Pay-TV channel, Multichoice, has launched a sophisticated new Web portal intended to enhance the viewing experience on the basis of preferences and filter content according to the physical location of subscribers.
The site (www.dstv.com) is based on Macromedia ColdFusion technology and was developed by Bitr8 [pronounced bit rate], a local Macromedia ColdFusion consulting partner. "The volume of information linked to the DSTV site is enormous and delivering that to everybody would be both counter-productive and highly confusing," says Michelle Bohn of Multichoice.
"We broadcast to 45 countries via three different satellites so a large percentage of the Web site content is only relevant in specific regions.
After all, it does not help a South African subscriber to know what is showing on channels he cannot see or does not subscribe to."
For this reason, DSTV subscribers browsing the site are required to login for the system to look up their individual profiles. "Based on this information, the site filters irrelevant content and displays programming the particular viewer has access to or may be interested in," says Edunne Patz, MD of Bitr8.
On the subject of profiles, the system has been designed to allow subscribers to rate shows and, by collating similar feedback from other subscribers, automatically make comparisons to come up with viewing recommendations. Despite the advanced functionality, however, Patz says the greatest challenge faced in the development of the portal (which also incorporates both the Multichoice corporate site and its customer care site) was time frames.
"From concept to final deployment, the project took three months to complete. And it has been successful because of ColdFusion - a platform renowned for enabling serious enterprise applications to be rolled out in the shortest possible time," he adds.
Although all the functionality Patz speaks of is already built in, much of it is not operational as yet. Multichoice`s Bohn explains: "A lot of information must be collected before any meaningful comparisons can be made."
Patz is particularly proud of the recommendation system that will use this information. "It`s a collaborative filtering mechanism that asks subscribers to rate, at random, some of the movies they`ve seen and, on that basis, compiles a profile of subscribers as moviegoers. The profile is then used to dynamically build a list of recommended movies."
Bitr8 essentially took the video store model whereby attendants offer recommendations based on movies their customers have previously enjoyed.
"We simply reduced it to a mathematical model and built the ratings system.
The more subscribers use it, the more accurate it will get," says Patz.
Bohn is also excited about the rating and recommendations aspect of the system, although for a completely different reason. "We premier a sometimes overwhelming number of new movies each month on DSTV. This system will ensure that subscribers get to see the types of movies they want to see."
Other functionality built into the system for future use is the notification system. "Subscribers will be able to log onto the portal and set automatic reminders to notify them when a movie they want to see is showing. At the moment these are e-mail messages but we are looking at SMS for the future," comments Patz.
Bohn describes this as one of many added value services still in the pipeline. "We are looking at WAP enabling our programme schedules," she says.
Jeremy Matthews, MD of local Macromedia distributor, Dax Data, describes the DSTV portal as exemplary of the complex applications that can be developed using this technology. "We are only just scratching the surface of e-commerce and, with ColdFusion as the platform, the possibilities are virtually endless," he concludes.
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