More than half a century after Apollo 11, Artemis II once again brought live pictures from a crewed mission to the Moon to a global audience, capturing the collective imagination of people across our planet. The technology has changed almost beyond recognition, but some of it is now in consumer products. The experience may feel remarkably familiar, but the image quality is more consistent with our modern expectations.

The Apollo missions relied on analogue television cameras, scanning at low resolution at 10 frames a second, and transmitted over narrowband radio links. The iconic images were fragile, often noisy, and required careful conversion for broadcast.

By contrast, Artemis II is designed from the outset as a digital media mission. At the heart of the on-board imaging system are multiple cameras, including ruggedised action cameras supplied by GoPro.

Four modified GoPro cameras were mounted on the solar array wings of the Orion spacecraft, where they captured high resolution views of the spacecraft, Earth, and the Moon, and also served as inspection tools.

The choice of technology derived from consumer products is deliberate. Modern action cameras offer high resolution, wide dynamic range, and low-light performance in a small, robust form factor. They can operate in constrained environments and provide multiple simultaneous viewpoints without adding significant mass or complexity. Digital video could also be stored on board at high quality for later use, as well as supporting a live feed to Earth.

NASA is deploying a hybrid communications architecture that combines established radio-frequency systems with advanced optical links.

The radio systems provide reliability and continuity. They are well understood, resilient, and form the backbone of deep space communications.

The optical system can transmit far more data than traditional radio, enabling higher resolution video over vast distances. It operates at data rates of up to 260 megabits per second down to Earth, significantly higher than conventional deep space radio systems.

The semiconductor laser uses infrared wavelengths similar to those that are widely employed in fibre-optic telecommunications. By the time the beam reaches Earth, it is about 6 kilometres in diameter. That requires incredibly precise pointing to ground stations.

Once received on Earth, the signals are processed, decoded, and distributed through conventional broadcast and digital workflows.

In effect, the deep space segment becomes an extension of the contribution network. The familiar chain of acquisition, contribution, production, and distribution still applies, but with the first link originating hundreds of thousands of kilometres away.

It is tempting to frame Artemis II as a technological leap from Apollo. In many respects, it is.

Yet the essential experience remains unchanged. A small group of astronauts, travelling far from Earth, sharing their journey with those watching from home.

In the Apollo missions, the limitations of the technology added to the sense of distance. The images were ghostly, delayed, and sometimes uncertain. Viewers leaned in, aware that what they were seeing was extraordinary.

With Artemis II, the images were clearer, more stable, and more immediate. Multiple camera angles brought viewers closer to the crew and the spacecraft. The production values are higher, but the emotional connection may be much the same. The apparent informality of the video, in an era of smartphones, belies the extraordinary scale and inherent danger of the mission.

These are pictures from deep space, where astronauts gain a unique perspective of our planet. There is still the shared moment of anticipation as events unfold live. There is still the collective audience, connected through broadcast and digital media, experiencing it together.

Fifty years ago, the lunar landings defined what television could do. Now it seems almost routine to deliver high-quality video live from deep space, using cameras similar to those we might use to record our own adventures. The next small step on the Moon may once again become a defining moment for a new generation of viewers, for all humanity.

www.nasa.gov

The way people search for television is changing rapidly, as conversational artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday tools and interfaces. New research from Gracenote, a Nielsen company, suggests that behavioural change is already well underway, particularly among younger audiences, but trust in AI-generated results has yet to keep pace.

Usage of AI chatbots is rising across all age groups, with two thirds of consumers reporting increased use over the past year. Among Generation Alpha, who are now entering their teens, adoption is even more pronounced, with 80% using chatbots more frequently and over half using them daily.

The research is based on an online survey of over 4,000 users of AI chatbots in the United States in early 2026.

While on average just over half of those surveyed said they preferred traditional search, that fell to just over a third for those aged 13-14, among whom 46% said they preferred AI.

The appeal is clear. AI offers a more conversational and flexible way to search, enabling users to ask complex questions, refine results, and receive direct answers. Across multiple use cases, from recommendations to follow-up queries, consumers show a strong preference for AI over traditional search tools.

However, this shift exposes a significant gap between utility and trust. While users favour AI for convenience and depth, traditional search still leads on perceived accuracy and reliability. Three quarters of respondents say they verify chatbot results, often by cross-checking with conventional search engines.

