YouTube is testing a new collaboration feature that allows creators to link other users’ content to their videos, enabling recommendations to followers of each account as a means of driving visibility and engagement. Creators can tag collaborators, who must approve before their name and audience reach is added to the clip. In addition to a collective graphic, a designation along the lines of “and three more” appears next to the name of the host account holder. When clicked, the “more” opens to display the hot-linked channels that are collaborating. Instagram and TikTok already have similar features in place. Continue reading YouTube Collaboration Tool Helps Creators Expand Audience

While Samsung retains its spot as the top U.S. smart TV brand — followed by LG, Vizio and Sony — it was Roku and Amazon Fire TV that saw the greatest growth, according to new data from Hub Entertainment Research. The study found that among the “most-used TV sets” in the U.S., Roku doubled its share to 8 percent since 2024, while Fire TV increased usage to 5 percent. Hub’s Evolution of the TV Set study also found that people are using TV differently as a result of connectivity to the Internet, phones and gaming devices. Meanwhile, Pew Research reports that 83 percent of Americans say they watch streaming services, compared to 36 percent who indicate they subscribe to cable or satellite TV. Continue reading Research Points to Compelling Shifts in TV Viewership Trends

YouTube is adding an AI-powered search results carousel that serves up video suggestions and topic descriptions. A search for “best beaches in Hawaii,” for example, could generate a carousel listing video clips and information on an assortment of snorkel spots and volcanic beaches. YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S. can try the feature now on searches related to shopping, travel or location-based activities. The Google-owned platform is also expanding its test with conversational AI to some non-Premium users in the U.S. Premium members have been using it for search, recommendations and as a study aid. Continue reading YouTube Adds AI Search Results Carousel for Premium Subs

Bytedance-owned social video platform TikTok is improving ways in which users can customize their For You feed, letting them increase emphasis on subjects of interest with Manage Topics and adding AI-powered Smart Keyword Filters to suppress content they don’t want to see. While the social platform has featured keyword filters for some time, the new filters are smart enough to catch a broader range of unwanted content. Users can now include up to 200 filtering keywords and let AI do the rest “to capture additional videos featuring similar words, synonyms and slang variations” that reduce unwanted content in the For You feed. Continue reading TikTok Adds Features Letting Users Fine-Tune ‘For You’ Feed

Amazon Music has unveiled an AI search tool for music discovery, rolling out in beta on iOS to select Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers in the U.S. Powered by Amazon Bedrock, the feature aims to help listeners learn more about their favorite artists. Called Explore, it provides richer recommendations, including curated music collections, and the search results can be used to create AI-generated playlists that are based on an artist, according to Amazon. “This experimental feature includes results for many of your favorite artists today and will continue expanding to include more over time,” Amazon adds. Continue reading Amazon Music Beta Tests AI Search in iOS for Unlimited Subs

Netflix is testing a short-form video feature for mobile to compete for the attention of those spending time on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. The news came out of the company’s inaugural product and tech event where it also shared plans for an OpenAI-powered search tool that lets users describe their desired content conversationally. Netflix plans to introduce improved real-time recommendations and a redesigned TV homepage, rolling out globally in the coming weeks and months, according to Chief Product Officer Eunice Kim, who presided over the event with Chief Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone. Continue reading Netflix Highlights Original Shows in New Vertical Shorts Feed

OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT’s shopping capabilities, adding product recommendations to help users discover products and brands. The chatbot’s results for shopping queries will now automatically include things like prices, images and ratings, much like searches using Amazon or Google Shopping. The company says that products it features in shopping search results “are chosen independently and are not ads.” With the company under pressure to turn a profit, a challenge for many AI startups, that could of course change. The company is reportedly already working with partners to ensure pricing is up to date. Continue reading OpenAI Improves ChatGPT for Shopping with Built-In Pricing

Netflix is testing a new recommendation engine that uses OpenAI technology to suggest viewing options based on input that goes beyond the usual parameters of cast and genre. The system is being introduced gradually and is already available in Australia and New Zealand where subscribers must opt-in to try it out, reports say, noting it allows input of more nuanced parameters, including mood, to populate search results. The partnership underscores OpenAI’s efforts to have its technology applied practically and commercially as it seeks to transition from a non-profit to a for-profit public benefit business structure. Continue reading Netflix Tests Content Recommendations Powered by OpenAI

