Tribune Media Company Gracenote Acquires Baseline for $50 Million

Baseline’s movie and TV database features information for more than 300,000 movies and TV projects

Tribune Media Company’s Gracenote has acquired Baseline, a provider of film and television information and services, for $50 million on the heels of news of newly installed CEO John Batter.

Gracenote, a division of Tribune parent company’s Tribune Media Services division, is purchasing all of the shares which are subject to standard adjustments.

Baseline’s database features information for more than 300,000 movies and TV projects, nearly 1.5 million TV and Film professionals and box office data for 45 global territories including the U.S.

Also read: NY Times Reports $120M in Q2 Losses, But Online Subs Up

The New York Times sold back the film and television database Baseline StudioSystems to Mitch Rubinstein and Laurie Silvers’ Project Hollywood in 2011, for a fraction of the $35 million it spent to acquire it from them. Rubinstein and Silvers’ Hollywood Media Corp. sold Baseline to the New York Times in August 2006 when it was generating just $6 million in revenue. Rubinstein and Silvers’ Hollywood Media Corp. currently owns and operates MovieTickets.com.

Gracenote’s entertainment data and products will now cover the full entertainment ecosystem from content creation to distribution. Tribune Media Company acquired Gracenote in February 2014 and integrated it with Tribune Media Services (TMS) under the Gracenote brand.

Baseline will expand Gracenote’s existing video metadata by adding descriptive information about movies and TV productions to power next generation viewing. Baseline’s The Studio System platform will also expand Gracenote’s reach into the studio and TV network communities with data and services geared towards entertainment industry professionals.

Also read: Tribune Company Rebrands as It Spins Off Publishing Business

“The acquisition of Baseline continues our strategy to build upon our existing metadata expertise to advance Gracenote’s leadership in entertainment data and services,” said Peter Liguori, president and chief executive officer of Tribune Media. “We’ve made strategic acquisitions in the last few months that have expanded our geographic footprint and have strengthened Gracenote’s services. In combination with our recent international acquisitions, Baseline is yet another example of our commitment to provide customers the highest standard of global solutions in the metadata space.”

Baseline’s licensed data will power video search and discovery features and TV Everywhere apps for leading satellite operators, on-demand movie services, Internet companies and online streaming providers, including Hulu and VUDU.

Also read: NY Times Sells Baseline Data Product to Previous Owner

“For years, Baseline has served as the trusted source for entertainment data to help digital media companies, studios and agencies stay on top of a fast changing industry,” said John Batter, CEO of Gracenote.

Baseline will continue to operate from its headquarters in Los Angeles.

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