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

AMSTERDAM and EMERYVILLE, Calif., Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Media Distillery, a leading provider of AI technology enabling visibility into what's inside video content, and Gracenote, the content solutions pillar of Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN), 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.

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." 

Gracenote's approach simplifies programme 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. Industry-leading Gracenote Global Video Data currently covers more than 85 countries around the world and 35 languages.

Award-winning Media Distillery technology uses Deep Content Understanding™ to identify and label features in audiovisual media automatically. As a result, TV and video service providers are empowered to offer highly engaging experiences. Users' time spent searching for content is minimised while engagement and viewing time are maximised. Over 30 million homes worldwide are enjoying superior user experiences thanks to Media Distillery technology, whose customer base includes major operators such as Telenet, NOS, VTR Chile and YouSee.

Gracenote is the content solutions pillar of Nielsen providing entertainment metadata, content IDs and related offerings to the world's leading creators, distributors and platforms. Gracenote technology enables advanced content navigation and discovery capabilities ensuring consumers can easily connect to the TV shows, movies, music and sports they love while delivering powerful content analytics making complex business decisions simpler. Learn more at www.gracenote.com.

About Media Distillery
Amsterdam-based Media Distillery is an acknowledged leader in AI-driven video analysis solutions for the worldwide entertainment Industry. The cloud-based Deep Content Understanding™ solution provides fully automated real-time content analysis which empowers broadcasters and pay-TV service providers to optimise viewer engagement through accelerated and accurate content discovery and enhanced user experience. Media Distillery's customer base includes major operators and broadcasters located around the globe including Telenet, NOS, VTR Chile and YouSee, delivering enriched viewing experiences in over 30 million homes. www.mediadistillery.com

About Nielsen

Nielsen shapes the world's media and content as a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their audiences—now and into the future.

An S&P 500 company, Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) operates around the world in more than 55 countries. Learn more at www.nielsen.com or www.nielsen.com/investors and connect with us on social media.

¹  SKO – 'Van live naar later – 10 jaar uitgesteld kijken', September 2021 https://kijkonderzoek.nl/images/Brochures/VAN_LIVE_NAAR_LATER_-_SKO_Brochure_over_10_jaar_uitgesteld_kijken.pdf

SOURCE Nielsen