Frequency, which provides cloud-based channel-creation and distribution workflows, is helping an unnamed “leading global media company” fully schedule linear streaming channels using AI.
The AI-scheduled channels will be live on major distribution platforms starting this quarter, the vendor reports.
AI scheduling enables the creation of entire channel outputs from content libraries – a task humans used to perform. The AI tool ensures full compliance with rights windows, editorial rules and audience patterns.
AI scheduling is the first application powered by Blueprints, Frequency’s intelligence layer that helps create and operate linear streaming channels.
A channel blueprint will define how a channel operates – its programming logic, editorial rules, and optimisation goals.
A blueprint can be created from almost anything, including a paragraph describing a channel’s identity or a sample schedule from a spreadsheet. It can incorporate research and analytics.
The AI layer interprets whatever a customer provides and builds it into a queryable blueprint.
Opened up for AI
Frequency has opened up its suite of products – covering content management, scheduling, distribution, graphics, and live operations – so that AI agents can harness them.
Blair Harrison, founder and CEO of Frequency (pictured), says his company decided against building an AI-powered application for each of its solutions and instead made them accessible to AI agents using MCP (Model Context Protocol)
MCP is effectively an application programming interface (API) for AI models and the functions they require.
This means channel owners can choose the agentic AI capabilities and foundational models they want to work with, and the AIs can operate freely with the Frequency applications and platform.
According to Harrison, “Customers are deluged with new AI-powered features – a tool for one workflow, an assistant for one task.
“”These are useful, but they are point solutions. They don’t share context across the channel lifecycle, they don’t learn from each other, and they don’t compound in value.”
Frequency started life largely focused on the FAST market but has evolved to support linear streaming channels more generally.
The company runs approximately 500 channels on its cloud-based platform, delivering these to 350 distribution endpoints globally, including to streaming-first pay-TV aggregators (MVPDs – multichannel virtual programming distributors).
Customers include movie studios such as Sony Pictures, sports federations such as the PGA Tour, and local broadcasters such as Sinclair and Hearst in the US.
Harrison says the company has helped improve the economics of live channel distribution and, at the same time, ramped up the quality of streaming output, with features like real-time motion graphics and overlays.
The new AI capabilities were announced at the NAB Show in April.
