Gen Alpha is leading a shift towards AI-powered recommendations for TV viewing options, according to new research by Gracenote, the content intelligence business unit of Nielsen.
The Gracenote research examines how AI is changing the ways people find and watch entertainment content in a new report titled “TV search and discovery in the AI era.”
It found that 49% of Gen Alpha – children born from 2010 to 2024 – chose web- and app-based AI chatbots as the best source for TV and movie recommendations, topping streaming and cable service user interfaces and program guides (41%) and internet search engine results (11%).
The trend extends beyond Gen Alpha: 57% of all respondents said these tools could become, or already are, their favoured way to get information on why, where, and when to watch content.
“People are rapidly embracing AI as a new way to search, discover, and decide what to watch, especially Gen Alpha audiences, who already expect easy-to-use, conversational interfaces,” said Tyler Bell, Senior Vice President (SVP) of Product at Gracenote. “But adoption alone is not the story: trust is. The winning platforms will be those that can deliver viewing experiences people can actually rely on – grounded in vetted, timely, and high-quality data.”
Scepticism regarding the accuracy of AI-generated results remains high, with three in four respondents saying they verify chatbot responses, mostly by cross-checking with an internet search.
The same caution carries into entertainment-specific use cases, such as content recommendations and programme availability. While 92% of those surveyed said that the accuracy of internet searches for entertainment was good or excellent, only 85% said the same about AI.
Notably, among Gen Alpha, the gap nearly vanishes, with 95% rating chatbot results favourably versus 99% for traditional search.
Gracenote’s report comes as entertainment providers face mounting pressure to improve discovery in an increasingly fragmented content landscape. As libraries expand across services and platforms, audiences are spending more time choosing what to watch and placing greater value on tools that deliver immediate, accurate, and relevant answers.
As the battle for views intensifies, streaming providers are increasingly turning to personalisation as a key strategy to attract and retain customers. IBC365 recently spoke to a collection of Content Everywhere companies to explore this fundamental pillar of the attention economy, how it's changing, and what role AI is set to play. Discover more here.
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