Sports Studio has completed the migration of its Free Live Sports (FLS) apps to Gizmott, the OTT platform from Gizmeon. The move introduces an AI-powered electronic programme guide (EPG) that personalizes channel listings according to viewers’ watching habits, as the company announced on social media.

In an interview with TM Broadcast, James Patrick, Partner at Sports Studio, had already outlined plans for a fully personalized EPG. “The goal is to tailor the entire content discovery experience for each user—surfacing live channels and VOD content based on their unique sports interests”, he explained.

The new guide puts that vision into practice by prioritizing channels according to individual viewing habits rather than displaying the same lineup to everyone. A viewer who regularly watches combat sports, for example, could see those channels listed ahead of programming dedicated to soccer or motorsports.

The approach is intended to address a common challenge facing free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services: helping viewers find programming across increasingly large channel lineups without having to scroll through lengthy electronic programme guides.

“Sports fans don’t want to scroll through a hundred channels to find the game. They want the guide to already know them”, said Cathy Rasenberger, co-founder of Sports Studio. “Moving FLS to Gizmott let us build a guide that does exactly that”.

Sports Studio is also planning additional changes to Free Live Sports, including the introduction of vertical video feeds featuring sports highlights, clips and commentary. The feeds will be accessible through the service’s mobile and connected TV applications.

Other planned features will allow viewers to interact with programming using their television remotes, with the intention of creating new advertising opportunities beyond conventional commercial breaks. Sports Studio did not provide a timetable for the rollout of those features or specify what types of interactive advertising capabilities might become available.

“Sports audiences are some of the most engaged viewers in streaming, and Free Live Sports is a great showcase for what Gizmott’s AI capabilities can do for discovery”, added Firoze Moosakutty, CEO of Gizmeon.

Free Live Sports is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple iOS and Android devices, along with other supported platforms. Viewers can also access the service through its website without paying a subscription fee. Sports Studio also distributes its sports programming through other FAST services, including YouTube and TiVo Channels.