Magine TV gets personal and reveals TV for me

With almost 40 million TV households and around 365 licensed channels, Germany has one of the largest and most diverse TV markets in the world. Whilst an ongoing and fiercely contested debate between established broadcasters and VoD services surrounds the ongoing need (or lack thereof) for passive TV consumption, Magine TV (www.magine.com) is exploring new avenues.

The whole future of TV depends on its ability to adapt to the individual needs of its customers. Currently, there is a strong trend towards personalization within TV, and Stockholm-based Magine is moving to the next level in order to meet that need, and to be a forerunner for the industry. Launching first in Germany, Magine TV is introducing what is effectively a new category: TV that adapts to consumer demand, or ‘TV for Me’. 

Customizable TV

“Modern TV has to be customized,” says founder and CEO Mattias Hjelmstedt. “The TV and VoD options are increasing as we speak, and at some point this growing choice of programs and services becomes overwhelming for the user. It is important to adapt to the customer’s needs; we need to simplify the process and choices by adapting to an individual’s watchlist and personal taste, rather than simply relying on channel scheduling.”

Individual Lineup

That is why Magine TV is offering a new and de-cluttered presentation of content that is really relevant to each user. Right on the start screen of Magine TV, users will be presented with their personally generated TV Lineup. This Lineup contains the customers’ very own selection of shows, continually presenting the viewers’ personal choices of what to watch next – essentially eliminating the need for channel surfing.

Alert and notification

Furthermore, users can activate notifications for their chosen watchlist shows, never missing an episode again. Viewers will simply see what they want to watch and not be disturbed by generic one-size-fits-all suggestions.

Personalization

Normally, customers subscribe to a package of programs either because this is part of their rental agreement, or because the TV provider only offers this type of service. From now on, Magine TV viewers are able to choose which channels they want to activate, and which to “pause”. All selected channels will appear in a personalized “My Channel” list, where the user can also put them into a preferred order.

Magine Rewards

Viewers are also rewarded when they personalize their channel list - activating the channels they are watching, and pausing the ones they are not interested in. Points are generated by helping Magine learn about what content is the most popular, and these points will be applied as substantial savings on the next monthly invoice. The more a user personalizes Magine TV, the more they save. The end result for the consumer is that they pay for what they actually watch, not what they don’t.

“We want to reward our viewers for personalizing their TV, and helping us improve our service for them. The need is there and the demand is accelerating - people have specific TV tastes and want TV for Me - not for the masses. That is what we are invested in,” continues Hjelmstedt.

Flanking the launch of the new Magine TV there will be a social campaign which will be spread via the hashtag #TVForMe, to animate the dialogue on the quickly emerging demand and offer of a personalized and tailored television experience.