Millions of households in the UK are familiar with the struggle of navigating through numerous channels and streaming services to find something to watch. EE has unveiled a solution to this issue. The telecommunications company, a subsidiary of BT, has integrated a smart feature into its TV devices to compete with offerings from Freeview and Sky.
The innovative feature, known as Smart Search, is designed to interpret natural language queries for content discovery. Users can search based on moods, themes, plot details, or even memorable quotes, eliminating the need to know specific titles. For example, users can say “Marty McFly,” “Great Scott,” or “sci-fi” to locate the movie “Back to the Future.” EE TV consolidates results from live TV, on-demand services, and various streaming applications, presenting them in a unified interface.
Beyond specific titles, users can search for broader categories like “a funny detective show” or “a film featuring the actor from The Inbetweeners,” with EE TV promptly offering relevant suggestions.
In addition to Smart Search, EE has introduced another enhancement called Mood Matcher. This AI-driven tool assists viewers in refining their viewing options further by inquiring about their mood, preferred genres, and themes. Subsequently, customers receive personalized recommendations, making it ideal for families deliberating on a movie choice for a Saturday night. While similar tools exist with Sky, Freeview lacks a comparable feature.
Luciano Oliveira, Director of Product, Home & TV at EE, emphasized the user-friendly nature of the new features, stating, “Choosing what to watch shouldn’t be hard, but for millions of households it is. Smart Search and Mood Matcher are our answer: describe what you want, answer a few quick questions, and EE TV does the rest.”
While Sky offers voice search capabilities, EE prides itself on being the first pay-TV service in the UK to introduce conversational, AI-powered search functionality.
According to technology analyst Paolo Pescatore, enhanced content discovery enhances the overall viewing experience, particularly in a landscape where audiences are inundated with content choices.
Smart Search and Mood Matcher are currently accessible through the EE TV app on compatible televisions, with future support planned for EE TV Pro and EE TV Box Edge devices. Additional information is available at ee.co.uk/smartsearch.