Analytics

Gracenote, the content solutions arm of Nielsen, and Amsterdam-based AI video technology firm Media Distillery, have integrated their respective technologies and datasets to create a new solution to optimize electronic program guide (EPG) utility.

Now available, the offering aims to help pay TV operators — including cable, satellite, terrestrial, IPTV, streaming and D2C service providers, as well as broadcasters — to deliver improved content navigation, replay and digital video recorder (DVR) functionality to viewers via increased guide and recording accuracy.

“This new solution from Media Distillery and Gracenote was brought to market for a fundamental reason — the distinct need to deliver actual program start times in the latest content discovery paradigms,” said Simon Adams, chief product officer for Gracenote. “Media Distillery’s innovative technology naturally complements Gracenote’s best-in-class metadata, and we look forward to this collaboration enabling existing and potential customers to deliver better user experiences.”

TV platforms usually broadcast linear content at the start times indicated in their EPGs, however programmes often don’t begin at the exact moment their EPGs list. If the content starts later than indicated, viewers are compelled to watch the end of the previous show or an advertising break. Worse, if earlier, viewers may miss the start of their favourite show. The new joint solution uses Media Distillery’s EPG Correction technology, along with Gracenote’s Global Video Data offering, providing TV players access to the most precise programme start and end times, allowing for better control over replay and catch-up viewing experiences.

In addition to driving viewer engagement and consumption on their platforms, operators will benefit from access to a single API. This results in efficiencies in management time and effort as well as technology and engineering resourcing.

“Operators around the world are eager to enhance their services, and their subscribers’ user experiences, through Gracenote and Media Distillery technology. By collaborating on this integration, we’re helping service providers to do this more efficiently, and to launch faster,” said Roland Sars, CEO of Media Distillery. “In our industry, Gracenote is a household name, a widely acknowledged leader, and we’re excited about this partnership.”

Gracenote’s approach simplifies program data creation and delivery at the country level to help global and local providers leverage popular entertainment content and increase viewer engagement with their services. Gracenote Global Video Data currently covers more than 85 countries around the world and 35 languages. Media Distillery technology uses Deep Content Understanding to identify and label features in audiovisual media automatically. Major operators such as Telenet, NOS, VTR Chile and YouSee use Media Distillery technology.