New Gracenote Watch Prompts dataset helps video providers drive audience tune-in and engagement

Leveraging AI and human editorial expertise, Watch Prompts complements Gracenote Video Descriptors to deliver facts, talent call-outs and content comparisons

NEW YORK – September 4, 2024 – Gracenote, the content solutions business unit of Nielsen, has launched Gracenote Watch Prompts, a new dataset that equips global video platforms and services with interesting facts about TV programs and movies to influence consumer viewing decisions. Designed to be paired with viewer preference and consumption behavior data, the new offering enables customers to deliver more personalized viewer experiences resulting in increased audience tune-in and time spent. 

According to Nielsen’s 2023 U.S. Streaming Content survey, 74% of consumers either don’t know at all or only have a vague idea about what they want to watch when starting a streaming session, meaning a large majority are making on-the-fly viewing decisions. Furthermore, fewer than three in 10 feel that recommendations are useful in helping them find compelling content. As video platforms and services seek to monetize viewers through engagement, effective content discovery and personalized promotion are more important than ever.

Gracenote Watch Prompts complements both basic program metadata and Video Descriptors with additional information on individual TV programs and movies to drive viewer consideration. Developed using a combination of Gracenote’s unmatched machine learning capabilities and human editorial expertise, the solution presents the following:

• Critical facts: Prominent award wins and praise from renowned TV and film critics, providing evidence of content quality
• Talent spotlights: Showcases popular actors and creators to appeal to viewer preferences
• Content comparisons: Analogies based on thematically similar content presenting new frames of reference

For example, the information page for the TV show “Succession” could highlight its 13 Emmy Award wins, including two in the prestigious “Outstanding Drama Series” category, to educate a potential viewer on the show’s critical acclaim and motivate sampling. Or the “Barbie” page could describe the offering as “Legally Blonde” meets “The Lego Movie,” providing a relatable analogy based on beloved films to pique interest. 

Gracenote leverages a mix of machines and humans to bring Watch Prompts to customers. Advanced machine learning techniques help to automate creation of content snippets based on the company’s unmatched video data on millions of program titles. Human editors with language, market and content expertise review outputs to ensure accuracy and quality, creating a feedback loop that helps the algorithms continually improve over time. 

“Streaming services are challenged to continually enhance the user experiences they offer to delight viewers, increase time spent and reduce churn,” said Trent Wheeler, Chief Product Officer at Gracenote. “Watch Prompts leverages the expertise of Gracenote’s human editors along with scalability enabled by machine learning to deliver an entirely new dataset that will help our customers evolve and meet these challenges.” 

Gracenote has a long history of powering the user experiences of the world’s biggest and most innovative TV providers. The company’s gold-standard program metadata, imagery and ID offerings fuel modern video user experiences and contextual advertising capabilities. As the entertainment industry continues its evolution, Gracenote is transforming its offerings in step to ensure customers can effectively leverage programming to maximize engagement and monetization.

Gracenote will exhibit at IBC 2024 in Amsterdam from September 13 – 16. To learn more, click here. For more information on Watch Prompts, the newest offering in Gracenote’s Advanced Discovery product suite, click here.