THE FILTER: A Personalized Online Discovery System To Enter Private Beta on April 15th

THE FILTER: A Personalized Online Discovery System To Enter Private Beta on April 15th

Vision of Grammy Award-Winning Artist & Digital Media Pioneer Peter Gabriel, Technology Available as Personal Discovery Website and White Label Solution for Content Partners

BATH, England, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The Filter, the vision of Peter Gabriel, the Grammy award-winning artist and digital media pioneer, will enter private beta today and transform the online discovery experience as it filters the world of online entertainment and information and personalizes it for each individual user. The Filter provides a holistic approach to filtering out irrelevant content and only filtering in content that reflects an individual's tastes and moods through unique algorithms, across entertainment media, including music, film, entertainment news and TV. In addition to launching as a consumer entertainment experience at www.thefilter.com, The Filter will also provide white label and co-branded solutions for content partners seeking to better match their inventory of content to their visitors' tastes.

"We believe one of the many joys of the internet would be freedom of choice, but many of us are now drowning in an ocean of options. An intelligent filter can remove the burden and boredom of choice and get us what we want and need with plenty of exploration and discovery. The Filter is a smart on-line companion -- once it knows you, your tastes and your moods, it can discover treasure for you every time," claims Peter Gabriel, the music industry legend whose digital prowess has led to some of the foremost online media solutions.

The Filter's Unique Algorithm

The Filter's core is a recommendation and discovery engine derived from a branch of Artificial Intelligence, called Bayesian mathematics. Simplistically, the engine uses an evidence model (which includes purchase, consumption and browsing data) to derive the similarity of items. When The Filter's engine is supplied with one or more items of interest, such as a song, actor, movie or web video, it delivers a pick-list of items that are statistically relevant by order of probability. The Filter is unlike most tools, however, that simply render a raw pick-list of recommendations. Instead, the pick-list is fed through a number of filters to deliver the customized recommendations. The Filter then incorporates simple filters to bias results by personal taste, popularity, era, or genre. More complex filters can also be applied to capture mood, the influence of friends, third party experts or reviewers.

"The Filter aims to be the best possible blend of man and machine -- a hybrid engine that filters all entertainment content to one's own personal taste," says Martin Hopkins, a co-founder and CSO of The Filter.

The Filter for consumers

Users who visit www.thefilter.com will be able to aggregate their music, film, and entertainment RSS feeds, and then utilize the dynamic filtering system to optimize their digital libraries by discovering a greater concentration of relevant content. Users will be able to build their digital libraries based on The Filter's interpretation of their tastes and moods. The Filter will not hold complete content but instead will provide samples with links to content sites, such as iTunes and Netflix, so if a song is recommended, a sample will be available but the user will have to link to the actual iTunes or Netflix site to download the song or order a film.

The Filter will also launch with a social aspect that will enable customers to utilize another user's Filter to make recommendations in genres that they are not familiar with for the benefit of exploration outside one's comfort zone. For example, if a user wants to buy a birthday gift for his daughter, he can access his daughter's shared Filter to get a recommendation of a new book from what is essentially her personal online assistant.

"The Filter's ability to understand a person's tastes and personality makes it a breakthrough solution for individuals struggling to wade through the enormous amount of information online," said David Maher Roberts, CEO of The Filter. "No one else can aggregate customized content across multiple entertainment platforms the way The Filter can, and we expect it will make the online experience far more enjoyable for all who use it."

The Filter for Strategic Partners

The Filter provides an unparalleled solution for content partners seeking to maximize their inventory by matching more content to their customer's tastes and moods.

"Online inventory of digital content just keeps on growing, while our computer screens and attention spans remain the same, so just adding inventory will not lead to increased sales and traffic," continues David Maher Roberts. "The Filter's advanced personalized filtering tools will help content businesses increase their sales and online activity by simply ensuring that every inch of screen space is targeted and personalized for each person."

The Filter initially launched in the UK solely as a downloadable playlist creator and music discovery application, and has also been supplying recommendations for Nokia, MSN and The Ministry of Sound's online stores. The Filter was successful in attracting over 200,000 customers, 40% of which came from the US in its first year as a free download.

The Team Behind The Filter

The Filter was developed and founded by Martin Hopkins and Rhett Ryder in Bath, England. David Maher Roberts, a new media and marketing expert who came on board as CEO last fall following a career in digital publishing, joined CMO Andy Semple, a former director at Dennis Inc. and Future plc. The Filter is backed by Peter Gabriel's Real World Group and Eden Ventures. $8.5 million has been invested in the venture to date.

About The Filter

The Filter is a personalized content filtering system that aggregates entertainment and information and connects users to content that reflects their tastes and moods. The developers behind The Filter are world leading British software company Exabre. They are backed by high profile investors, including Peter Gabriel's Real World Group and Eden Ventures.

The Filter has been downloaded in 164 countries. Its database currently includes over 5m songs, 330k movies and more than 50m individual purchases and playlists.

The Filter works by using Bayesian mathematics. It was developed by Martin Hopkins, a physicist who was struggling to manage his growing digital music collection.

Contact: Rachel Carr/Debra Duffy
Dan Klores Communications
Rachel_carr@dkcnews.com/debra_duffy@dkcnews.com
212.685.4300

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: The Filter

CONTACT: Rachel Carr, Rachel_carr@dkcnews.com, or Debra Duffy,
debra_duffy@dkcnews.com, both of Dan Klores Communications for The Filter,
+1-212-685-4300

Web site:

http://www.thefilter.com/

-------
Profile: intent