Cable-Tec Expo: TWC, Bright House Back Entertainment ID Registry

Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks have joined the Entertainment Identifier Registry coalition -- which is promoting a system of unique global IDs for movies and television shows for TV Everywhere, targeted ads and other applications -- while CableLabs announced that senior executive Don Dulchinos will be “loaned” to EIDR to serve as its executive director.

EIDR, which launched in January 2011, was already backed by Comcast, Charter Communications, Cox Communications and Shaw. With the addition of TWC and Bright House Networks, the penetration of EIDR membership among North American cable MSOs is more than 80% of cable households.

At Cable-Tec Expo here, CableLabs is demonstrating the EIDR registry database at its booth.

Regarding the appointment of Dulchinos, who is senior vice president of CableLabs’ Advertising and Interactive Services program, to EIDR, CableLabs president and CEO Phil McKinney said, “Don’s participation began with the development of EIDR as a solution for program identification in the targeted advertising ecosystem. EIDR also provides a key technical component for the TV Everywhere, multiscreen distribution environment that the cable industry is rapidly deploying.”

The not-for-profit EIDR coalition was founded in 2010 by MovieLabs, CableLabs, Comcast and Rovi. Members of EIDR (pronounced “eider”) comprise content owners, video post-production houses, content distributors, retailers, entertainment services and technology provider companies. In addition to the MSOs, participants include The Walt Disney Co., InDemand Networks, Deluxe, Universal Pictures, Neustar, Paramount Pictures, Rentrak, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros. and the Motion Picture Association of America.

Cable MSOs and CableLabs have begun integrating the registry into their networks and promoting EIDR through interop events and public demonstrations.

CableLabs will provide further support for EIDR through an upcoming interop event in conjunction with Ad-ID LLC. That event will involve technology partner companies with expertise in EIDR registration, indexed third-party entertainment metadata, ad campaign data per the CableLabs' stewardship and fulfillment interface specs, ad management systems and ad placement systems.

“EIDR is a timely component and key enabler of our new products and services, including TV Everywhere solutions, and generally enables streamlining our content workflows,” said Mike Hayashi, executive vice president of advanced engineering for Time Warner Cable.

Bright House president Nomi Bergman added, “Integrating EIDR into our digital supply chain will drive efficiency as we deliver our services to a growing array of consumer devices.”