Cineverse Unveils Public Beta of AI-Powered cineSearch

George Winslow
·2 min read
CineSearch.
CineSearch.

LOS ANGELES—Cineverse has debuted cineSearch, its previously announced new content search and discovery service in public Beta.

Cineverse said that cineSearch, which can be accessed at cineSearch.com, is designed to redefine how audiences interact with movies and TV shows. It features an AI video adviser called Ava with the personality of a favorite film and TV aficionado who gives personalized recommendations to make deciding what to watch fast, simple and entertaining.

"In our eyes, cineSearch is a win-win-win – using AI to solve actual problems that our industry has to contend with in order to keep serving fans, creators, and all of the platforms that connect the two," said Cineverse chairman and CEO Chris McGurk. "I couldn't be more thrilled to be launching cineSearch in Beta today, introducing Ava to the world, while also officially initiating the go-to-market strategy we have developed that will drive revenue to our company in three ways: by licensing cineSearch to OEMs and streaming platforms as a white-label service; by driving fans to our own streaming brands; and offering a subscription service directly to consumers in the future."

In February, Cineverse announced the plans to develop cineSearch as part of a partnership with Google Cloud.

Cineverse followed that by announcing partnerships with Vionlabs, Datatonic and Gracenote, a Nielsen company. These partnerships allow cineSearch to offer a comprehensive contextual understanding of filmed content (based on colors, emotions, mood, environments etc.). They also provide access to data on millions of TV shows and movies, along with guardrails and security best practices to ensure that cineSearch is safe, robust, and ethical.

"Now that cineSearch has entered its next phase, our vision is closer to completion and we are excited for our sales team, along with the support of our partners, to engage with OEMs and other potential customers," said Cineverse Chief Technology Officer & Chief Operating Officer Tony Huidor. "In early testing, we have seen great engagement from users thus far, who have averaged 41 minutes per session. The public Beta will allow us to collect even more information that will also allow us to take direct consumer feedback and behavior into account as we make additional enhancements, add new features, integrate more enriched metadata and evolve the product even further than it is today."