Search firm Perplexity AI has renewed its push to acquire TikTok, outlining its vision for “Rebuilding TikTok in America.” As ByteDance approaches its extended deadline of April 5 to sell TikTok or see it banned here in the U.S., Oracle and its cohort of investors have emerged the frontrunners. While the three-year-old Perplexity is a longshot — with observers saying it does not have the cash on hand to purchase the social powerhouse — with deep-pocketed investors including Nvidia, Databricks and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, it likely has access to funding should its offer be accepted. Continue reading Perplexity AI Outlines Pitch to Acquire TikTok, Rebuild for U.S.

Chat interfaces powered by generative AI are impacting online shopping, according to an Adobe Analytics study that found that AI-influenced visits to U.S. retail website increased by 1,200 percent from July 2024 to February 2025. Adobe says this “significant surge” demonstrates an emerging retail AI economy. GenAI chat interfaces are “becoming a helpful assistant for compiling research before making a purchase,” influencing how consumers behave online, according to Adobe. While paid search and email continue to be the dominant traffic drivers, the past year’s growth in AI-aided shopping signals a shift. Continue reading Adobe Analytics: AI-Powered Online Shopping Surges in U.S.

Warner Bros. Discovery is updating its Discovery+ technology to offer expanded streaming features, initially for subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. As the service migrates to the same technical platform and infrastructure that powers WBD’s Max service globally, customers will gain features including more personalized recommendations, improved homepage and navigation, better in-app discovery and a mobile “share” to social media, among other things. “A singular unified platform has been central to our technology strategy, and this marks a major milestone in that journey,” WBD CTO Avi Saxena said of the change. Continue reading WBD Updates Discovery+ Tech Stack and Adds New Features

Amazon is experimenting with AI dubbing so Prime Video customers globally can experience content from other territories, gaining access more quickly and efficiently to licensed films and TV series. The company is using a hybrid “AI-aided” system in which localization professionals oversee the AI output to ensure quality control. Currently limited to a dozen movies and series that will be AI-dubbed in English and Latin American Spanish, the pilot will expand if the results prove popular with audiences. In December, Netflix experienced backlash against AI-assisted dubbing, with viewers complaining generative mouth adjustments looked unnatural. Continue reading Amazon Prime Video Tests AI Dubbing for Movies and Series

ThinkAnalytics has launched an AI-powered platform designed for video service providers. Called ThinkMediaAI, it is said to unify content monetization — including contextual advertising, content curation and content bundling — across a variety of services, from live to CTV, FAST, VOD and more. Headquartered in the UK, with offices in Los Angeles, Singapore and India, ThinkAnalytics leverages a recommendation engine, claiming to track more than 475 million real-time data records and 8 billion recommendations per day. The company plans to showcase the new tech at NAB 2025, April 5-9 in Las Vegas. Continue reading ThinkAnalytics Bows Advertising, Curation Tool ThinkMediaAI

BuzzFeed is launching a new social media platform that aims to fight the tide of content designed primarily to please AI algorithms. BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti described the upcoming service in a “BF Island Manifesto” blog post that blasts SNARF media, an acronym that stands for Stakes, Novelty, Anger, Retention, Fear. “SNARF is the kind of content that evolves when a platform asks an AI to maximize usage,” Peretti writes. “Content creators need to please the AI algorithms or they become irrelevant. Millions of creators make SNARF content to stay in the feed and earn a living.” The nearly 3,000 word manifesto name-checks TikTok and Facebook. Continue reading BuzzFeed Social Platform to Battle Algorithmic Programming

Meta is rolling out personalization updates to its Meta AI personal assistant. At the end of last year, the company introduced a feature that lets Meta AI remember what you’ve shared with it in one-on-one chats on WhatsApp and Messenger so it could produce more relevant responses. That feature will now be available to Meta AI on Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp for iOS and Android in the U.S. and Canada. “Meta AI will only remember certain things you tell it in 1:1 conversations (not group chats), and you can delete its memories at any time,” explains the company. Continue reading Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Get Meta AI Memory Boost