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< Back Call for Papers Special Issue 3 Feb 2025 Special Issue on Public Service Media in the Age of Platforms A new special issue of Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies , edited by Hanne Bruun, Catherine Johnson, Tim Raats , and Vilde Schanke Sundet, seeks to explore the challenges traditional PSM organisations are facing in audience retention, content production, and platform dependency. While much research has focused on the political and economic dimensions of platformisation, there remains a significant gap in comparative studies of the organisational practices and cultural outputs of PSM organisations worldwide. This special issue aims to address this gap by adopting a comparative lens. The editors invite contributions that examine PSM through comparative methodologies, including cross-national studies, comparisons across policy, organisational practices, and cultural production, and mixed-method approaches. Submissions that go beyond Western-centric perspectives are especially encouraged. Suggested Topics Include: Comparative analysis of changing organisational cultures in PSM PSM commissioning, publishing, and distribution practices in different contexts Cross-platform and cross-national comparisons of PSM programming and content Mixed-method approaches to understanding PSM policy, production, and texts Theoretical and methodological innovations in comparative PSM research Key Dates: Abstract submission deadline: 4 April 2025 (500-750 words) Notification of acceptance: 5 May 2025 Full article submission deadline: 22 September 2025 Researchers interested in contributing should submit their abstracts to PSMspecialissue@leeds.ac.uk . This is a unique opportunity to contribute to an urgent and timely discussion on the evolving role of PSM in the platform era. Don't miss this opportunity to share your research! ⏩️ https://psm-ap.com/comparative-approaches-to-public-service-media-in-the-age-of-platforms/ Previous Next

< Back Ciao from EMMA in Rome! 5 Jun 2025 Our presentations at the emma Conference 2025 On the first day of the EMMA Conference, Aina, Hanne, and Pieter joined over 20 other PhD students from all over Europe for the inspiring PhD Workshop. In small groups, under the guidance of an experienced researcher, each student got the opportunity to present some issues related to their PhD track, delving into theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches, data analysis, the writing process, and mental challenges such as dealing with impostor syndrome, The diversity of research themes and perspectives is of great value to our three PhD’ers as their starting the third year of their track. The workshop provided room for deepening, exchange, and building a valuable network of fellow researchers. And of course, there was also time to enjoy the sunshine, have an espresso, Aperol Spritz, and taste some Italian delicacies! 😋🇮🇹🍕 The second day of the EMMA Conference was dominated by fascinating presentations, including that of our colleague Aina , who presented her research with great flair. Aina’s ongoing research (as part of the ALGEPI project ) investigates how Europe’s AI regulatory frameworks—ranging from the EU’s AI Act and European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) to UNESCO and Council of Europe guidelines and national AI strategies in Belgium, France, and Spain—are or are not reshaping newsroom governance. The goal of this research is to explore the intersection between regulation and journalism more closely trying to understand how AI regulation translates into newsroom realities across European contexts. Through a two‐step approach of document analysis and interviews with legal experts, media managers, and practitioners, she discussed the impact of both hard and soft law in the journalistic context as well as media‐tailored AI policies that balance compliance with editorial independence. Next to Aina’s insights, it was inspiring to hear from other research themes and get some findings from other studies. After a strong day at the conference, we had a chance to explore beautiful Rome and do some sightseeing. The day ended in style with a delicious buffet full of authentic Italian dishes.🍝🍦 On day three of the EMMA Conference, it was Hanne and Pieter's turn to present their research. Together, they gave an engaging joint presentation in which they shared a comparative analysis of how decision-making around recommender systems for media distribution is shaped in commercial media companies and public broadcasters. Building upon the framework of Smets et al (2022), they investigate how the strategic perspective on integrating recommender systems differs in profit-oriented organizations and PSM. By integrating their individual case studies, they offered valuable insights into the divergent strategic goals, recommendation purposes, and the implications for the recommender system design. The take-away? There are some similar strategic goals and recommendation purposes for editorial, commercial, and technological stakeholders in both types of media organizations. Nevertheless, the interpretation of concepts such as 'relevant' and 'engagement' differs based on