Home stretch for the Netflix Prize!

The Netflix Prize has entered its end game! The contest to improve Netflix's recommendation system by at least 10% started in late 2006, and earlier this evening I received this message (having registered a team at one point):

As of the submission by team "BellKor's Pragmatic Chaos" on June 26, 2009 18:42:37 UTC, the Netflix Prize competition entered the "last call" period for the Grand Prize. In accord with the Rules, teams have thirty (30) days, until July 26, 2009 18:42:37 UTC, to make submissions that will be considered for this Prize. Good luck and thank you for participating!

The top two teams joined forces a few days ago, and it seems that there was enough that was distinctive in each approach that combining their algorithms put them over the top. The progress curve had flattened, so even though 10.05% improvement is barely over the 10% target, it represents a big surge compared to recent months. Here's what a Netflix spokesman had to say:

This has been terribly exciting. It's like watching the Belmont Stakes, the Preakness and the Indie 500 all at once—for geeks.

Yeah, that sounds about right. They have to publish their work as part of the rules; I'm really looking forward to seeing it. :-)

Good work and congratulations, BellKor's Pragmatic Chaos!

Write-ups: New York Times, Wired.