A little over 5 weeks ago I reported on the Netflix Prize software development contest. This contest, sponsored by Netflix, challenged software developers and mathematicians from around the world to improve upon the Cinematch movie recommendation software by 10%, with a $1 million prize to the winner. Over three years into this contest, two teams have emerged that successfully broke the ever-elusive 10% barrier.
Just over 30 days ago, team BellKor’s Pragmatic Chaos became the first team to improve upon the Netflix recommendation software by 10%. This goal was once thought to be unreachable, but recent developments fueled by the collaboration of a few top teams brought 10% within reach. Once BellKor’s Pragmatic Chaos passed the 10% mark, all other teams had 30 days to match or surpass their accomplishment. One team was up to the challenge.
A group called The Ensemble submitted it’s final version of its code just before the deadline this past Sunday. The Netflix Prize leaderboard currently shows them in the lead, with a 10.10% improvement. This number is just one one-hundredth of a percent above Bellkor’s Pragmatic Chaos’ score of 10.09%. This race could be too close to call.
Netflix said it will not announced the true winner until September, while it pours over the results and determines a champion.
Regardless of who ultimately wins the $1 million grand prize from Netflix, all teams involved in this contest have learned valuable lessons. One start-up company has spawned from techniques used in the contest, with countless others improving upon services they already offer.
For a great in-depth report with some of the contestants, check out this recent New York Time article. The final Leaderboad can be seen here, along with bio’s of the winning teams.
