Inspired by TikTok’s short-form, ‘swipeable’, content experience, Latvian tech firm Backscreen has developed a new user interface with Gen Z in mind.
Chief Commercial Officer Jan Frelek tells Broadband TV News that the mobile-first design can bridge mobile and big-screen experiences.
Broadband TV News: How is the rollout of the Backscreen interface progressing?
Jan Frelek: We have new commercial launches in the next weeks. Our parent company Tet will debut the cross-gen user interface covering two generations, Life and Millennials. And we have another project for a Lithuanian broadcaster launching this autumn.
We plan to have a working beta running at IBC and think it’s perfect timing because recent announcements from Netflix suggest they also want to implement a TikTok-like experience.
BTN: Does it help that Netflix is thinking along the same lines?
JF: On the one hand it validates our concept because Netflix does its thing on a serious amount of research and has the resources to make the move. It validates our concept but more importantly, it will educate the industry that you can really abandon the portal or traditional Netflix type experience as the holy grail of the industry.
BTN: For Gen Z it’s not just about the interface, but the actual content, which can look very different.
JF: It’s a complex game, right? Conversion from live to VOD was easy because in the worst case you can just make recordings out of live and have a video library. Conversion to address the formats familiar to Gen Z is more complicated because it’s about different orientation, vertical versus horizontal.
BTN: It feels like we have two sides to this. Firstly, Gen Z, who may search, discover and have a whole different idea to what a great graphic looks like compared to older generations, who also need to find the content themselves.
JF: It’s about completely different dynamics of content. Short form is the main content for this generation, and long form is just complementary.
BTN: How have you refined the EPG for Gen Z?
JF: I call it the Welcome Experience. Zapping was the welcome experience for older guys, then the Portal became the welcome experience for those in middle age. And for Gen Z the welcome experience is a flow of short videos that you swipe. And so, we have implemented this type of experience in our application.
When you start the application, you are welcomed with a TikTok-like interface.
It’s nothing sophisticated and much simpler than a portal. You just swipe, you get another piece of content and swipe again. And this is the whole experience. No portal, no browsing through hundreds of posters and making choices, just a personalised wall.
BTN: So, the choices you’re being presented with are typically based on what you’ve watched before, rather than desperately scrolling through the rails displayed on the TV.
JF: Of course you can go to a more traditional view, a portal if you like. It’s just pressing a button. But also, you can completely switch the experience to this type of TikTok like experience. We believe it should give operators weapon to fight back for Gen Z, of course they need also ammunition.
BTN: How much personalisation are operators looking to offer?
JF: If you don’t talk about personalisation, it’s a cost. Many operators are looking to save costs and for this reason they don’t employ personalization. For Gen Z, who are accustomed to personalisation, it can be an issue. So, we need to find a good balance here.
But we don’t want to discourage service providers from the Gen Z experience because they cannot afford personalisation or they don’t know how to use it or they are reluctant for whatever reason because I think it’s good to start even with editorial content but still, especially here in Europe quality content is still in the hands of professionals.
BTN: Every once in a while, broadcasters have a cull of their older presenters, but maybe they should really be doing it with the graphics, with the programme guide, with the discovery content, discovery mechanisms.
JF: I think you need to understand mentality of your audience, of your segment. I’m quite often surprised when my kids have the choice to watch a movie in home cinema on a wall from Projector three by two and mobile screen, they choose the mobile. You need to understand dynamics of this device and how to position your brand as this device, how to market your brand within this ecosystem to make these people come here. Because for them brand itself to bring them to another content outlets like big screen, wall and projector or live packaging will not work.
If I ask my children what are the terrestrial channels in Warsaw? They cannot name any. Any. But probably they still know that there is TVN station or Polsat which are the main two private broadcasters. Probably they know telco names. And they can sell them a new mobile phone.
BTN: What do you have in store for IBC2025?
We’re planning to focus on the cross-generational experience, with a particular emphasis on engaging Gen-Z audiences. We’ll be showcasing our demo which is designed to connect with younger viewers, while still resonating with a wider demographic.
