A key goal of ShowMS is to maximize a user's time spent watching on the Freeform platform. From a Digital Programming perspective, this means prioritizing and promoting the digital content that best serves users and stakeholders.
A large part of this was shifting from manual editorial to a more perzonalized approach that presents the most relevant content to users according to configurable rules. In general we wanted to get the most relevant content in front of users with the least amount of editorial overhead, while always retaining the ability to manually program when required.
Across the platform the Freeform homepage takes into consideration:
- Popular Content
- What the user watches
- Whether the user has a TV Provider
- High priority Freeform content
- Latest Content
The home page is mainly comprised of Home Heroes and Rows. Home Heroes are dynamic and are selected based upon which content the user is most likely to view. Rows can feature any type of content - shows, episodes, movies, clips and articles.
Features have been added to make it easier for users to find content they're interested in. A list of Search Terms can be managed that will direct users to shows and movies when they search on the platform - for example, it's a good idea to add common abbreviations or misspellings of the show or movie's name. Programmers can also manage a list of Genres - shows and movies tagged with the same genre can be automatically grouped in rows.
In addition to their regular cadence of shows, Freeform have unique seasonal programming initiatives, such as 31 Nights Of Halloween and 25 Days Of Christmas, that require their own space to house related content. To meet this need, we have created Sections pages that are fully configurable in terms of design and content.
