Simple.TV selects Gracenote to power EPGs for on-screen and second screen apps

Simple.TV Selects Gracenote to Power Program Guides for On-Screen and Second Screen Apps

EMERYVILLE, Calif. — Simple.TV has selected Gracenote eyeQ™ to power the electronic program guide for all digital basic cable and over-the-air programming for Simple.TV users in North America. With Gracenote eyeQ, Simple.TV premium subscribers will see what’s playing now and view listings with program-related photos and imagery for upcoming shows from major broadcast networks, as well as select cable channels. A software update featuring the Gracenote eyeQ TV listings data and other related metadata will be made available to Simple.TV customers in the U.S. this month.

One of the biggest challenges for TV viewers who don’t have cable or satellite subscription is the lack of an on-screen guide to help them find free, over-the-air programs to watch and record. Simple.TV is changing this by adding an onscreen guide powered by Gracenote’s database of TV schedules and listings, movie and TV show descriptive metadata. This will allow cord cutters to find their favorite shows to watch now or set a future DVR recording. A simple search using their Simple.TV smart phone or tablet App will also retrieve related episodes including recorded shows, future airdates, program synopsis and cast and crew information and images.

“We’re marrying Gracenote’s program guide information and rich imagery with the convenience of Simple.TV to create an even more compelling TV experience for our viewers,” said Mark Ely, CEO of Simple.TV. “With Gracenote, Simple.TV can offer a better program guide experience for those who don’t have costly cable and satellite subscriptions, letting viewers easily browse TV programs and pinpoint what to watch.”

Gracenote eyeQ is the largest global solution for interactive and electronic program guides featuring TV listings for more than 30 countries, up to 21 days of listings coverage and metadata for more than a million movies and TV programs. In addition, Gracenote eyeQ features more than 33,000 cast and crew images and hundreds of thousands of images for movies and TV programs. Together, this data and imagery is helping TV makers and developers reinvent the TV experience through visually rich program guides.

“Gracenote is adding more functionality and convenience to Simple.TV viewers with the program guide information that they have come to expect from their set-top boxes,” said Stephen White, president of Gracenote. “You can’t record your favorite shows if you don’t know when they are on. By adding Gracenote, users can now easily identify their favorite shows and discover new programming.”