This tension reflects a fundamental characteristic of large language models. Unlike traditional databases, they do not simply retrieve information but generate responses probabilistically. This allows for richer, more contextual answers, but also introduces the risk of plausible inaccuracies, or ‘hallucinations’. As the report notes, these systems must be ‘grounded’ in trusted, real-world data sources if they are to deliver reliable results at scale.

The stakes are particularly high in entertainment. As content libraries expand across hundreds of services and platforms, discovery has become a growing source of friction. Audiences are spending more time searching, and many report frustration with the abundance of choice. In this environment, AI has the potential to simplify navigation, personalise recommendations, and surface content that might otherwise remain hidden.

At the same time, the effectiveness of these experiences depends heavily on the quality and completeness of the underlying data. Even relatively simple queries, such as where to watch a specific programme, remain inconsistent across current AI systems. Without accurate and up-to-date information, AI risks reinforcing uncertainty rather than reducing it.

Gracenote expects large language models to become the default technology underpinning content discovery. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into devices and services, consumers are likely to rely on it increasingly as a gateway to entertainment.

The implication for the industry is clear. Success will depend not only on the sophistication of AI interfaces, but on the ability to connect them to authoritative, structured data sources. In a fragmented market, trusted data may prove to be the critical factor in turning AI-driven discovery from a promising capability into a dependable experience.

In that context, the emerging foundations of television discovery are beginning to align. Discovery platforms like the Service List Registry, based on open standards including DVB-I, provide a framework for identifying and locating services across networks and platforms. Combined with authoritative metadata and programme information from providers such as Gracenote, these elements point towards a more coherent model for search and discovery.

As artificial intelligence becomes the interface through which audiences navigate programming, it will depend on this underlying ecosystem of trusted data and structured services to deliver results on which viewers can depend.

TV search and discovery in the AI era: We all want a better experience, but can we trust the bots? is published by Gracenote and is available from its web site.

gracenote.com
www.slrdb.com
www.dvb-i.tv

Online video subscriptions have reached around 2.2 billion worldwide, with further growth expected to 2.6 billion by 2030. However, much of that expansion is now incremental, particularly in mature markets where penetration is already high. The global subscription video market is entering a more measured phase, as the pace of subscriber growth slows and platforms focus increasingly on profitability and retention.

New analysis from Futuresource Consulting suggests that the dynamics of online video competition are changing. Rather than prioritising rapid customer acquisition, platforms are placing greater emphasis on pricing strategy, bundling, and distribution partnerships to sustain growth. Retention and engagement are becoming central, reflecting a shift from scale to efficiency.

This is evident in the evolution of monetisation models. Lower-cost, ad-supported tiers are being introduced to broaden access, while headline subscription prices continue to rise. The result is a more structured approach to pricing, designed to balance affordability with revenue growth.

At the same time, consumers are becoming more selective. In markets where multiple subscriptions are common, the relationship between price and perceived value is under increasing scrutiny. Services must work harder to justify their place in the household mix.

“Streaming has always been a market where consumers hold substantial power,” says Anastasia Budash of Futuresource. “What’s different now is markets are approaching saturation. As platforms compete harder for attention, further growth requires strong market differentiation and nuanced retention strategies.”

Recent price increases by Netflix underline the shift. Subscription fees for all tiers were raised again in March, as the company prioritises revenue per user alongside continued growth.

Disney+ has followed a similar path, raising prices across all tiers in 2025, including its ad-supported plans, and continuing a pattern of annual increases. The company has pointed to higher subscription revenue as a driver of improved profitability, even as growth in viewing and subscribers slows.

Content remains a critical differentiator, but investment is becoming more targeted. Rather than expanding volume, platforms are focusing on programming that can sustain engagement and deliver repeat viewing. Franchise-led strategies, spin-offs, and extensions of established intellectual property are increasingly prominent, alongside selective investment in premium rights such as sport.

These approaches reflect the rising cost of content and the need to demonstrate clearer returns. While major global platforms continue to operate at scale, regional and niche services are maintaining their position through localisation and focused audience targeting.

The market itself is becoming more fragmented, with a wider range of strategies in play. Aggregation and partnerships are reshaping how services are packaged and accessed, reinforcing the importance of distribution as well as content.

Overall, the direction of travel is clear. Streaming continues to grow, but the conditions for success are becoming more demanding. With global consumer spend expected to reach around $150 billion in 2026, performance will depend less on headline subscriber numbers and more on careful execution across pricing, content, and customer experience.

Subscription Video on Demand Market Outlook is published by Futuresource Consulting.

www.futuresource-consulting.com