Telenet taps Media Distillery AI to improve user experience

Liberty Global-majority owned Belgian cable operator Telenet is teaming up with artificial intelligence specialist Media Distillery to use AI to improve the TV experience for users of digital video recorders and catch-up TV services.

Telenet will tap into Media Distillery’s technology that accurately identifies when programmes actually start. This is a pain point for viewers using digital video recorders or replay services, since the time advertised in electronic programme guides rarely corresponds to the actual start time.

Using real-time analysis across multiple channels, EPG Correction from Media Distillery provides automatic adjustments to update the actual start time of television programmes as they are broadcast, so that users can go straight to the start of a recorded programme.

The Media Distillery systems use the company’s Deep Content Understanding technology to identify and label features in audiovisual media automatically, enabling television and video service providers to enhance the presentation of programmes and improve the viewing experience for their customers.

Telenet, the Belgian communications company majority owned by Liberty Global, is rolling out the Media Distillery technology in phases across over 100 television channels between now and the end of the year to provide an improved experience for up to 1.8 million video customers.

“Inaccurate start times are a real problem for our customers. With the Media Distillery solution we can consistently provide a better playback experience across all the channels we deliver, without requiring complex technical integrations with multiple broadcasters,” said Dimme Pleysier, the senior product manager for entertainment at Telenet.

“This is great example of how Media Distillery technology can deliver practical solutions for service providers and enhance the viewing experience for their customers,” says Roland Sars, the CEO of Media Distillery.

“Using artificial intelligence we can identify various audiovisual features to add value and improve the ways in which viewers can navigate programmes to provide a more compelling user experience.”