AMC Networks said it has partnered with startup Katch to use its “human-powered media genome” for insights into its linear networks and streaming services.
The Katch Genome was designed by former Pandora architect Dr. Nolan Gasser and consists of 2,500 elements that capture media aspects including cinematography, context, directorial approach and score. The company said that throughout 2022, large portions of AMC's library will be analyzed by “hand-classified and trained human content analysts.”
Katch suggests that digging into the DNA of movies and TV shows ("why do we like what we like?"), it can better understand audiences, content and markets using taste rather than genre as a foundation for classifying film and TV. The company said its genome can determine why films or TV series resonate with specific audiences (across cities, countries, demographics, behavioral segments and taste) and then deliver insights back to programmers.
"Data and insights around what people watch and why are critical as we seek to reach viewers with our original programming in a crowded and competitive environment," said Melanie Schneider, senior vice president of research at AMC Networks, in a statement. "Katch's unique genomic approach to analyzing film and TV is a new and powerful tool that will help us analyze our original programming in a new and highly specific way and then apply those insights to how we message audiences and present content to viewers."
Katch was founded in 2002 and has so far raised $70 million in funding, according to Crunchbase. Besides Gasser, the company’s founding team includes CEO Andrew Tight, who a former movie producer with Lionsgate; and COO Mitch Lowe, former MoviePass CEO, former president at Redbox and an early executive with Netflix.