Clearleap, a provider of multiscreen services for the pay-TV industry, has signed an agreement to embed IRIS.TV's API-based personalized, programmatic playlist technology into its OTT products.
Atlanta-based Clearleap powers multiscreen platforms for HBO, A+E Networks, BBC America and other pay-TV programmers. Los Angeles-based IRIS.TV, privately backed with $1.7 million in venture capital, bills its technology as a kind of "Pandora for video," surfacing content based on user taste and behavior patterns.
It's similar in concept to the algorithmic recommendation engines used on SVOD platforms like Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) for several years.
"The main goal is to maintain and [enhance] engagement of services," said Jeff Allen, head of corporate development for Clearleap, told FierceCable. This is important, he says, "as more OTT services pop up and start competing with each other for eyeballs."
Added Richie Hyden, COO and co-founder of IRIS.TV: "The way it works now is everything is handpicked, based on how recent it is, or based on category--action goes with action, comedy goes with comedy. The whole idea we're being a little more proactive."
IRIS' programmatic video delivery technology, Adaptive Stream, is used by publishers including Tribune, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard. IRIS claims that the ability to deliver video content based on user's past selections has increased video consumption on these platforms by as much as 50 percent.
Whether IRIS' technology will work that well in the OTT world remains to be seen, but Hyden believes it will drive usage up in a similar way
"The data we see when you get viewers into that kind of experience is a large uptick of consumption," he said.
For more:
- see this IRIS.TV press release
Related links:
A+E Networks taps Clearleap to support set-top VOD
Clearleap teams with iStreamPlanet on live linear solution
Clearleap teams up with Accedo on integrated TV Everywhere product