Electronic Program Guide (EPG) engine Jinni is slated to launch a revamped Web site within a few weeks, with an iPad application to follow soon after, says Yosi Glick, Co-Founder and CEO, in an interview with Beet.TV. In addition, the service will soon include a full slate of theatrical releases and, in time, will incorporate voice controls and commands.
Jinni’s service is used both by consumers and service providers as an electronic programming guide, Glick explains. Jinni’s technology is based on natural language processing and machine learning to help understand what type of content someone enjoys so it can then recommend more along those lines to users. The service includes both fiction and non-fiction programming. Glick says that one of its operator customers saw an increase in VOD consumption by 20% in the first six months of using Jinni. Because the service can be personalized, users can access a sort of “virtual grid” that incorporates all the titles they might like from the program guide, or over-the-top options, he says. “If you are in the mood to see intense titles like Dexter, it creates a virtual channel that brings all those titles,” he says. Up next will be a ‘Siri-like’ feature that lets users speak into their mobile app and say, for instance, “I’m looking for a romantic movie in New York but I’ve had enough of Woody Allen. We can handle those type of expressions…Over time we can expect most people to adopt a mobile device to become theirremote control.”
The company’s EPG solution is being used by several U.S. and European cable operators.
Jinni was founded in 2007, employs 35 people and has raised about $7.5 million in funding. Here’s more about the company in this recent article in Forbes.
