Virgin Media will use Tribune Media Services to provide the metadata that will help run its newly launched TiVo on demand platform.
Chicago-based Tribune, which also has a London operation, will provide Virgin with entertainment content including linear TV schedules, programme and video-on-demand metadata, celebrity metadata and images. The agreement also includes TMS TV Showcards that offer show synopses, logos, group and individual character images. The information will be tied together through unique TMS Unique IDs.
“We are very excited to support the launch of the innovative user experience to be offered by Virgin Media,” said Ken Carter, TMS vice president and managing director, International. “They appreciate that to provide the ultimate entertainment search and discovery experience, quality entertainment metadata and images are essential. This is an important validation of TMS’ continued expansion into international markets.”
Ian Mecklenburgh, director of consumer platforms, at Virgin Media added, “For the first time, UK viewers are enjoying a truly personalised viewing experience and getting the most out of great online, on demand and live TV content, all in one place. We’re really excited to bring our customers what is just the first of successive generations of transformational digital entertainment services and our agreement with TMS will help them find exactly what they want and discover even more.”
TMS metadata is already used in other TiVo-based operations as well as by Google, Comcast, Multichoice, IMDb and Zon Multimedia.