the organizational cultures in profit-driven and public service media. Slide of presentation: Preliminary findings on shared overarching strategic goals and recommendation purposes For those who cannot get enough of Pieter , he also gave an individual presentation afterwards in which he elaborated on his case study work on Flemish public broadcaster VRT. With a focus on the tensions and possible conflicts that arise between stakeholders in the decision-making processes that shape the recommender system development, his presentation elaborated on the stakeholders involved at PSM and the implications of (dis) alignment of their strategic interests. His VRT deep dive hinted at the merits of a stronger involvement of indirect stakeholders for public service delivery and provided learnings on how PSM could tackle future structural integrations of technological innovations, for example, that of generative AI, which was a heavily debated topic at this conference. Previous Next

< Back Policy Brief on Public Service Media in Belgium 27 Mar 2025 Findings and recommendations on the organisational and cultural challenges facing PSM in Belgium In this new policy brief Tim Raats and Cataline Iordache share results from the latest research conducted during the second year of the PSM-AP project . Their findings show that Public Service Media (PSM) organizations in Belgium, being RTBF (French-speaking) and VRT (Flemish) face growing competition from global tech giants such as Netflix, Apple, Google, and Amazon. This requires a transition into fully digital, online-first broadcasters. While both are integrating digital tools and skills, structural barriers rooted in traditional broadcasting, such as bureaucracy and departmental silos, slow down this transformation. They are adapting their commissioning and distribution strategies to better meet audience needs while maintaining their public service mission and managing brand perception. However, their digital transition differs: VRT is positioning VRT MAX as the central platform for content, whereas RTBF struggles to rebrand Auvio beyond a catch-up service, as linear TV is still dominant for reaching audiences. Their study identifies the following four key factors that shape the way in which both Belgian PSM organizations are managing the rise of internet delivery and increasing competition with international streamers: If you want to learn more about the outcomes of in-depth interviews with employees in both PSM organizations, have a look at the full policy brief here . Previous Next

< Back Diversity in VOD services: Seminar highlights from Madrid 28 Oct 2024 Throwback on the international seminar on diversity and VOD services Tim Raats and Catalina Iordache participated in the international seminar on diversity and Video-on-Demand (VOD) services in Madrid, hosted by the Diversidad Audiovisual research group at University Carlos III Madrid. This event brought together scholars, industry experts, and policymakers to discuss the challenges and opportunities for promoting diverse content in the increasingly globalized VOD landscape. Tim Raats contributed to the discussion on quotas for European works, presenting on October 24 during a panel focused on promoting European and Spanish content. His talk examined the importance of quota regulations and content prominence to ensure visibility for European productions, underscoring how these measures can support local cultural diversity on international streaming platforms. Catalina Iordache also presented on the same day, addressing the financial impact of foreign streaming platforms on European fiction series. Speaking in a panel on investment and financing of European works, she shared insights into how international players like Netflix and Amazon Prime are contributing to and reshaping the European audiovisual ecosystem by funding local productions. The seminar recordings and a full list of panels are available on the Diversidad Audiovisual website , offering a wealth of information on the dynamics of diversity in the digital streaming era. Previous Next

< Back 10 trends in streaming market 1 Mar 2024 Report of the Living Lab project Discover the first deliverable of the Streaming Affordances for Small Media Markets living Lab project, in which the research team outlines 10 key trends in the international streaming market that have an impact on developments in the Flemish market (the report is in Dutch). The 10 trends highlight a diversification of genre and payment modules, and a quest of streamers for revenue and profit rather than market dominance and number of subscribers. Trendrapport voor 'proeftuin Streaming Affordances for Small Media Markets .pdf Download PDF • 3.74MB Previous Next

