Conversational AI Technology Transforms Commercial Breaks Into Real-Time, One-to-One Viewer Engagement Across Broadcast and Streaming Content

Brand Engagement Network Inc. (“BEN”) (NASDAQ: BNAI), together with Cataneo, announced at IBC2026 its conversational advertising technology, designed to transform traditional commercial breaks into real-time, one-to-one interactions where viewers can engage directly with AI agents embedded within broadcast and streaming content.

The technology enables a shift from passive advertising toward interactive engagement, allowing viewers to converse with AI, ask questions, receive recommendations, and take actions directly within the viewing experience. In addition to traditional viewership and engagement data, these interactions can generate real-time transactional data, giving advertisers greater visibility into consumer actions and campaign performance.

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Consumers are already familiar with QR codes as a simple way to connect from the television screen to a digital experience. Conversational AI represents a natural progression of that behavior — moving from simply scanning and clicking to directly engaging with an intelligent experience, asking questions, receiving personalized information, and taking action. Rather than relying solely on static advertisements, the technology creates an opportunity for brands to engage consumers through personalized, conversational experiences that can connect advertising with real-time utility and action.

According to Omdia, global connected TV (CTV) advertising revenue is projected to grow from $44 billion in 2025 to $81 billion by 2030, with Google, Amazon and Netflix projected to capture approximately 50% of the market. As television advertising increasingly converges with streaming, commerce and digital engagement, BEN and Cataneo are developing technology designed to bring conversational AI into this rapidly evolving ecosystem.

Source: Omdia, “Amazon, Netflix and Google to capture half of $81 billion CTV advertising market by 2030,” May 2026.

Consider a viewer watching a football game who interacts with an AI agent during a standard timeout. Rather than simply watching a traditional commercial, the viewer could engage in a natural conversation with the AI agent, receive product recommendations, place an order, and complete a transaction directly through the viewing experience.

“Advertising has traditionally followed a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, with generic messages delivered to audiences without a clear target and with limited or unreliable ways to measure its impact. We see an opportunity to make it genuinely interactive,” said Tyler Luck, Chief Executive Officer of Brand Engagement Network. “By bringing conversational AI into the viewing experience, commercial breaks can become moments of utility — where people can ask, discover, engage and take action in real time. This is the engagement layer of AI applied to media.”

“It’s time to move beyond advertising that simply gets seen and toward advertising that actually connects. Conversational AI can connect the entire funnel — from the first impression to the conversation, the transaction and ultimately the sale. That means advertisers can spend against real engagement and real consumer intent, rather than simply spraying messages across an audience. Fewer irrelevant ads. Better experiences for viewers. Better economics for advertisers. And a fundamentally better ecosystem for everyone,” said Renato Rocha Pinto, Chief Executive Officer of Cataneo GmbH.

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Strategic Opportunity Across the Advertising Ecosystem

The technology creates potential benefits across the advertising value chain:

For Networks:
Creates opportunities to transform traditional advertising inventory into interactive experiences that can support deeper viewer engagement and transaction-oriented advertising.

For Advertisers:
Enables direct, conversational interaction with consumers and provides opportunities to connect advertising engagement with measurable actions and outcomes.

For Agencies:
Creates a new creative medium for developing personalized, interactive brand experiences designed around conversation and consumer intent.

For Viewers:
Provides an opportunity to interact with relevant brands and services when they choose, turning advertising from a passive viewing experience into an optional, interactive one.

The Future of Advertising Engagement

BEN believes conversational AI can fundamentally expand the role of advertising within broadcast and streaming media. Instead of simply delivering a message to a viewer, AI can create an interactive layer through which viewers can ask questions, explore products and services, receive personalized information, and take action. BEN’s conversational AI technology is designed to support these experiences across multiple interfaces and environments, including broadcast, streaming, connected television, and other digital media experiences.

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