Virgin Media, zone·tv launch AI-powered kids channel
September 12, 2018
Virgin Media has announced the launch of its personalised VoD channel for children, My Virgin TV Kids, in partnership with zone·tv.
My Virgin TV Kids allows young viewers to customise their viewing experience and programming line-up in real time. The new feature will be available through Virgin Media’s smallest, smartest, fastest set-top box – the V6, powered by TiVo – later this month.
The introduction of My Virgin TV Kids is the first European launch for zone·tv and will enable Virgin TV’s youngest viewers to design the channel to reflect their individual programming interests simply by watching TV.
Kids will be able to enjoy a range of TV favourites, including Teletubbies, Pingu and Bob the Builder, by entering the VoD Channel through the Virgin TV programming guide. They can then watch TV or scroll forward or backward in the guide to pick the show they want – regardless of when it’s scheduled to run. My Virgin TV Kids will use advanced technology from zone·tv to learn and personalise programming as kids choose what to watch or to skip; developing recommendations based on the child’s favourite themes, characters and programmes and generating intelligent, personalised playlists.
David Bouchier, Chief Digital Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media, commented: “My Virgin TV Kids’ intelligent and personalised playlists, powered by the technology of zone·tv, are a genuine innovation for a Pay TV platform. This represents the latest smart technology and combines it with the functionality of an on-line playlist and quality TV to deliver a unique experience for Virgin TV customers. Children will have even more freedom to enjoy and learn from the programmes they love within the safe and contained environment of our great TV service.”
Jeff Weber, CEO at zone·tv, added: “Our human curated technology, powered by AI, combined with Virgin Media’s vision means subscribers in the UK will be first in Europe to experience a revolutionary, personalised channel expressly designed for Virgin Media’s youngest customers. Our Dynamic Channels platform brings some of the world’s most popular children’s shows to life in a way that is totally unique among video services.”