< Back Impressions of IBC 2025 15 Sept 2025 Ulysse’s Impressions of the International Broadcasting Convention 2025: Shaping The Future. Last Friday September 12, I visited IBC in Amsterdam, the world’s largest annual media and broadcasting conference, to present my new subtitling and translation software subtitle.ai at the EBU booth. Although being invited by Future Media Hubs as founder of Scribewave, I also wanted to share some reflections with the SRP Media audience. The first impression was sheer scale. With more than 116 000 m² (over sixteen football fields!), the RAI venue is almost unfathomable in size. Yet, despite the crowds, check-in was smooth, and within minutes I was wandering through one of the colossal halls. Exhibitors showcased everything from switch boxes and coax cables to cameras, rigs, and Media Asset Management (MAM) systems. Tech giants like Google, Nvidia, Amazon, and Microsoft dominated the floor, while I was glad to see a strong Belgian presence as well, with companies such as Mediagenix , Limecraft , and Cuez underlining the solid position of Belgium’s media technology ecosystem. As expected, Artificial Intelligence (AI) was the dominant theme, though a touch of “AI fatigue” was noticeable. Some exhibitors even highlighted their non-AI solutions as a differentiator. Still, AI was everywhere: from powering camera selection during sports broadcasts, to enabling multimodal media search, and supporting localization workflows. This naturally connects to my own pitch on AI-assisted subtitling. With subtitle.ai, I argued for a balance: maximizing automation while keeping editors firmly in control. Mine is not the only approach in this space: I noticed many competitors in the Future Tech Hall, each with their own take on the challenge of delivering professional, multi-language subtitles. The importance of subtitles is well documented, for example: Facebook found they increase viewing time by 25%, Verizon reported 80% higher completion rates, and Discovery discovered (sorry, bad pun) that subtitles increased overall views by 13%. Add to that the fact that 85% of social media videos are watched without sound, urging younger generations to default to using subtitles (or is it because of today’s often-mumbled dialogue in films and series?) and the case is clear. Subtitles don’t just boost engagement, they’re now a legal requirement too: since June 2025, the European Accessibility Act mandates closed captions for all content published in Europe. So how does subtitle.ai stand out? The software learns from your formatting guidelines (i.e. 42 CPL, two lines, natural breaks, speaker change indicators) to automate as much as possible, while still allowing editors to review and adjust quickly. Once finished, subtitles can be bulk-translated and auto-formatted into more than 90 languages. Because captions are generated at the word level, they can also be repurposed to create engaging social media highlights, with animated, colorful subtitles designed to capture attention. That was the core message of my pitch, delivered alongside a set of inspiring entrepreneurs and innovators in the media space: • Overtone: contextual intelligence for smarter brand placement in articles • Hypecast: a podcasting platform for internal business communication • SentiGeek: extracting usable insights from messy datasets • And last but not least: a live demo of an interactive audience feedback system from the founder of Pimp My Comedy I’m very grateful to VRT and Future Media Hubs for the opportunity to showcase my work, and thankful for the new connections with media professionals. While my first IBC experience was overwhelming in scale, it left me inspired and more enthusiastic than ever about the creative, inventive ways this industry is tackling its biggest challenges. Previous Next

< Back Join ALGEPI's workshop on Epistemic Welfare! 21 Mar 2024 What are the conditions under which the use of algorithms can contribute to, or threaten, epistemic welfare? “Epistemic Welfare“ stands as a cornerstone concept for understanding how individuals and groups interact with knowledge in today’s digital society. How do we define it? What is the conceptual and methodological framework for the concept? ALGEPI is organising its first annual workshop on the 12th of April 2024 from 10:00h to 13:00h CET to discuss what are the conditions under which the use of algorithms can contribute to, or threaten, epistemic welfare and how can we translate this into actionable parameters or metrics. Join us in the discussion! 🕙 Time: 10:00h to 13:00h CET. 🗓️ Date: 12th of April 2024 📍 Venue: Collegium Veteranorum (109-20) – Sint-Michielsstraat 2-4 , 3000 Leuven ( 02.10 – MGR. O. ROMEROZAAL ). Are you planning to attend? Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis so please let us know by sending us an email ! Registrations will close on the 5th April 2024. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more, have a look at our concept note dissecting the concept of epistemic welfare ! ➡︎ Read the full programme here . Previous Next

