A Content Recommendation Maturity Model for Video Operators

It was in April 1998 when Amazon made personalized product recommendations popular for e-commerce. Still, the first pioneer application in 1995 was in media with Firefly Network and its collaborative media recommendations.

These were the preludes of what would become a cornerstone of the digital experience.

By the early 2000s, streaming platforms took this concept further and evolved from offering basic recommendations to delivering highly nuanced experiences.

At ContentWise, we have partnered with video operators worldwide to make these advancements a reality. We witnessed how these systems evolved from simple utilities into strategic tools that drive audience satisfaction and loyalty.

Today, in the attention economy era, success demands not just relevance, but an understanding of users’ preferences, moods, and cognitive processes.

This is the foundation of ContentWise’s maturity model, which provides a clear path for operators to elevate their personalization strategies step by step.

Horizontal personalization

The journey toward video personalization often begins with a single list, the Recommended for You carousel.

It’s a simple yet powerful starting point.

This first step can transform the user experience, offering viewers a sense of familiarity and relevance that keeps them engaged.

At this stage, our recommendation engine focuses on ranking titles, within the single carousel, based on user behavior and preferences. Whether users are actively browsing (leaning forward) or passively exploring (leaning back), the goal is to surface content that resonates with their tastes.

Done well, it bridges the gap between overwhelming choice and effortless discovery.

By curating one or more carousels of content tailored to individual tastes and behaviors, operators begin their journey into what we call horizontal personalization.

However, the impact of a few personalized carousels is inherently limited, when the rest of the experience is static.

While it enhances engagement for that one slice of the interface, it doesn’t address the broader potential of your platform’s real estate.

A first evolution we applied to our personalization offering is the ability to deliver broader multi-dimensional strategies to capture the audience’s attention and loyalty.

Vertical discovery

As operators move beyond a single carousel, personalization evolves into vertical discovery.

This approach organizes content into dynamic collections. Groups of titles curated by themes like mood, genre, lead actors …

Rather than serving all users the same static page layout, this framework automates the creation and arrangement of personalized collections for different audiences.

One user might see a Feel-Good Movies collection while another is presented with Thrillers Featuring Top Female Leads.

If Romance Comedy holds little relevance for a particular user, why let it occupy prime real estate?

Instead, a documentary enthusiast might see Top Documentaries featured prominently, while a thriller fan deserves to find trending blockbusters right at the top.

These collections are not pre-set, they are dynamically generated by our intelligent recommendation systems, converting editorial guidelines and inputs into digital experiences.

Ensuring relevance and reward with extended content personalization will reinforce the user’s involvement and value perceived at every interaction.

Dynamic homepage

While bidimensional personalization marks an important milestone, our vision of content discovery goes further.

True mastery of content recommendation requires not just serving the right content, but presenting it in a way that resonates with each user’s journey.

This is where Page Personalization transforms the game.

Editorial teams, through an AI-assisted layout manager, gain the ability to dynamically rearrange carousels to plan the user experience.

You need to curate the journey.

By analyzing how users select content (did they click on an editorial recommendations carousel? trending items maybe? or recommended ones? …), editorial teams can realize why users prefer a personalization style over another.

The result?

A homepage that is no longer a fixed template but a living, evolving experience.

A full page that respects individual choices, anticipates needs and keeps audiences involved.

For editorial teams this isn’t just a tool, it is a creative partner.

Fresh posters

After personalizing single lists, groups of lists, and even the layout of an entire page, there is one more aspect to explore: how content is visually presented.

Every user engages with content differently, and their decision to explore or ignore it often hinges on how information is displayed.

This isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about guiding viewers to engage with content in a way that feels intuitive and inviting.

With programmatic flexibility, editorial teams can dynamically adapt how posters are displayed based on audience preferences or business strategies.

Vertical posters, horizontal thumbnails, dynamic imagery, these seemingly small choices can have a profound impact on users’ engagement.

What we call the presentation layer is to ensure that discovery isn’t just functional but emotionally engaging.

It’s about making every piece of content feel approachable, relevant, and, ultimately, irresistible.

Imagine a poster highlighting a comedy’s lead actor for one viewer, while another sees a tagline emphasizing its heartfelt story.

Cool right?

Since the first popularization of recommendation systems a lot has changed, but the need to connect users with content they will love has only grown more vital.

Our maturity model evolved alongside the video industry, turning challenges into opportunities to help operators shape the future of entertainment.

Whether enabling broadcasters to reinvent their platforms or supporting VOD services in crafting fresh, user-centric experiences, we have partnered with teams driven to meet—and exceed—the shifting expectations of their audiences.

Content personalization is not only about technology, it’s about understanding the nuances of viewers and delivering meaningful experiences.