Program guide API

[Yosh]

Hi, long term lurker, first time poster! I’m wondering if you guys know how I can get accurate program guide info via API for Directv and Dish and Optimum. Mostly for sports, but should be searchable for anything. I see lots of services that collect the info for live sports and put it in a doc that gets updated, but I want to automate my system without manually looking it up.

Basically, I’m looking for a sort of tvguide.com but via an API. There is also a service called sportstv guide that looks like it does this type of thing but only for sports and geared towards sportsbars.

Any ideas?

 

[KyL416]

DIRECTV's online guide API is token protected, and it only returns the channels you subscribe to, the RSNs you are eligible to receive in your zip code, and doesn't provide listings for the PPV Event channels. The guide data is powered by Gracenote so you can also get most of the exact same data via Schedules Direct, however DIRECTV self populates the guide data for the sports alternates, PPV events, 4K event channels, and sports packages.

DISH no longer has a publicly available online guide, you have to login to DISH Anywhere. I'm not sure who Dish currently uses, a few years ago they switched to Rovi/Xperi, but I'm hearing they might have since switched back to Gracenote. With them though the same thing applies where they self populate the guide data for their sports packages, PPV Events and 4K channels.

Optimum also uses Gracenote, who has data for their RSN alternates and the Altice 4K channel. They use iNDemand for PPV, and their out of market sports packages are supplied via iNDemand's 10 TEAM (NBA) and 14 GAME (MLB/NHL) channels.

 

[Yosh]

Thanks for the info, I'll check this out but this is a great place to start!

I was looking into Zap2it (which looks free) and Rovi (which has a good structured API, but I worry is old and not long term supported). And I didn't know about Gracenote being the main guide supplier. I just searched it and it looks like it's also affiliated with Zap2it(?). Do you know if there many main source suppliers like Gracenote?

 

[KyL416]

There are 3 major guide data providers for North America:

Gracenote/TMS who is used by DIRECTV, Optimum, Cox, Verizon FiOS, Xfinity and most of the ex-TWC/Brighthouse Spectrum systems. Schedules Direct uses them for their data, and they also power the listings for FireTV, HDHomeRun, GoogleTV and many other smart TV brands. They also supply the data for Zap2it. (At one point they were all one company Tribune Media Services but after Tribune was picked clean the data service ended up with Gracenote and Zap2it ended up with Nexstar Digital)

Rovi/Xperi who is now part of TiVO. They also supply the data for TVGuide.com (They were also once all one compay TV Guide/Gemstar, but the listings service, website, TV channel and Magazine are now with different companies)

FYI/Red Bee who powers TitanTV, they are pretty much a distant 3rd when it comes to the quality of their data.

 

[Yosh]

This was immensely informative and helpful, thanks.

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys Yosh!