Tribune Media Services and Audible Magic Join Forces to Enable More Engaging Social TV Experiences

CHICAGO, March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Tribune Media Services Entertainment Products (TMS), a leading provider of entertainment metadata, has entered into an agreement with Audible Magic, a pioneer in automated content recognition (ACR) technology and solutions. Audible Magic will use best-in-class TMS metadata in its new Live TViD automated content recognition service. The service identifies live TV content using audio signals and synchronizes in real-time with TMS metadata to connect consumer mobile devices with programming on live TV. As a result, Audible Magic customers in the connected home entertainment market will be able to offer powerful and engaging social TV experiences to their end users.

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Audible Magic technology is used by companies in consumer-facing applications designed to serve as "second -screen" companions for TV watchers. These apps which enable social activities to synchronize with linear TV viewing significantly enhance the entertainment experience for end users. Examples of synched activities include checking in to TV shows as they're airing, playing games or voting in polls related to on-screen content and participating in virtual viewing parties with Facebook friends during live events.

By using the most accurate, comprehensive and connected entertainment data from TMS, Audible Magic is able to offer the best possible products to application developers ranging from start-ups to incumbents. The key to coordination of this information is the TMS Unique ID, the industry standard for synchronizing entertainment assets.

New entries into the marketplace benefit from ready availability of an integrated solution allowing them to start building a customer base right away. Incumbent developers benefit through the opportunity to deepen loyalty among existing users by offering more engaging second-screen experiences.

"We're delighted to be working with Audible Magic," said John Kelleher, COO and President, Tribune Media Services. "The combination of their ACR technology using our entertainment metadata makes for an impressive package that is sure to grab the attention of application developers in any organization."

TMS metadata powers the leading television and movie guide products which reach millions of consumers in 40 countries through clients including Microsoft, Google, TiVo, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network, and IMDb. 

About Tribune Media Services Entertainment Products

Tribune Media Services Entertainment Products is an international leader in entertainment navigation. TMS provides industry-leading databases of TV, movie and celebrity information; guides in print, online and on-screen formats; and advertising and marketing services to build audiences. The company also produces Zap2it.com and CastTV.com, web sites that connect engaged entertainment fanatics to popular TV shows, celebrities, movies, events and other fans. For more information about TMS Entertainment Products visit TribuneMediaServices.com.

Media Contact:
Shannon Oborne
Executive Director of Marketing
Tribune Media Services
Office:  518.955.3125
Cell:  518.275.8149
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Tribune Media Services