Final answer:
Cinematch operates by utilizing a personalized recommendation approach, leveraging a map of user ratings to suggest titles to users with comparable tastes, based on their viewing history.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Cinematch recommendation system works by developing a map of user ratings and steering users toward titles preferred by people with similar tastes. This is option a. Specifically, Cinematch uses data about its users' past viewing habits to make predictions about their future viewing behavior. Unlike the other options presented, Cinematch does not solely rely on gross averages, user-preference profiles, critics' rankings, or fixed lists based on movie ratings. Instead, it employs a personalized approach, where the system learns and evolves based on the individual user's interactions and choices on the platform.