to consumers first and the transactional relationship is between the consumer and M-GO. If the content is not available there, M-GO presents other sources where you can find the content, like Netflix. Consumers then follow the link to the third-party store and have a direct customer relationship with them. In the case of Pay TV, there is the possibility to integrate Technicolor VOD store transactions into the operator billing systems if someone wants to create a more holistic experience for customers.
Not surprisingly, M-GO is a multi-screen app so the discovery experience can be moved away from the main screen when appropriate. In addition to personalized search and discovery, the app will provide remote control functions from the companion device, like changing channel. If used as a Pay TV companion, M-GO takes account of the user location and who their service provider is to map the operator channels into the search and recommendation process. At launch there is some social TV connectivity that will be developed over time. Overall, the company is describing M-GO as a free next generation app that unifies your media and media access.
