-->
Save your FREE seat for Streaming Media Connect in November. Register Now!

SMNYC Sneak Preview: Keynote: Microsoft and Fremantle Beat the BUZZR with Gamified FAST

Article Featured Image

Streaming Media returns to New York City, the epicenter of the digital media universe, May 20–22 with Streaming Media NYC, chaired by Media Industry Cartographer Evan Shapiro and curated in conjunction with the Streaming Media editorial team. Located in Manhattan’s Midtown East at the dazzling InterContinental New York Barclay, Streaming Media NYC features three days of engaging programming on cutting-edge topics and packed with dynamic panelists and keynote speakers from the upper ranks of the media firmament.

Game On!

Could retro content reimagined reshape the future of interactive TV? On Tuesday, May 21, Microsoft CTO Andy Beach and Fremantle SVP, Global FAST Channels Laura Florence will answer that question in Streaming Media NYC's opening keynote, "Beat the BUZZR! How Microsoft & Fremantle Are Gamifying FAST & Capitalizing Interactive TV." They'll discuss the new Beat the BUZZR platform, how it ingeniously turns watching old game show reruns into thrilling a lean-forward experience, the collaboration that brought it about, and the AI under the hood.

Leveraging content from the Fremantle BUZZR Network's deep reservoir of classic TV game shows from the '60s, '70s, and '80s, Beat the BUZZR launches FAST viewers headlong into the game with quizzes, trivia, and personalized insights, pointing the way to revolutionary, readily monetizable opportunities for interactive FAST. Leveraging the collaborative strengths of Microsoft Advertising, NVIDIA, and other key technology partners including Streaming Media NYC Gold Sponsor MediaKind, Prime Focus Technologies, SymphonyAI, and Alice & Smith, Beat the BUZZR models new ways the intelligent application of data and AI can transform how audiences engage with FAST content and how brands can reap revenue from that engagement. 

The idea behind Beat the BUZZR, Florence told an audience at NAB 2024, sprang from a simple question: "How can we make old content feel new, and become best in class in FAST?" The answer arrived in a phone call from Andy Beach, and "the solution we were looking for dropped in our lap."

Florence wasn't Beach's first call, as he searched for a partner who wanted to explore new ways to leverage "dusty, static content archives," but she was the first to understand exactly where he was going, and recognize that he could align the technology partnerships needed to get there: "How do we put together an ecosystem that delivers an interactive experience that can also deliver ROI?" Beach asked. 

As soon as Florence grasped what he was proposing, her response was immediate: "We're doing this."

How did Microsoft, Fremantle, and their technology partners amass the rich data resources and build the scalable tech stack to make this new interactive platform viable, and create the "watch party vibe" to make it irresistible to viewers? Join Andy Beach and Laura Fremantle for their Streaming Media NYC keynote and get the inside scoop on how Beat the BUZZR came to be, and how this AI-fueled gamification platform may well reveal an interactive TV future that's both popular and profitable.

The "Beat the BUZZR" keynote kicks off the first full day of Streaming Media NYC on May 21. Check out the full program here to learn more about the conference’s action-packed offerings.

Register today for Streaming Media NYC! Early bird pricing ($100 off) available through April 26.

Streaming Covers
Free
for qualified subscribers
Subscribe Now Current Issue Past Issues
Related Articles

SMNYC Keynote Highlights: Beat The BUZZR & Brand Vs. Retail

On Tuesday, May 21, at Streaming Media NYC, a series of morning keynotes featuring leading industry figures covered a wide range of topics, including how Microsoft and Fremantle are gamifying FAST and capitalizing interactive TV, and a lively debate about brand versus retail with Crackle, Uber Advertising, IAB, and Witz About Her.

All the News That’s Fit for FAST

News broadcasting is one of the most exciting and quickly growing areas for FAST development, highlighted by the recent announcement of the BBC/AMC 24-hour live FAST news channel. Other legacy media news broadcasters, such as Scripps, Sinclair, Hearst, and USA Today, have also entered the FAST news space, many of them with a focus on local content. What are some of the current trends and challenges for FAST news delivery? In this article, several leading industry commentators provide insight.

