Strategy

Matt Turner, CTO of media and publishing for MarkLogic Corp., looks at what NBC has done with its new “Saturday Night Live” app, and sees a first for the world of both OTT and mobile apps.

“The app breaks ground with the use of smart content,” he said. “It’s an amazing depth of metadata covering seasons, eras, stars, guests and more. NBC is a really pushing the innovation. The experience puts all that data to use with semantic suggestions that let you have a continuous experience watching content customized just for you. The content the app puts in front of you is so good, you can’t put it down.

“The ‘SNL’ app continues the wave of over the top,” he added. “Bridging over from sports success like the Super Bowl, the ‘SNL’ team is delivering the entire catalog — very valuable content — directly to the public.

Indeed, the app — released Feb. 12 — doesn’t just include all 40 seasons of the show, with nearly 800 episodes covering more than 300 hours of video, it actually features a personalization engine that responds to what the user is watching, how they watch and predicts what they want next. The more a viewer interacts with the “SNL” app, the more it offers up clips that fit the viewer’s tastes, and creates “episodes” of “SNL,” predicting the favorite moments the viewer might want to see.

Released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the iconic show Feb. 15, the app also includes exclusive, never-before-seen videos from the show, original content, a library of 5,500 clips (with more to be added), a user interface that allows owners to swipe from clip to clip, and a search engine that allows for browsing by season, cast member, episode and more.

Users can also generate their own “SNL” playlists, share what they want via social media outlets, and access new clips and episodes as they air live. There’s also a unique “SNL” emoji keyboard, featuring 60 classic and current “SNL” emojis.

The app is currently available for iOS products, with Android devices next in line to support the app.

“Forty seasons of ground-breaking television deserves a ground-breaking app,” said Robert Hayes, EVP of digital for NBC Entertainment. “We’re proud to partner with … ‘Saturday Night Live’ on a unique digital experience, one that couples over 300 hours of video with innovative functionality and exciting original content.”