Recently JW Player co-founder Brian Rifkin spoke on the “What’s on Now?” panel at the LDV Vision Summit. This two day conference in NYC covered how trends in computer vision, deep learning, and technology are shaping the video publishing industry.
I found some key takeaways for publishers looking to grow audience and build revenue:
Don’t fear the bots: As the ‘AI revolution’ makes its way into our homes, phones, and screens, publishers taking advantage of automated curation, optimized ad tech, and other human-in-the-loop technologies can simplify decisions around what to publish and how to monetize most effectively.
Augmented and Mixed Reality Arrive: The ever popular (and sometimes perplexing) Pokemon Go might be written off as a fad but consumer acceptance (along with Snapchat’s filters & soon-to-be commodified smartphones with depth sensors) means that a killer video specific AR/MR application is likely just over the horizon.
Branded Content & Viewer Empathy: The best branded content creates empathy with the audience in a way that transcends product placement. “Taking the word branded out of content” and just telling great stories is how winners in the medium will succeed.
Adapt to your Audience: Don’t be constrained by the content formats and experiences of the past. Successful publishers will embrace the 10-second ad format, the vertical screen first experience, or the next-to-be-discovered platform. Don’t force consumers to do it your way.
The Data Services team at JW Player is looking to help publishers navigate these trends in technology by building easy-to-use tools like Recommendations and Analytics.