Analytic surveillance: Big data business models in the time of privacy awareness

 Massive data collection and analysis is at the heart of many business models today. New technologies allow for fine-grained recommendation systems that help companies make accurate market predictions while also providing clients with highly personalized services. Because of this, extreme care must be taken when it comes to storing and managing personal (often highly sensitive) information. In this paper we focus on the influence of big data management in media business content platforms, mainly in well-known OTT (Over the Top) services. In addition, we comment on the implications of data management in social networks. We discuss the privacy and security risks associated with this novel scenario, and briefly comment on tools that aid in securing the privacy of business intelligence within this context

Challenges of future multimedia QoE monitoring for internet service providers

The ever-increasing network traffic and user expectations at reduced cost make the delivery of high Quality of Experience (QoE) for multimedia services more vital than ever in the eyes of Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Real-time quality monitoring, with a focus on the user, has become essential as the first step in cost-effective provisioning of high quality services. With the recent changes in the perception of user privacy, the rising level of application-layer encryption and the introduction and deployment of virtualized networks, QoE monitoring solutions need to be adapted to the fast changing Internet landscape. In this contribution, we provide an overview of state-of-the-art quality monitoring models and probing technologies, and highlight the major challenges ISPs have to face when they want to ensure high service quality for their customers

Content Discovery in Online Services: A Case Study on a Video on Demand System

Video-on-demand services have gained popularity in recent years for the large catalogue of content they offer and the ability to watch them at any desired time. Having many options to choose from may be overwhelming for the users and affect negatively the overall experience. The use of recommender systems has been proven to help users discover relevant content faster. However, content discovery is affected not only by the number of choices, but also by the way the content is displayed to the user. Moreover, the development of recommender systems has been commonly focused on increasing their prediction accuracy, rather than the usefulness and user experience. This work takes on a user-centric approach to designing an efficient content discovery experience for its users. The main contribution of this research is a set of guidelines for designing the user interface and recommender system for the aforementioned purpose, formulated based on a user study and existing research. The guidelines were additionally translated into interface designs, which were then evaluated with users. The results showed that users were satisfied with the proposed design and the goal of providing a better content discovery experience was achieved. Moreover, the guidelines were found feasible by the company in which the research was conducted and thus have a high potential to work in a real product. With this research, I aim to highlight the importance of improving the content discovery process both from the perspective of the user interface and a recommender system, and encourage researchers to consider the user experience in those aspects

Net neutrality and audiovisual services

Net neutrality is high on the European agenda. New regulations for the communication sector provide a legal framework for net neutrality and need to be implemented on both a European and a national level. The key element is not just about blocking or slowing down traffic across communication networks: the control over the distribution of audiovisual services constitutes a vital part of the problem. In this contribution, the phenomenon of net neutrality is described first. Next, the European and American contexts are dealt with. The impact for audiovisual services is sketched in the analysis, including the question of whether net neutrality is a new phenomenon and whether parallels can be drawn with previous issues. In the conclusion, we refer to the necessity of seeing net neutrality as a value chain issue. In addition, existing and future regulatory intervention needs to take a more concrete approach to net neutrality

The Datafication of Public Service Media Dreams, Dilemmas and Practical Problems:A Case Study of the Implementation of Personalized Recommendations at the Danish Public Service Media ‘DR’

Historically, public service broadcasting had no quantifiable knowledge about audiences, nor a great interest in knowing them. Today, the competitive logic of the media markets encourage public service media (PSM) organizations to increase datafication. In this paper we examine how a PSM organization interprets the classic public service obligations of creating societal cohesion and diversity in the new world of key performance indicators, business rules and algorithmic parameters.The paper presents a case study of the implementation of a personalization system for the video on demand service of the Danish PSM ‘DR’. Our empirical findings, based on longitudinal in-depth interviewing, indicate a long and difficult process of datafication of PSM, shaped by both the organizational path dependencies of broadcasting production and the expectations of public service broadcasting

The datafication of Public Service Media: Dreams, Dilemmas and Practical Problems A Case Study of the Implementation of Personalized Recommendations at the Danish Public Service Media ‘DR’

Historically, public service broadcasting had no quantifiable knowledge about audiences, nor a great interest in knowing them. Today, the competitive logic of the media markets encourage public service media (PSM) organizations to increase datafication. In this paper we examine how a PSM organization interprets the classic public service obligations of creating societal cohesion and diversity in the new world of key performance indicators, business rules and algorithmic parameters.The paper presents a case study of the implementation of a personalization system for the video on demand service of the Danish PSM ‘DR’. Our empirical findings, based on longitudinal in-depth interviewing, indicate a long and difficult process of datafication of PSM, shaped by both the organizational path dependencies of broadcasting production and the expectations of public service broadcasting

A user centred approach to the modelling of contextualised experience adaptation in relation to video consumption

This research focused on the development of a user centric framework for the interpretation of contextualised TV and video viewing experiences (UX). Methods to address content overload and provide better contextualisation when consuming video have been an area of academic discussion for almost 20 years (Burke, Felfernig, & Goker, 2011). However over the same period technical system design for video has actually moved away from attempts to model the nature of real viewing contexts. With now near ubiquitous access to video from a range of disparate devices the addition of contextualisation within video applications and devices represents an opportunity in terms of improving viewer UX. Three user studies were carried out to inform development of the framework and employed mixed method approaches. The first focused on understanding where video is watched and the contextual factors that defined those places as viewing situations. This study derived eight Archetype viewing situations and associated contextual cues. The second study measured viewing UX in context. Significant differences in subjective ratings for measured UX were found when viewing was compared within subjects across Viewing Archetype situations. A third study characterised viewing UX, identifying behavioural, environmental and technological factors which through observed frequency and duration were identified as indicative enablers and detractors in the creation of viewing UX. Concepts generated within the studies that related to viewing context identification and viewing UX classification through experiential factors were integrated into the framework. The framework provides a way through which to identify, describe and improve viewing UX across contexts. Additionally the framework was referenced to develop an exemplar system model for contextual adaptation in order to show its relevance to the generation of technical system design. Finally information for designers was created in the form of scenarios and suggestions for use in order to bring the framework to life as a resource for development teams