Coming to CES: Nielsen Offers New Way to Find Live Sports on TV and Streaming Video

As a devoted sports fan with decades of following my beloved team, I can wholeheartedly attest to the frustration that comes with trying to catch their games amidst the ever-growing sea of streaming services. The hunt for the elusive live game has become more daunting than a game of hide and seek with Houdini himself!

The most popular sport on television isn’t football, basketball, or even pickleball. Instead, it’s the challenge of figuring out how to catch your preferred team in action.

With an increasing number of streaming platforms concentrating on sports content, fans find themselves spoiled for choice when it comes to available games. However, locating the specific game a viewer desires has become challenging due to the vast array of options available.

Gracenote, a division of Nielsen, is set to unveil a novel service that allows consumers to effortlessly locate live sports events on both streaming and traditional video platforms, based on their preferred viewing times. This technology will be demonstrated at CES from January 7th to the 9th.

For each Max, ESPN+ and Peacock, there’s a tailored system for highlighting live events and swiftly transporting users to them. The Gracenote product provides a unified Application Program Interface (API) encompassing over 150 distinct leagues and competitions. Sports enthusiasts can access data, live sports schedules, and search functionalities, with Gracenote planning to expand its offerings in the future. Potential add-ons could include game scores, team standings, and references to athlete appearances in entertainment content.

According to Bill Michels, Gracenote’s chief product officer, sports programming has a special knack for drawing vast and enthusiastic crowds. This makes it an indispensable tool for video providers aiming to boost user interaction and time spent on their platforms. With the introduction of Gracenote’s latest solution, customers can now provide innovative ways for viewers to discover sports content, potentially outdoing competitors in the race for viewer attention.

Watching live sports can often lead to a lot of confusion due to their distribution. As per Gracenote, an astonishing 93% of Major League Baseball games during the 2024 season were available on regional sports networks, local television channels, streaming platforms, and digital outlets owned by individual sports leagues. It’s no surprise that some enthusiasts find it challenging to locate where their favorite team is playing.

The distribution of sports has become fragmented due to the advent of streaming platforms and the dispersal of sports rights. For instance, out of the 2,430 Major League Baseball games played during the 2024 regular season, just 150 were aired nationally on conventional broadcast or streaming networks. The remaining 93% of games were divided among regional sports networks, local channels, streaming services, and league-produced direct-to-consumer platforms, making it challenging for many professional baseball fans to watch their preferred teams compete.

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2024-12-11 17:18