Gracenote is marketing a new feature to cable and satellite operators that's designed to automatically extend DVR recordings for sports events that go into overtime or extra innings.
According to the Tribune-owned metadata specialty firm, DVR Extend uses predictive analytics to judge if an event is headed for OT, then automatically adjusts recording time accordingly.
With 20 percent of Major League Baseball games going into extra innings, and a third of June's NBA Finals games ending in overtime, Gracenote wants to end the tragedy of sports fans missing the best moments.
The DVR extension tech isn't unique -- last month, Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) announced a similar feature for its X1 platform. When it becomes clear a game is going into OT, Cocmast's cloud-based video system automatically extends the recording by 30 minutes.
With sports being the primary asset keeping many users in the pay-TV ecosystem, operators continue to try to augment the sports viewing experience.
As for Gracenote, the feature is one of the first big sports-related announcements since the company paid $54 million back in May to buy two sports metadata companies and launch its sports business. The company said DVR Extend is the first in a series of sports-related services that integrate Gracnote's database of sports schedules and scores, play-by-play stats. The company also keeps up with more than 400 sports leagues around the world.
"There's been a tremendous response from the market about Gracenote Sports," said Rich Cusick, general manager of Video for Gracenote. "The market is fiercely competitive and our global customers, including the world's top cable and satellite operators, consumer electronics manufacturers and automakers, are constantly looking for ways to improve the viewer experience and deliver greater value. We believe features like the DVR Extend is exactly the type of innovation that will differentiate them from their competitors and drive deeper engagement and loyalty among their users."
For more:
- read this Gracenote press release
Related articles:
Gracenote pays $54M to buy sports data firms, launches Gracenote Sports
Tribune, Gracenote continue to build metadata empire, acquire Baseline for $50M
Tribune buying metadata rival Gracenote from Sony for $170M
Comcast's X1 upgrade automatically extends recordings of sports events that go into overtime