Does this sound familiar: “I just missed the latest episode of my favorite TV show. I wonder where and when I can see it next.”

It’s true, you can Google the show in question but that would probably give about a million search results and the information you need would probably appear on page 24,152.

So is there an alternative? Now there is. LocateTV, developed by NDS, finds individual shows in the viewer’s area better than any other website.

LocateTV is seen as a natural extension to the suite of technology solutions which pay-TV operators all over the world rely on to secure and enhance their businesses. “NDS already provides parts of the broadcast headend for many of its customers,” says Colin Davies, NDS Technical Director, New Initiatives. “We also have vast experience with TV program guides and schedules on subscribers’ set-top boxes.”

Leveraging this unique background, LocateTV was conceived as a search engine with a difference.

Online recommendations

Many people read blogs or Web forums where people discuss or recommend a particular TV show, movie or actor. The problem for the reader is how to find where they can watch this content locally to where they live. In the online world the person recommending a program may be in another time zone or even another country.

LocateTV was created to solve a problem: It connects people who are discussing content to the place where they can actually view the content.

Recently launched in the US and UK, LocateTV features the most comprehensive database of TV episodes and films on TV and, in one clear location, presents the availability of all the viewing options covering broadcast TV, TV on the Web as well as DVDs.

Why is NDS developing LocateTV? “It puts NDS in a position to help our customers and create new partnerships,” Davies says. “One of the trends NDS recognizes is that in the near future viewers will be consuming content from a variety of IP-connected and other devices. Finding content on all of these different devices is a major challenge,” he says.

The fact is there is already a trend for TV viewers around the world to watch content online. As a result, more and more broadcasters are making TV content available on both broadcast TV and online.

How does LocateTV work?

“Locate TV provides more than just TV shows and film titles,” Davies says. “Viewers can choose to focus on specific actors and it tells them where and when they can next be seen in the city or town where they live.”

“At present we’re pulling together information about TV schedules, TV on the Web and DVDs for the US and UK. Eventually we will include more regions around the world,” Davies says.

The challenge is to “bind all this information together so that when someone on a blog mentions a particular program, we inform their readers where this show is available in a wide variety of different locations,” Davies explains.

LocateTV helps viewers in one region find the same show that was recommended by viewers in a different region. In addition, viewers who are online can do more than just recommend a show. Now they can use LocateTV ‘embeds’ to tell viewers where and when they can watch it in their own location.

“What LocateTV does is give each viewer the relevant viewing information. There’s no point in giving information about a channel the viewer has no access to.”

What makes LocateTV better?

LocateTV is clean, fast, accurate and more comprehensive than other sites intended to provide similar services. Viewers type in the name of the TV show or actor they want to see, and in seconds, they get all the answers they need.

“We have designed LocateTV to be easy to use,” Davies says. Viewers can cut and paste content and even embed updates dynamically into a home page or blog so that their contacts can know when their favorite show or actor is next to appear on TV.

An entire TV series, a single episode, or a particular actor can all be embedded in a blog or forum.

LocateTV’s TV Tracker function enables viewers to follow their favorite shows by setting up a personal list. Whenever they visit LocateTV, they can access a list that is accurate up-to-the-minute.

What about the future?

Even though the LocateTV public Beta phase launched less than a year ago, new features are constantly being added. LocateTV currently partners with The Wall Street Journal, The Times Online and Rotten Tomatoes (the film review website).

“Our team of developers and designers is constantly working on new features,” Davies says. “We are committed to improving the data so that, for example, Orlando Bloom fans will be able to find when he is next appearing on talk shows in their broadcast area as well as in his movies.”

The improvements to the site are constantly being developed and deployed Upcoming features include:

• Personalized alerts: User registration will enable viewers to receive personalized alerts about their favorite shows transmitted to their PC or cell phone.

• Book to the viewer’s DVR: Now DVRs can become even more useful by programming them to record shows that were booked via LocateTV.

• Better search: Making the search experience enjoyable is a matter of principle for LocateTV. Plans call for introducing new ways to help viewers find exactly what they are looking for.

“This is a new initiative for NDS,” Davies says. “It is based on the convergence of online media with the broadcast world so that viewers can access content wherever they are. It’s a dynamic, international, and universal, electronic program guide,” he says. NDS hopes that LocateTV will bring a whole new world of possibilities to the search, and, critically, the discovery, of content.

For more information:
LocateTV