Personalisation has been quietly reshaping how we consume media. It’s not a future ambition; it’s already here, embedded in the last click, the last swipe, the last frame before the viewer decides to tune in or tune out. As far as Digital Azul is concerned, personalisation is the “final mile” of communication – the point where intention meets individual. And yet, in broadcast, that mile is still patchy terrain. 

While platforms like Netflix, Spotify and YouTube have engineered entire ecosystems around tailored recommendations and behaviour-based algorithms, much of the traditional media landscape still treats viewers as a general audience. Not out of indifference, but because real personalisation demands more than just tech. It requires intention, infrastructure, and a commitment to understanding the audience not as a demographic, but as an individual. 

What’s Working and Who’s Doing It 

We don’t need to look far for success stories. Spotify’s Discover Weekly continues to surprise users with eerily accurate playlists. Netflix’s homepage evolves constantly to reflect mood, time of day and even device use. These aren’t bells and whistles; they’re infrastructure. And they’re built on data – from sign-ins, browsing history, clicks, pauses and replays. 

What’s telling is that many viewers no longer consider these interactions remarkable. Personalised content is simply expected. In contrast, live sports and news tend to offer one-size-fits-all programming. While regional advertising has been a staple for years, few broadcasters have brought personalisation to the same level of granularity as their digital-first peers. There’s a gap between what’s technically possible and what’s operationally prioritised. And that gap matters because it’s the space where audiences can be lost. 

The Hidden Layer of Trust 

Here’s the paradox: the more personalisation improves, the less visible it becomes. People are sharply aware of personalised advertising on social media – often to the point of discomfort – but much less so when it happens in entertainment. That makes transparency crucial. If media literacy doesn’t catch up to media capability, we’re risking trust. 

At Digital Azul, we believe this needs to be part of a wider education, teaching people not just what they’re watching, but why they’re being shown it. We don’t see this as an ethical burden; we see it as an opportunity. Viewers who understand how content works are more engaged, not less. But that trust depends on thoughtful implementation and clear boundaries, especially in the wake of scandals like Cambridge Analytica. 

What’s Actually Possible Now? 

The tech stack is ready. Dynamic ad insertion? Tick. AI-powered recommendation engines? Standard. Cross-platform data aggregation? Already in play. What’s missing is the creative shift – not from storytelling to automation, but from mass appeal to micro-relevance. 

It’s not about offering multiple versions of a film with or without background music. That kind of interactivity has been around since DVDs and never really caught on. People still want stories. They just want the stories to reach them in ways that reflect their preferences, patterns and pace of consumption. 

Is It Worth the Effort? 

Yes, it’s complex. Yes, it adds cost. Creating segmented ad campaigns, managing behavioural data responsibly, and building smart interfaces – none of this is plug-and-play. But the returns speak for themselves. Higher engagement. Stronger viewer loyalty. Better ROI on every content dollar. 

And it’s not just for the tech giants. Smaller broadcasters and niche content creators can now compete by using the same personalised tools once reserved for the big names, especially across OTT and social media. The key is relevance. Get that right and even a small brand can feel as tailored and powerful as a global network. 

What’s Next? 

We’re not heading toward a media landscape of hyper-interactive, choose-your-own-adventure stories. That’s not what most audiences want. What they do want is content that recognises their taste, respects their time and doesn’t assume that “everyone” is the same. 

At Digital Azul, we see personalisation not as a trend, but as a design principle – something that should be woven into the very architecture of broadcast and streaming workflows. From the first conversation with a brand to the final frame the viewer sees, everything should be built with the audience in mind.