Free Live Sports has moved its streaming applications to a new technology platform that uses artificial intelligence to personalize the order in which viewers see sports channels.
The artificial intelligence-powered personalized recommendations were enabled thanks to a partnership between tech developer Gizmeon and Sports Studio, the parent company of Free Live Sports.
The free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service is now operating on Gizmott, a platform developed by Gizmeon that allows the company to tap into different AI-powered features.
With the migration to Gizmott complete, Free Live Sports has introduced a personalized electronic program guide (EPG) that changes the order of channels based on a viewer’s watching habits.
Rather than presenting the same channel lineup to everyone, the guide prioritizes channels that individual viewers watch most frequently. A viewer who regularly watches combat sports, for example, could see those channels listed ahead of programming dedicated to soccer or motorsports.
The approach is intended to address a common challenge facing free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services: Helping viewers find programming across increasingly large channel lineups without requiring them to scroll through lengthy electronic program guides.
“Sports fans don’t want to scroll through a hundred channels to find the game. They want the guide to already know them,” Cathy Rasenberger, the co-Founder of Sports Studio, said in a statement. “Moving FLS to Gizmott let us build a guide that does exactly that.”
Sports Studio is also planning additional changes to Free Live Sports, including the introduction of vertical video feeds featuring sports highlights, clips and commentary. The feeds will be accessible through the service’s mobile and connected television applications, offering viewers a way to browse short-form sports content outside the traditional linear channel experience.
Other planned features will allow viewers to interact with programming using their television remotes, potentially creating new advertising opportunities beyond conventional commercial breaks. Sports Studio did not provide a timetable for the rollout of those features or specify what types of interactive advertising capabilities might become available.
The enhancements come as more FAST and video on-demand platforms look at ways to improve content discovery and viewer engagement, with a concentrated focus on delivering more-personalized channel and show recommendations to viewers.
For sports-focused services, personalized recommendations could help viewers navigate programming across multiple leagues, competitions and sports categories without relying entirely on conventional channel guides.
“Sports audiences are some of the most engaged viewers in streaming, and Free Live Sports is a great showcase for what Gizmott’s AI capabilities can do for discovery,” Firoze Moosakutty, the Chief Executive Officer of Gizmeon, said in a statement.
Free Live Sports is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple iOS and Android devices, along with other supported platforms. Viewers can also access the service through its website without paying a subscription fee. Sports Studio also distributes its sports programming through other FAST services, including YouTube and TiVo Channels.
