AI Btv: Personalized Content Service Like YouTube for IPTV

First in IPTV Industry to Introduce Hyper-Personalized Service
Buy Drama Characters' Clothes Instantly with 'AI Shopping'
Next-Generation UI Introduced, Response Speed Improved Up to 8 Times

'Hyper-personalization' refers to analyzing and predicting data collected from specific behavioral patterns such as an individual's lifestyle, hobbies, and interests using artificial intelligence (AI) to provide optimized services tailored to the individual. A representative example of a service offering this is YouTube. For the first time, a company has introduced hyper-personalization to Internet TV (IPTV). It is SK Broadband's 'B tv'.

Kim Seong-su, Head of Customer Division at SK Broadband, is giving a greeting at the press conference.
[Photo by SK Broadband]

On the 20th, SK Broadband held a press conference at its headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, unveiling a large number of AI services centered on hyper-personalization. The core feature is automatically recognizing TV viewers and providing customized content. For example, if a user is usually interested in golf, golf-related content and shopping options will appear on the TV screen. On mobile B tv, the 'automatic personal identification' feature detects the B tv profile on the user's smartphone, offering a different home screen for each individual. Customized menus such as viewing history, recommended content, favorited VODs, and shopping products unfold right in the palm of the hand.

They also introduced another hyper-personalization service called 'AI Shopping.' It provides product information about clothes and accessories worn by characters appearing in videos watched on TV. By scanning a QR code with a smartphone, users are directly connected to the shopping mall. The service also analyzes viewing history to recommend products tailored to preferences by content and category. AI Shopping is also available on mobile devices.

AI curation that provides a different home screen for each individual through 'automatic personal identification'
Photo by SK Broadband

Convenience has been greatly improved as well. By applying the industry's first next-generation streaming UI technology called VCS (Video Cloud Streaming), the UI response speed and menu navigation speed have been elevated to smartphone levels. Remote control response speed has increased by 25% compared to before. Left-right menu navigation speed is 2.6 times faster, and vertical page scrolling speed has improved by 8.1 times. To enable fast menu navigation like on smartphones, a 'dock'-style menu bar was created at the top of the B tv screen. It can include VOD, OTT, TV apps, games, and can be edited directly by users. They also introduced an 'OTT Home Service' that provides integrated search to find various OTT (online video service) content such as Coupang Play at once, along with price comparison and viewing in a one-stop manner; 'Smart Subtitles' that allow users to adjust subtitle color and size; and an 'AI Human Service' that explains content through video for senior customers who find video more convenient than subtitles.

SK Broadband plans to launch a new level of search service linked with SK Telecom's A. Dot and ChatGPT by next year. Kim Seong-su, head of SK Broadband's Customer Business Division, said, “Please look forward to SK Broadband growing into a true AI media company, starting with the launch of AI B tv.”