< Back Second Annual ALGEPI Workshop 19 May 2025 Insights on AI, Innovation and Media Regulation On April 23rd, 2025, the Université de Namur hosted the second ALGEPI Annual Workshop , bringing together researchers, students, and industry experts to discuss how AI is shaping the media landscape. The day was packed with presentations on artificial intelligence, algorithmic recommender systems, media regulation, and user-centric innovation. Some highlights: Prof. Heritiana Ranaivoson kicked off the day by outlining the ALGEPI project, which is a collaborative effort aiming to tackle the challenges AI poses to epistemic welfare. Dr. Lien Michiels dissected the elusive concept of filter bubbles, stressing the need for diverse, but standardised research methods and validated metrics that consider all stakeholders to gather robust evidence and make meaningful normative judgements about diversity and recommender systems. Aina Errando , Michelle Kulig, and Hanne Vandenbroucke shared some findings from their comparative systematic literature review on the multi-stakeholder challenges and opportunities of news recommender systems in newsrooms. Their work highlights the need for more interdisciplinary and multi-method research to address both organisational and societal challenges, and also to explore the opportunities of news recommender systems more holistically. For the full report on the 2nd ALGEPI workshop, have a look at https://www.algepi.com/ai-innovation-media-regulation-insights-ii-annual-workshop/ Previous Next

< Back New policy brief: International versus local VOD 4 Nov 2024 In a new policy brief and webinar, we present the findings of research on motivations of Flemish viewers ⇩ ENGLISH BELOW ⇩ Tijdens een webinar op 31 oktober presenteerde het Proeftuin Project nieuwe inzichten over de streaminggewoonten en voorkeuren van Vlaamse kijkers. Dit zijn de vijf belangrijkste conclusies: 1. Kijken blijft een collectieve activiteit Streaming biedt gepersonaliseerde aanbevelingen, maar kijkgedrag vertoont nog steeds sterke overeenkomsten met het traditionele, lineaire kijkpatroon. Keuzes worden vaak beïnvloed door sociale omgevingen, en samen kijken blijft een waardevolle culturele activiteit. Het ‘watercooler-effect’, waarbij populaire shows gesprekstof opleveren, blijft relevant, zowel voor internationale hits als lokale titels. 2. Lokale platformen lopen achter met personalisatie, maar voldoen aan verwachtingen Internationale platformen zijn sterk in personalisatie, terwijl Vlaamse kijkers vaak al weten wat ze willen zien op lokale platforms zoals VRT MAX en VTM GO. Hoewel deze platformen geavanceerde aanbevelingssystemen missen, slagen ze erin om te voldoen aan de vraag naar specifieke lokale content. De belangrijkste uitdaging blijft het uitbreiden van de catalogus en de gebruiksvriendelijkheid verbeteren. 3. Vlaamse kijkers waarderen lokale content Lokale platformen zijn de voorkeurskeuze voor Vlaamse kijkers die op zoek zijn naar regionale shows, terwijl grote streamingdiensten zoals Netflix over het algemeen worden geassocieerd met internationale content. Deze waardering voor lokale content geeft platformen zoals VRT MAX en Streamz de kans om zich te onderscheiden, vooral voor kijkers die regionale verhalen belangrijk vinden. 4. Streaming en bioscoop bezoek: Complementaire ervaringen Vlaamse kijkers zien streaming en bioscoopbezoek als aanvullend op elkaar. Degenen die veel streamen, gaan ook vaak naar de bioscoop, vooral vanwege de gedeelde ervaring. Hoewel de prijs voor sommigen een drempel blijft, blijft de bioscoop aantrekkelijk vanwege de unieke sociale sfeer. 5. Lokale content leeft, maar internationale content domineert Vlaamse kijkers associëren lokale platformen sterk met regionale content, maar hun kijkgedrag op grote platformen neigt naar internationale series en films. Deze voorkeur voor globaal aanbod vormt het streaminggedrag, maar lokale platformen blijven inspelen op de vraag naar binnenlandse verhalen en ervaringen. Voor een diepgaandere analyse, bekijk de volledige policybrief op de SMIT-website . ___________________________________ During a webinar on October 31, the Proeftuin Project revealed fresh insights into the habits and preferences of Flemish streaming audiences. Here are the five main takeaways: 1. Watching together remains Streaming may allow for individual recommendations, but watching habits still mirror traditional, linear viewing. Choices are often influenced by social settings, and shared viewing remains a strong cultural activity. The “watercooler effect,” where popular shows spark conversations, is still alive, with both international hits and local titles playing a role. 2. Local platforms lag in personalization but meet viewer expectations While international platforms excel at personalization, Flemish viewers often know exactly what they want to watch on local platforms like VRT MAX and VTM GO. These platforms lack sophisticated recommendation systems, yet they succeed in catering to viewers' demands for specific local content. The main challenge remains expanding their catalog while enhancing usability. 3. Flemish viewers value local content Local platforms are the preferred choice for Flemish audiences seeking regional shows, while major streaming services like Netflix are generally associated with international content. This appreciation for local content allows platforms such as VRT MAX and Streamz to distinguish themselves, particularly for viewers who prioritize regional storytelling. 4. Streaming and cinema are complementary experiences Flemish viewers see streaming and cinema as complementary. Those who stream frequently also tend to visit cinemas, mainly for the shared experience. While price remains a deterrent for some, cinemas remain attractive for their unique social environment. 5. Local content thrives, but international content dominates While Flemish audiences strongly associate local platforms with regional content, their actual viewing behavior on major platforms leans towards international series and films. This preference for global content shapes streaming behavior, yet local platforms continue to meet the demand for domestic stories and experiences. For more information the full policy brief is available on the SMIT website (Dutch only). Previous Next

