Jay

Jay’s mission is to enable shoppable content across streaming services, partnering with many of the world’s leading entertainment companies and retailers. Founded in 2022, Jay is headquartered in Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany and supported by a presence in key international markets including the UK.

As part of our 'Brains Behind the Bigger Picture' series, we asked our partners to answer some of the burning issues from this year's programme. Here Peter Effenberg, CEO and Founder at Jay gives his take on TV today and tomorrow:

Fast-forward to 2030, what do you think will be the single biggest change in how people experience television?

Television will be more fully integrated into the connected experiences demanded by modern audiences. Linear TV - satellite & cable - will be only used by older generations. Streaming - live & on-demand - will be fully user-centric, enhanced by social features such as shared viewing, contextually relevant content, and shoppable ads and shows. The TV user experience will be closer to what social media offers today, but distinguished by maintaining its core offer of premium, high-quality, trusted content that’s professionally produced.

What emerging technology do you believe is most likely to disrupt TV – and what are we underestimating?

Likely to disrupt: Rather than a single technology driving disruption, there will be a crescendo of smaller challenges as hardware, software and content formats evolve. The complexity this creates will be the core challenge faced by industry leaders.

Underestimating: See above… The industry likes to focus on high-profile, individual technologies driving disruption - such as AI - but addressing the complexity of managing multiple new innovations simultaneously, and at speed, is the real challenge.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about where TV is heading?

That TV is disappearing. Even Gen Z is interested in local news. The strength of TV lies in its diversity and quality of content. The change lies in how it’s being consumed.

In a rapidly evolving media landscape, what innovations do you think will disrupt content creation and distribution in the next five years?

• Creator communities will be integrated into streaming services.
• AI will be used for recommendations but it will not work from a business perspective.
• Linking the different operating systems of streaming services and TVs
• User centric UX will be the Queen, even if content remains King.
• The ability to create premium content at lower budgets and in higher quality. Driven by better workflows and more efficient collaboration between creatives and technologists.

How can the TV sector ensure that content isn’t just cutting-edge but also highly engaging and socially relevant?

Trust the content it produces. Keep producing diverse content - news, documentaries, shows, serial dramas, features... And trust audiences to stay engaged – quality always wins.

RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS

Fragmentation or consolidation? Fragmentation.

Linear schedule or On-demand freedom? Both, definitely. Choice is key.

One platform to rule them all or Specialist services? Both; stand-out mainstream platforms and niche offers.

Subscription-based or Ad-supported? Both.

Binge releases or Weekly drops? Both.

Local content or Global hits? Both.

Traditional ratings or Engagement metrics? Engagement metrics. Much more of them!

Second screen or Single screen? Single Screen.

Smart TVs or Streaming sticks? Smart TVs.

Voice control or Remote control? Both; and the remote control is here to stay.

Augmented reality or Virtual reality? Neither; until the hardware evolves in the years ahead.

Short-form snackable or Long-form immersive? Both – and ideally connected.

Personalisation or Shared national moments? Both.

AI-generated content or Human-made storytelling? Definitely human-made storytelling, albeit AI might have been involved.

Interactive formats or Classic narrative? Classic narratives will be interactive!