Media Distillery and Nielsen’s Gracenote Join Forces to Optimize Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) Utility

New Integrated Solution Enables Improved Replay and Catch-Up Viewing Experiences

Media Distillery, a leading provider of AI technology enabling visibility into what’s inside video content, and Gracenote, the content solutions pillar of Nielsen, have integrated their respective technologies and datasets to create a powerful solution to optimize Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) utility. Available now, this easy-to-implement offering helps 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 through increased guide and recording accuracy.

TV platforms typically broadcast linear content at the start times indicated in their EPGs. However, programmes often don’t start 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. If earlier, then viewers can miss the start of their favourite show. The new joint solution leveraging Media Distillery’s EPG Correction™ technology, along with Gracenote’s industry-leading Global Video Data offering, gives TV providers access to the most precise programme start and end times,  providing better control over replay and catch-up viewing experiences.

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According to SKO research¹, most replay and catch-up viewing generally happens within the first 15 to 120 minutes of the scheduled programme start. Therefore accurate start time listings should be populated in the EPG as soon as possible for seamless viewing. With the new Media Distillery/Gracenote solution, actual programme start times are automatically updated in the guide in near real-time to benefit viewers.

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.

“This new solution from Media Distillery and Gracenote was brought to market for a fundamental reason – the distinct need to deliver actual programme start times in the latest content discovery paradigms,” said Simon Adams, Chief Product Officer, 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.”

“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, Media Distillery CEO. “In our industry, Gracenote is a household name, a widely acknowledged leader, and we’re excited about this partnership.”

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