< Back A glimpse into our work-in-progress 12 Feb 2024 Reflections on the research presented at Etmaal On Thursday 8th and Friday 9th February 2024, Hanne Vandenbroucke and Ulysse Maes attended the 26th edition of Etmaal van Communicatiewetenschap in Rotterdam. At this two-day conference, researchers from Communication Sciences in Belgium and The Netherlands unite to present their projects, get feedback from peers, and be inspired by the work of others. They were invited to present their work-in-progress during the Research Escalator. In this blogpost we highlight the key take-aways from their presentations. Multi-stakeholder approach to news personalization - Hanne Vandenbroucke What lies behind the "For you", "Read more" or "See also" sections on the website or mobile app of your favorite news brand? By conducting stakeholder interviews with professionals working in commercial news organizations operating in Flanders: DPG Media, Mediahuis and Mediafin; We aim to map the development and implementation of recommender systems. The key internal stakeholder groups involved in and impacted by news recommender systems are: (1) the newsroom, (2) the technical development, and (3) the commercial business unit. Based on the stakeholder interviews, we are able to build upon the multi-stakeholder framework of Smets et al. (2022) . The preliminary results give insights in the actual decision-making process for recommender development. News organisations started experimenting with a news recommender system on average 3 years ago. The initial process of trial and error had transformed into an ongoing cycle of adjusting the RS design. In practice both the newsroom and the business unit express their objectives, preconditions and concerns to the product owner who aligns the different perspectives and formulates a concrete set of goals. Next, the technology development team will operationalize these objectives into computational metrics and adjust the recommender system design. Performance data is continuously being collected and monitored. A feedback loop set up to communicate the results of the adjusted recommender to the product owner who – together with the data analytics team – derives insights from the data and report back to the business unit and newsrooms. Exploring the influence of misleading explanations on the perceived quality of recommender systems – Ulysse Maes Nowadays, recommender systems are everywhere: you find them on Amazon, on Netflix and Spotify, for example. These algorithmic curation systems help internet users to efficiently navigate through vast amounts of content. While holding clear advantages in terms of user experience, there are some limitations and normative concerns. One of these concerns stems from the limited transparency they provide. This may lead to distrust and frustration. Adding explanations may yield different results, which depend on your objectives. (Tintarev & Masthoff, 2007) suggest seven goals of explainable recommendations: effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction, scrutability, transparency, trust, and persuasiveness. Note that maximizing for one goal might be beneficial for another (e.g. improving for scrutability- giving users the ability to change the outcomes to their liking- might improve satisfaction). However, optimizing for one goal might also harm other goals. This research specificially dives into the possible conflict between optimizing for persuasiveness and its effects on transparency and trust. By “optimizing for persuasiveness”, we mean creating compelling narratives to persuade users to consume recommended content. For example, when you buy a pair of jeans online, the shop can try to upsell by recommending some white t-shirts and explain the recommendations as “Style advice for the perfect shirt to wear on your new jeans.” A more neutral explanation could be: “Customers also bought.” Persuasion in itself is not problematic, but it might become problematic once it becomes misleading: hiding important information or even lying about the working of the system, or the drivers behind a decision. As explanations are often linked to a conception of transparency, both with end-users and academia, the mere presence of explanations can already lead to increased trust in the system. By crafting compelling but incorrect explanations, it might be possible to manipulate users into consuming certain content, while still giving them a feeling of agency. There are clearly some incentives to create misleading explanations. But do they work? Theory is still inconclusive. While some research mentions the effectiveness of personalized persuasion (Burtell & Woodside, 2023), others highlight the detrimental effects on long-term trust: would platforms really jeopardize this? Another argument against the effectiveness of misleading explanations is that the costs don’t outweigh the benefits – a critique sometimes formulated on explanations in general as well. The field of explainable AI recognizes the immense potential of Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, to generate personalized, dynamic explanations at scale. It has already been shown that these explanations can be more persuasive than human-generated texts. One of the reasons why we do not see LLM-generated explanations popping up everywhere, is because of their tendency to “hallucinate” - to make up plausible, but incorrect narratives. Previous Next

