TVguide Europe: The EU's first EPG still plugging away

TV Guide moved into the European EPG market in 1999, basing its operations in London, and currently has a presence across the continent in the form of electronic program guides for set-top boxes, media centers and digital TV receivers. It also offers white label guide solutions to various Web portals and operates one of Scandinavia's largest online media portals, TVguide.dk.

TVguide collects information from content providers and places it into a database that "transforms dissimilar source data into a uniform feed" and delivers the data to hardware manufacturers and other third party providers for a subscription fee.

Like most CSDG concepts, program information across multiple devices is accomplished via IP. Viewers can access listings on the TVguideeurope.com website via their PC or a mobile device, in addition to listings through their set-tops at home. The company is also developing a social media-optimized, pan-European platform called ZAPTV.com with an ambitious number of services including TV or video on demand and an "online recording facility" through which subscribers can upload and share their own videos.