By Paul Nicholson
September 17 – US data company Gracenote, which earlier this year debuted in the sports data business with the acquisition of Infostrada Sports and SportsDirect, has launched its ‘DVR Extend’ feature for cable and satellite broadcasters in the US that will mean viewers who record games need never miss extra time or a penalty shoot-out.
With many US sports frequently going into overtime, Gracenote identified a need to provide a service that meant that DVRs would continue recording to the conclusion of the game.
Football generally only has extra time and penalty shoot outs in tournament play and cup competitions, but the problem of recording the whole game similarly exists.
DVR Extend combines Gracenote’s TV listings and sports data to identify when games will go into extra time and ensures that DVRs keep recording.
The technology uses a combination of predictive analytics based on live game stats, historical sports data, TV schedules and human editors to automatically adjust the recording of a live sports game in the event that it goes past the scheduled broadcast time. During each game, predictive updates will be delivered in real-time to cable and satellite customers to help them make the necessary adjustments to TV schedules and DVR recordings.
Gracenote technology also makes it easier for viewers to find and record specific sports, leagues, divisions, teams and major events as well as help viewers link to related programmes such as pre- and post-game shows.
“There’s been tremendously positive response from the market to Gracenote Sports,” said Rich Cusick, general manager of Video for Gracenote.
“In a fiercely competitive environment, our global customers, including the world’s top cable and satellite operators, consumer electronics manufacturers and automakers, are constantly looking for ways to deliver greater value to their users by improving experiences around compelling content such as live sports. We believe features like DVR Extend are the exact type of innovation that will differentiate them from their competitors and drive deeper engagement and loyalty among their users.”
Gracenote says its mission is to deliver next-generation sports statistics to the rapidly growing sports entertainment market. Its sports data acquisitions were added to its leading positions in music, movie, TV data collection and distribution.
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