< Back Talking about Stakeholder Perspectives at WMEMC 22 May 2025 Hanne presented her research on stakeholder alignment for news recommender system development Today at WMEMC, Hanne presented her work on what happens behind the scenes of news organizations that are developing in-house News Recommender Systems (NRS). Spoiler alert: it’s no smooth ride. As newsrooms explore the possibilities of algorithmic curation, it turns out there's a lot more involved than just building smart tech. The real challenge? Getting all organizational stakeholders on the same page: journalists, software developers, managers, and business units each have their own goals, logics, and some concerns or doubts about (personalized) news recommendations. That’s where Hanne's research comes in. By setting foot in large-scale commercial news organizations (in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia) and speaking to different stakeholders. Those interviews allow to explore the intricate (and let's be honest, sometimes messy) process of getting all organizational stakeholders to cooperate and negotiate NRS. The result? Balancing on a tightrope while juggling goals, demands, and objections. 🔹 Balancing Act #1 : Aligning Stakeholders Different stakeholder groups - newsroom, commercial units, and tech development teams - hold different perspectives on the opportunities and risks of (personalized) recommendations. Opposing views and expectations might lead to tensions between departments, and different product owners (POs) are assigned the role of mediators. These POs are ambidextrous actors with knowledge, experience, and professional backgrounds, crossing the traditional stakeholder boundaries, which enables them to create a shared understanding, translate jargon and build bridges between distinct stakeholder groups. A multi-disciplinary, cross-functional team of different POs, each representing another stakeholder group, sits around the negotiation table, and they are in charge of the decision-making around NRS. 🔹 Balancing Act #2 : Exploration vs. Exploitation Organizations constantly have to decide: do we explore new features and test new capabilities, or do we focus on optimizing our current technologies for ROI? With limited resources, news organizations can’t do both at full speed, simultaneously. Therefore, the team of POs needs to decide on which actions should be undertaken and, in doing so, develop a strategic roadmap navigating the tricky waters of budget and time allocations, and find that sweet spot between experimentation and exploitation. Both balancing acts are intertwined, as good alignment between stakeholders facilitates how these trade-offs are made. And the decisions made about the strategic roadmap for NRS development, in turn, influence whether stakeholders stay aligned or drift apart. It’s a dynamic, ongoing dance. The big takeaway? We need better, smarter ways to manage the decision-making on AI innovation in newsrooms, whether that relates to NRS or generative AI. This study is a first step in that direction — and just the beginning of figuring out how to align perspectives, reduce friction, and get these powerful tools off the ground in ways that actually work. Because building a scalable and effective recommender system is hard. But getting different stakeholders to agree on what the NRS design such look like? That’s where the real challenge lies. Previous Next

< Back The RecSys Conference 2024 8 Oct 2024 Our contributions to the 18th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems From 14 until 18 October 2024, the 18th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems takes place in Bari, Italy. Our SRP Media researchers have various contributions to this conference, as well as the preceding ACM Europe School on Recommender Systems . ACM Europe School on Recommender Systems 2024 During the ACM Europe School on Recommender Systems, leaders in the field give lectures on the practice, research, and state of the art in Recommender Systems. This year, there will be 120 attendees among which 90 students. Click here for the full program . On Tuesday 8 Octobe r, Lien Michiels will teach a lecture on Best Practices for Offline Evaluation . On Friday 11 October, Annelien Smets lectures a course on Digital Economics and Recommender Systems . The ACM Europe School on Recommender Syste ms is organized by Ludovico Boratto (University of Cagliari, Italy) , Cataldo Musto (University of Bari, Italy) , and Fedelucio Narducci (Polytechnic University of Bari, Italy) . How to Evaluate Serendipity in Recommender Systems: the Need for a Serendiptionnaire