SMNYC Sneak Preview: Marketing You & Networking For Keeps With LPG edu, JustWatch, LinkedIn, Paramount, and Morgan Search International

On Monday, May 20, at Streaming Media NYC, Lori Greene, Founder of LPG edu, will moderate the panel "Marketing You & Networking For Keeps," exploring the best ways to promote your brand and network organically. Confirmed panelists Karen Morgan of Morgan Search International, Andy Pondillo of LinkedIn, Dayo Harewood of Paramount Brand Studio, and Sara Demenkoff of JustWatch will discuss how to expand your network without it being transactional and the best ways to build a clientele for a new business.

SMNYC Sneak Preview: CTV vs. Mobile - Where Is the Value Debate With YumCrunch, Sling, Vevo, Telly, and Totem

On Monday, May 20, at Streaming Media NYC, Mike Duffy of YumCrunch will be moderating a debate about the current value of CTV vs. Mobile. Confirmed panelists Kent Rees of Sling Freestream, Hedvig Arnet of Vevo, Dallas Lawrence of Telly, and Steve Crombie of Totem will discuss how to recognize generational and cultural differences in who, how, and where viewers consume their content and in how user experiences and monetization strategies are crafted for each platform, along with finding the value proposition for each in the current landscape and where the key content categories of premium, niche, and social factor into the equation.

SMNYC Sneak Preview: What is Premium Now Debate With 2E6E6, The Boxoffice Network, Totem Global, Team Whistle, and Quantum Media

On Monday, May 20, at Streaming Media NYC, Erica Gruen of Quantum Media Associates will be moderating a panel discussing the creation, licensing, distribution, and monetization of premium content—as well as the ROI of investing in it through one means or another, with insights from Nathan Guetta of 2E6E6, Stan Ruszkowski of The Boxoffice Network, Steve Crombie of Totem Global, and Joe Caporoso of Team Whistle.

Vevo at the IAB NewFronts: Short-Form Optimization for FAST, CTV, OTT, and Programmatic

On Thursday, May 2, Vevo, the world's leading music video network, presented "Watch More Music" at the 2024 IAB NewFronts. Topics covered included the challenges of achieving reach, recency, relevancy, and measurement in the current streaming ecosystem, the importance of brand safety and transparency in FAST, Vevo's continued expansion into the CTV space, and its ambition to become the world's largest programmatically traded TV network.

’Round the Horn at NAB 2024: Videon, Telestream, Phenix, Ateme, V-Nova, Twelve Labs, Norsk, Dolby, and NETINT

Any NAB report is like the story of the blind man and the elephant: what you experience is what you touch, representing a fraction of the whole and perhaps not even a good sample. That being said, here's what I touched during the show. Many of these experiences are accompanied by video that I shot of the interviews.

Streaming Media Sneak Preview: Computing While Cooling With Netflix, Adeia, the Greening of Streaming, and Help Me Stream Research Foundation

On Wednesday, May 22 at Streaming Media NYC, Dom Robinson, Founder, Greening of Streaming and Director id3as/Norsk, will moderate an all-star panel of leading streaming technology providers and innovators to discuss how to make media's tech stack more cost and energy efficient and implement sound and sustainable best practices throughout the media supply chain, with insights from Sujana Sooreddy, Senior Lead Software Engineer at Netflix, Serhad Doken, CTO of Adeia, and Tim Fore-Siglin, founding executive director of Help Me Stream Research Foundation.

Streaming Media Sneak Preview: Strategic Trends in CTV Advertising and Monetization With Vevo, Fubo, Spectrum, and DIRECTV

On Tuesday, May 21 at Streaming Media NYC, Streaming Media's Nadine Krefetz will moderate an all-star panel focused on key developments in ad and monetization strategy coming to CTV in 2024 and beyond, with insights from Vevo SVP of Research & Marketing Julie Triolo, Spectrum Reach GVP National Sales Dan Callahan, Fubo VP of Ad Sales Jennifer Monson, and DIRECTV Head of Ad Sales Partnerships Matthew Jamison.

Streaming Media NYC Sneak Preview: The Subscription Prescription with Philo, Bango, Lightswitch, and Hub Entertainment Research

On Tuesday, May 21 at Streaming Media NYC, Lightswitch Co-Founder & CEO of Monica Villar will moderate an all-star panel exploring the ever-shifting landscape of subscription streaming television. Confirmed panelists include Philo Head of Business Development and Partnerships Adam Salmons, Bango VP Marketing Giles Tongue, and Hub Entertainment Senior Consultant Mark Loughney.

Companies and Suppliers Mentioned