Whether we’re consciously aware of it or not, metadata makes the OTT world go round. Technical metadata powers the distribution of video files, integrates them with asset management systems, enforces digital rights and renders them perfectly on viewer’s screens. Editorial metadata, on the other hand, makes content discoverable in VOD catalogues; it tells us about movies and shows we might like to watch, who directs them, acts in them and can recommend other titles we might like to see. Metadata can be simple and rich, cosmetic and functional, made by humans and AI. And, to a nerd like me, metadata is a fascinating but still slightly opaque subject. That’s why we talked about it at OTT Question Time this week (Thursday 13th May)!
Together with Michael Kraskin, Metadata Product Management Director at TiVo, Madelene Gustavsson, Head of Content Discovery at Red Bee Media, and Simon Miller, International Metadata Product Sales at Gracenote, we explored:
- The various types of metadata
- How it’s created, augmented and distributed
- Metadata use cases across the front and backends
- Metadata standards and protocols
- And, of course, how metadata is bought and sold
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ABOUT KAUSER KANJI
Kauser Kanji has been working in online video for 19 years, formerly at Virgin Media, ITN and NBC Universal, and founded VOD Professional in 2011. He has since completed major OTT projects for, amongst others, A+E Networks, the BBC, BBC Studios, Channel 4, DR (Denmark), Liberty Global, Netflix, Sony Pictures, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation and UKTV. He now writes industry analyses, hosts an online debate show, OTT Question Time, as well as its in-person sister event, OTT Question Time Live.