FastStream Interactive has unveiled the first AI-generated virtual TV presenters to host a TV music channel on its interactive TV music channel ROXi.
The new virtual TV hosts will introduce music videos on ROXi. Initially, in the US, this will be on broadcast TV. Meanwhile, in the UK and Ireland, it will be presented on Sky.
ROXi’s AI-generated TV presenters will host ROXi’s curated music programming, introducing musicians and songs with jokes, facts, and trivia related to the artist, song, and music.
ROXi is a free-to-air, connected TV (CTV) ad-funded, interactive music video streaming, and broadcast service. It is available in the US on Nextgen TV in 31 markets via broadcast partners Sinclair and Gray, and on Sky Q, Sky Stream and Sky Glass in the UK and Ireland.
ROXi is powered by FastStream, the interactive TV platform technology from FastStream Interactive. The service enables users to skip through music videos TikTok style with their TV remote, and search ROXi’s library of music videos from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and Merlin.
ROXi’s virtual TV presenters will first be seen in action on its “Best of 80s Music Videos” channel.
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“ROXi’s innovative new virtual TV presenters bring a new level of entertainment to interactive TV, delivering far more engaging viewer experiences than would be possible if we were using normal TV production facilities and actors,” said Rob Lewis, CEO of FastStream Interactive. “With AI, we can have ROXi presenters introducing Beyoncé from a yacht moored off her favourite Caribbean Island without having to hire and fly in a production team or charter the yacht.”
Commenting on the recent uproar in Hollywood about virtual actress Tilly Norwood, Lewis added: “We understand why some actors and presenters are worried about AI. We believe this technology has the power to transform TV entertainment, making it far more interactive, contextually relevant, and entertaining, especially for younger consumers. Ultimately, we need to embrace AI-generated talent and interactive TV experiences if we’re to attract younger viewers on TV.”
“That said, ROXi automatically excludes all unlicensed AI-generated music from its catalogue. AI start-ups need to ensure the songwriters, artists, and rights holders of all the music used to train their AI services have been properly licensed and renumerated before we’d ever reconsider our position”.
A recent IBC Accelerator project addressed the authentication and management of talent in today’s digital landscape, specifically around AI-generated content, virtual world representation and talent provenance. Discover more here.
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