SuperSearch: How we transformed content discovery with AI
When we launched our Horizon TV Entertainment platform close to 10 years ago, we introduced many revolutionary features: the integration of apps, personalized content recommendations, network-based recording and fully-integrated Replay within the TV Guide.
However, there was one feature that stood out with consistent usage and widespread popularity — using voice to search for content with the press of a button on the remote control. It felt very functional at times, but customers and their families – especially kids – quickly embraced the feature. Talking to the remote became a normal way of navigating the TV experience over the past decade.
With advances in AI and emerging technologies, we saw an opportunity to enhance how customers discover content on our award-winning platform. Together with our Customer Experience teams, we ran a full analysis of the current Horizon user journey, handing us key insights to current pain points on the platform. One of the biggest takeaways: users appreciate the convenience of voice-based search, but many found it difficult to phrase queries to get the best results. And beyond that, the results they received were a lengthy, unorganized list with little context.
SuperSearch, the next generation of TV search
So we got to work on a resolution. Joint teams across Liberty Global, Infosys, and our design agency, WongDoody, embarked on UX ideation workshops based on Double Diamond design principles rooted in people-first, inclusive innovation.
Our objective? Improve Horizon’s search functionality – help it understand precisely what customers are searching for, make it easier for them to sift through and compare search results, and even provide suggested prompts to help them refine their search.
Enter SuperSearch, powered by Google’s Gemini and built into our Horizon set-top boxes. It’s just launched to customers at Sunrise, which has become the first TV provider in Switzerland to offer AI-based voice search for TV.
It’s voice-controlled, AI-based, and cross-platform, pulling in results across traditional TV channels, on-demand programmes, and streaming services onto an image-based search interface.
Bolstered by AI, SuperSearch understands natural, conversational queries — from “Show me movies featuring the cast of Titanic!” to “I want to watch something about space,” and even “Show me films that have won an Oscar!”
The architects behind SuperSearch, from vision to reality
AI is more than a buzzword – it’s the engine driving SuperSearch, and integrating it into our search functionality was no small feat.
In partnership with Infosys, we benchmarked and tested a range of Large Language Models (LLMs) to determine which could most effectively understand user intent and pull up relevant content for customer queries. We built new video back-office components, establishing robust guardrails and secure routing between the recommendation engine, AI modules, and user interface. Our blueprints and UX design were transformed into a working prototype, paving the way for usability and performance testing. Our work required ongoing iteration of prompts and filters to ensure consistent, high-quality results.
Developing that proof-of-concept was a turning point – a moment when our design vision began to take tangible shape. Working in agile sprints, we translated ideas into action, validating our approach and demonstrating AI’s potential to redefine content discovery. From there, we scaled with precision, orchestrating a seamless handover from innovation to industrialisation, ensuring every feature and design element was ready for launch.
And no successful product is complete without the voice of its users. We conducted extensive usability testing, inviting consumers to interact with early versions of SuperSearch. Their feedback was invaluable, spotlighting what worked, what didn’t, and what could be even better.
Seeing SuperSearch go from concept to commercialization has been extraordinary, a testament to what’s possible when vision, innovation, and collaboration unite. None of this would have been achieved without the remarkable partnership between Liberty Global, Infosys, WongDoody, and our dedicated country teams.
Each group brought unique perspectives, expertise, and energy – turning challenges into opportunities and ideas into reality, with the customer at the heart of every decision.
