Noticed something different with Max‘s homepage? That’s because one of the best streaming services has unveiled a new Whole Page Optimization system that helps to offer more personalized recommendations on its homepage. So if you’re a Max subscriber, this should make it much easier for you to find something you actually want to watch based on which best Max movies and best Max shows you’ve seen.
Warner Bros. Discovery launched the new homepage personalization system in the US last month (July) in a bid to offer more smarter recommendations – and it seems to be working according to Liesel Kipp, Warner Bros. Discovery’s senior vice president of global streaming product.
Kipp told The Verge that the company has seen a “meaningful lift” in how long viewers watch content on Max, how many times they return, and the types of content people watch. “The system can really help consumers find those hidden gems on Max,” Kipped added.
What’s on the new Max homepage?
Much like Netflix‘s content algorithm, Max’s new system uses your viewing history to recommend which movies and shows you might like to watch next, as well as which content to not suggest if the data shows you’re not interested. This information will then be presented as part of your own personalized categories to effectively connect you to the content you love.
Whether you’re into horror or thrillers, the new system changes the look of your whole homepage to match your taste and preferences with the vertical and horizontal rows being tailored to each individual user.
Max will also make sure you don’t see repeat titles on your homepage and make content it thinks you don’t like less visible. “We’re going to refine and make sure those collections and those rails that are most relevant to you are the things that bubble up,” Kipp explained, going onto say that it will balance this with popular titles on the platform, so it will still display the likes of Succession and House of the Dragon even if those shows don’t take your fancy.
Other streaming services are also in the process of having a makeover. Amazon giving Prime Video subscribers a free update that uses AI to make more personalized recommendations for movies and shows, while Netflix is also testing some homepage redesigns. Max still has other plans in the pipeline for content personalization as it’s in the process of testing a Netflix-style rating system that will allow you to rate movies and shows with ‘love,’ ‘like,’ or ‘not for me’. Like Prime Video, Kipp says that Max is also going down the AI route of using social and emotional context from scenes within movies and shows you’ve watched to apply to your recommendations. “This helps make our current recommendations more relevant. And it’s a real ongoing era of innovation and experimentation for us. There’s a lot more to come,” Kipp added.