Paramount+ is rolling out a new feature for content discovery, leveraging generative AI to develop curated collections of library content around themes aimed at and meant to resonate with older kids.
The new collections are currently available for those with “Older Kids” profiles, which launched on the platform in 2022 and are recommended for ages 6-13. Collections are based on themes that Paramount identified through a series of research studies talking to kids and parents to try and figure out common elements that draw them to certain programming.
Some themes identified include Space Exploration, Goofy Stuff, Daring Stunts, Treasure Hunting, Secret Worlds and Exploring Nature.
According to the company, it used generative AI to create new custom collections from its content library around those themes. Paramount said curation teams are employed throughout the process to validate the AI-generated elements. Reached by StreamTV Insider, Paramount declined to share more specifics around how generative AI technology was employed to create the collections, but a spokesperson noted “programming and editorial experts collaborate closely with product to merchandise collections and were instrumental in validating that we surfaced the right contact for each theme and collection.”
The curated collections for kids content aren’t personalized, meaning they’re uniform with the same themes and titles surfaced for all users. When creating an account, parents are also informed that older kids’ profiles include TV-Y, G, TV-Y7, TV-Y7-FV, TV-G, TV-PG, PG rated content.
The so-called kid-first collections also serve as a way for the platform to promote new and library content that viewers might not have come across before. The focus on catering to and surfacing kids content with improved curation and content discovery mechanisms comes as separate research from Ampere Analysis found households with children are less likely to cancel or churn from streaming services than those without them. Per the firm’s September analysis, the percentage of SVOD subscribers at risk of churning in Q1 2024 was 24% among those that live with children. That potential for churn figure jumps to 36% for those that don’t live with children.
Paramount, meanwhile, is in the middle of a pending acquisition by Skydance Media. Incoming leadership has laid out a vision that aims to expand technical skills so that Paramount is not only a media company but a technology one as well. Paramount+ ended Q2 with 68 million global subscribers after losing 2.8 million in the period – primarily attributed to a planned exit from a hard bundle agreement in South Korea. The second quarter of 2024 saw Paramount post its quarterly first profit for the direct-to-consumer streaming business, but at the time disclosed expectations for a return to segment losses in Q3 and Q4 before achieving domestic profitability in 2025. The company reports Q3 earnings on November 8.