We've identified some problems. So what are the solutions?
Specifically, how cable & satellite companies deliver content to us and how we navigate through it.
Part 1 examines the inherent problems that exist. Part 2 looks at how to change them. And in Part 3, I'll show what some of those changes could look like.
Alright, enough complaining. We've gone back to the drawing board on the cable/satellite television experience. We've crunched all the numbers, sifted through all the analytics and mined all the gems of consumer insights.
And now we're ready to show you the latest, greatest reincarnation of TV content delivery. It's guaranteed to make you happy you have nothing better to do than sit on the couch and veg out. Get ready for:
You won't have to remember that ESPN is on channel 235
With markTV, there are no channel numbers. These are meaningless remnants of a bygone day. Each network has a defined brand, we use that as a reference. These folks spent a ton of money on logos, let's put them to work!
Stations are listed intuitively
Just like a grocery store wouldn't display their products alphabetically, markTV doesn't use a non-sensical method of listing our channels. We cluster the channels by type. Maybe your current provider does this a little bit, but it's not explicit or consistent. At markTV we make it clear and obvious.
But all stations are unique, so...
We also believe that one size doesn't fit all. Some stations don't fit into a genre. In the course of the day a channel could show a romcom, broadcast a baseball game and then pivot to news. So markTV allows people to view by content currently playing with OmniView™ -- a 360 degree view of everything that's on in that moment. So you can see all channels playing sports even if it's not on a sports channel. With markTV, it's all about what's on NOW.
The best lineup is one you create
If there's a good chance you'll live out the rest of natural life without watching a shopping channel, you can remove those from the lineup. With Custom Clusters™ on markTV we let you remove everything you don't like. Make TV yours. Create your own groupings with everything you want and nothing you don't.
Not sure what to put in your cluster? Feeling like you're in a "cluster funk"? Check out the people-powered library of Custom Clusters in Cluster Collections. Share your lineups and see what other people have in theirs. There's a cluster out there for every taste.
A remote control that fits in your pocket
Let's face it, the remote was due for a rethink. Luckily, you have a replacement in your pocket — your mobile phone! Download the markTV app in the iOS and Google Play app stores to control every aspect of your viewing experience. It's the perfect size and always right with you. Plus, we improve it constantly with simple software updates.
Hate that bulky cable box?
Let's make it smaller. Or better yet, forget the box altogether. With markTV, there is no big, ugly cable box. You use your Chromecast, AppleTV, Roku, Firestick... whatever flavor you're into. Just download the app on the device and they are ready to go. And we are always making the experience better, so you'll see frequent updates.
Our computers are pretty smart
At markTV, we've harnessed the best machine learning algorithms out there to deliver meaningful and relevant suggestions for content you might like. Nobody is doing that now. Amazon and Google are getting so good at the power of suggestion, it's time we used that for connecting people to a good Romcom.
We compare the things you like (with a completely anonymized process) to others who like them as well to help us understand what you like. Plus we give you lots of ways to let us know what you like & don't like so the suggestions are even more catered to you.
If we see you watch a lot of soccer, we'll make sure to let you know if there's a game currently going on that you might want to check out. Especially if it's your favorite team (Go Blues!).
And we'll never be stalker-y and always respect your privacy (promise). But if you want to opt out of this part of the service, we make it super easy to turn that off. No hard feelings!
We're here for the whole family
If there are 3 other people in your house, markTV wants to provide 3 personal experiences. We'll work hard to get to know each one of the people in your household and become a trusted advisor for all your TV watching needs.
It all starts with an onboarding exercise to get to know you a little better. And along the way, markTV will start to understand your likes and dislikes as individuals and as a family unit. Soon enough, we hope you'll be coming to us to ask "what's on TV that I might like?".
Well... that's a lot of changes. Could this actually lead to a breakthrough in content delivery technology? Or is this too good to be true and I have just described the television version of "The Homer"?
Probably the latter. But you can be the judge. Next time I'll show you some visualizations & prototypes of what this could look and feel like!