During the Doctoral Symposium , Brett Binst will present his work from the Serendipity Engine project. Recommender systems can assist in various user tasks and serve diverse values, including exploring the item space. Serendipity has recently received considerable attention, often seen as a way to broaden users’ tastes and counteract filter bubbles. However, the field of research on serendipity is fragmented regarding its evaluation methods, which impedes the progress of knowledge accumulation. This research plan proposes two studies to address these issues. First, a systematic literature review will be conducted to provide insights into how serendipity is currently studied in the field. This review will serve as a reference for novice researchers and help mitigate fragmentation by presenting a thorough overview of the field. This systematic literature review has already revealed a significant gap: the lack of a validated, widely accepted method for evaluating serendipity. Therefore, the second part of this research plan is to develop a validated questionnaire, the serendiptionnaire, to measure serendipity. This tool will provide a ground truth for evaluating serendipity, aiding in answering fundamental questions within the field and validating offline metrics. GenUI(ne) CRS: UI Elements and Retrieval-Augmented Generation in Conversational Recommender Systems with LLMs [demo] During the poster session on Tuesday, Ulysse Maes will present joint work with Lien Michiels and Annelien Smets . Previous research has used Large Language Models (LLMs) to develop personalized Conversational Recommender Systems (CRS) with text-based user interfaces (UIs). However, the potential of LLMs to generate interactive graphical elements that enhance user experience remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, we introduce “GenUI(ne) CRS,” a novel framework designed to leverage LLMs for adaptive and interactive UIs. Our framework supports domain-specific graphical elements such as buttons and cards, in addition to text-based inputs. It also addresses the common LLM issue of outdated knowledge, known as the “knowledge cut-off,” by implementing Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). To illustrate its potential, we developed a prototype movie CRS. This work demonstrates the feasibility of LLM-powered interactive UIs and paves the way for future CRS research, including user experience validation, transparent explanations, and addressing LLM biases. It’s (not) all about that CTR: A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective on News Recommender Metrics During the poster session on Thursday, Hanne Vandenbroucke will present joint work with Annelien Smets . Recommender systems are increasingly used by news media organizations. Existing literature examines various aspects of news recommender systems (NRS) from a computational, user-centric, or normative perspective. Yet research advocates studying the complexities of real-world applications around NRS. Recently, a multi-stakeholder approach to NRS has been adopted, allowing to understand different stakeholder perspectives on NRS development and evaluation within the news organization. However, little research has been done on the different key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics considered valuable by different stakeholders. Based on 11 interviews with professionals from two commercial news publishers, this paper demonstrates that stakeholders prioritize distinct KPIs and metrics related to the reach-engagement-conversion-retention funnel. The evaluation of NRS performance is often limited to short-term metrics like CTR, overlooking the multiplicity of stakeholders involved. Our findings reveal how different purposes, KPIs, and metrics are valued from the journalistic, commercial, and tech logic. In doing so, this paper contributes to the multi-stakeholder approach to NRS, advancing our understanding of the real-world complexity of NRS development and evaluation. Navigating Discoverability in the Digital Era: a Theoretical Framework During the MuRS: Music Recommender Systems Workshop 2024 , Rebecca Salganik will present joint work with Valdy Wiratama , Heritiana Ranaivoson and Adelaida Afilipoaie (FairMuse). The proliferation of digital technologies in the distribution of digital content has prompted concerns about the effects on cultural diversity in the digital era. The concept of discoverability has been presented as a theoretical tool through which to consider the likelihood that content will be interacted with. The multifaceted nature of this broad theme has been explored through a variety of domains that explore the ripple effects of platformization, each with its own unique lexicography. However, there is yet to be a unified framework through which to consider the complex pathways of discovery. In this work we present the discovery ecosystem, consisting of six individual, interconnected components, that encompass the pathway of discovery from start to finish. Workshop on Normative Design and Evaluation of Recommender Systems (NORMalize) On October 18, Lien Michiels is co-organizing t he Second Workshop on Normative Design and Evaluation of Recommender Systems. Previous Next