Gracenote helps TV platforms go beyond the game and deliver more connected, visually rich sports hub experiences

As viewers turn to sports highlights, recaps and documentary programming, expanded Gracenote On Sports capabilities unify related content to keep them engaged

NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Gracenote, the content data business unit of Nielsen, is helping TV providers sustain engagement between viewers and a universe of sports programming extending beyond live games. New enhancements to the Gracenote On Sports solution covering 160+ of the world's most popular sports leagues and competitions in 50+ countries globally now make sports documentaries, event highlights, game analyses and other related content seamlessly accessible through unified sports hubs. In addition, high-quality game, team and athlete imagery capturing sports action and the personalities of favorite players help make user interfaces more visually rich and personalized than ever.

The new On Sports capabilities help streaming platforms, CE device-makers and pay TV services adapt to the evolving ways people want to experience sports and stay connected to the competitions, teams and athletes they love. This serves to strengthen return on investment through deeper user engagement, increased advertising opportunities and improved content library monetization.

Content associated with live game airings enable existing fans to engage more deeply with their favorite sports while also serving as entry points for new viewers – and nascent fans. To help TV providers leverage the power of sports, Gracenote seamlessly links games to:

• Related content – programming including scripted and documentary TV shows and movies focusing on sports leagues, teams or general sports topics
• Shoulder content – programming complementing or extending a live sporting event, typically airing just before or after, but also including delayed recap shows

Demand for sports documentaries in particular is booming. In fact, total viewing for streaming sports documentaries reached 16.9 million minutes among U.S. viewers in 2024, up nearly 260% from 4.7 million minutes in 2021, according to the 2025 Nielsen Tops of Sports report. At the same time, pre- and post-game shows offering recaps, highlights and analysis are increasingly critical touchpoints for fans and communities.

Based on growing consumer interest in related and shoulder content tied to live sports events, platforms have a significant opportunity to become comprehensive hubs for modern sports experiences. The newest Gracenote On Sports enhancements help customers go beyond game availability so they can deepen fan engagement and increase stickiness. Streamlined integration of Gracenote sports data delivered alongside video data by way of a single API makes the turnkey solution easy to implement.

"From casual viewers to passionate fans, consumers are engaging with sports content in every way possible," said Tyler Bell, SVP of Product at Gracenote. "Platforms have big opportunities to become go-to sports hubs for these valuable users, and Gracenote is uniquely positioned to help them realize these ambitions."

Gracenote On Sports powers universal search capabilities and unique sports hub experiences by delivering enriched sports data, live sports schedules as well as league and team data through a single API. Providing unmatched coverage of the world's most popular sports leagues and competitions, including the NFL, NBA, Premier League and Formula 1, the solution helps TV providers provide experiences that leverage the power of sports to drive viewer engagement and monetization. Gracenote will demo On Sports on an appointment-only basis at CES running January 6 – 8, 2026. To schedule a meeting, click here.

About Gracenote
Gracenote is the content data business unit of Nielsen, providing entertainment metadata, content IDs and related offerings to the world's leading creators, distributors and platforms. Gracenote has aggregated, normalized and enriched core program metadata covering 50M+ titles in 260+ streaming catalogs in 70+ languages and 80+ countries. Gracenote technology enables advanced content navigation and discovery capabilities helping individuals to easily connect to the TV shows, movies, music and sports they love while delivering powerful content analytics making complex business decisions simpler. For more information, visit Gracenote.com.

SOURCE Gracenote