Gracenote Brings Sports-Centric Audio And Podcast Discovery To Connected Cars.

As in-car infotainment systems continue to evolve, Gracenote — the content data division of Nielsen — is helping automakers turn dashboards into personalized sports media hubs. The company has expanded its Nexus Auto platform to aggregate and surface sports-related audio, podcast, and video content, giving OEMs a new way to engage sports fans on the road.

The initiative addresses a long-standing challenge in sports media: fragmentation. Broadcast, satellite, streaming, and podcast platforms often hold exclusive rights to specific leagues or teams, making it difficult for fans to track down all their favorite content. Gracenote aims to simplify this by using its data infrastructure to unify access across formats and providers — from radio play-by-play to post-game podcasts.

“Automakers have a big opportunity to build user affinity by turning their infotainment offerings into centralized hubs for sports content,” Trent Wheeler, Head of Innovation at Gracenote, said in a release. “Based on deep expertise helping platforms and services connect consumers to the sports they want, Gracenote is uniquely positioned to bring personalized sports experiences to the connected car space.”

Nexus Auto is built around Gracenote’s IDs and metadata covering 70 of the world’s most popular sports. That allows automakers to offer highly customized content by league, team, or even individual athletes. For radio broadcasters and podcast producers, it opens a new channel for content discovery within vehicles — with sports fans potentially served relevant content based on preferences and real-time game schedules.

Among the key features Gracenote enables in connected cars:

• Game Coverage: Aggregated access to pre-game, live, and post-game audio and video across terrestrial, satellite, and streaming platforms.

• Live Scores and Standings: Real-time game updates and league rankings displayed on in-car screens.

• Related Content: Deep-linking to team- and player-focused podcasts for fans who want more context before or after the game.

By bridging the gaps between platforms, Gracenote is positioning its metadata as a critical layer for content discovery in the car — a space where radio still dominates, but where new forms of audio consumption are quickly gaining ground.