Warner Bros. Discovery is bringing TikTok-style vertical video browsing and AI-powered conversational search to HBO Max, as streaming platforms continue to embrace habits popularised by social media to improve content discovery.
The company has launched two new mobile features in the US, led by HBO Max Shorts, a vertical, scrollable feed of trailers, clips and bonus content drawn from the streamer’s existing catalogue. The feature is designed to help subscribers discover programmes before either starting them immediately or adding them to their My List.
Initially being tested with select iOS users in the US, HBO Max Shorts personalises recommendations based on viewing history. WBD said it will expand the feature to additional devices and markets over time, with sports content also planned.
Rather than commissioning original short-form programming, the feature repurposes scenes from HBO Max’s existing series and films as a discovery tool intended to drive long-form viewing. The clips are created using an in-house AI tool that analyses scene-level metadata across thousands of hours of programming to suggest compelling moments for discovery. Human editors then make the final selection before the clips are reformatted into a vertical viewing experience.
Deepna Devkar, SVP, machine learning engineering, said: “We’re thrilled to launch this application of AI to accelerate the creation of these clips and look forward to quickly expanding to make even more of our content offering discoverable.”
WBD has also introduced an experimental conversational search feature for select adult users on Android in the US. Accessible through ‘Ask HBO Max’, it allows subscribers to search using natural language prompts such as ‘in the mood for a comedy’ or ‘dysfunctional family drama’, using semantic search to surface relevant recommendations even where the exact terms do not appear in programme metadata.
“These new mobile features build on intuitive, familiar behaviours subscribers use every day,” said Liesel Kipp, executive vice president, product management, Warner Bros. Discovery. “Both HBO Max Shorts and conversational search translate those behaviours into new ways to discover programming across the HBO Max service, making it easier and more seamless for subscribers to find something to watch.”
