“The devil is in the detail” What well managed metadata really means.
In broadcasting and streaming, viewer experience is at the forefront of industry priorities. When there is an endless plethora of shows, movies & new releases available every single week, well-managed metadata emerges as a background actor, shaping your viewer’s experience and increasing their possible encounters with your different content. Like a meet-cute.
Put simply, metadata are tags that help identify your content. It’s basically the data that provides information about the content itself, for example title, director, genre, cast, runtime, language, etc. But it can also be actual related images and videos such as poster & cover image or trailers and teasers. In addition to the core descriptors of content, metadata encompasses crucial contextual details such as the channel or VOD platform where the content is available, broadcast and availability times.
However, the challenge arrives when this metadata is missing, unorganized, coming from different sources or duplicated. Badly managed metadata can lead to consequences in both content discovery but also confusion with your end users; the viewers.
The devil is in the detail, and there are many reasons you don’t want to slip up.
A great example of how metadata can become “the devil itself” when not handled properly, is the latest launch of White Collar on our all time favorite streaming platform: Netflix.
Earlier this year, Netflix was promoting that the drama series was going to be available on their streaming platform.
With much anticipation building, when it was set live April 1, 2024, the show’s executive producer Jeff Eastin pointed out that many of the seasons have mislabeled episodes and some out of order, making the show complicated to watch as it's set in an unnatural order, jumping from different seasons and episodes.
News outlets picked it up and were quick to criticize Netflix for overseeing a possibly very basic and easily fixable mistake.
Instances like this prove negative press coverage that could (and possibly did) trample the launch.
Movie poster of White Collar
However, there is no such thing as bad press, right? But there is a thing called “bad viewer experience”.
On that note, a quite hilarious and meme-able example of why metadata accuracy is important is again Netflix’s efforts to promote LGBT content in June of 2017, for Pride Month. The Australian horror “Babadook”, about a monster from a book that terrorizes a single mom and her son, was accidentally labeled into the category “LGBT Movies” and took the internet in a storm claiming the monster as a gay icon with an affinity for scrapbooking & hats. I confess, I only watched it because I had seen so many memes. I was not disappointed, truly Baba-shook after watching it.
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With that said, at its core, metadata is the informational backbone of digital content.
Within viewer experience, this information becomes a catalyst for transforming the way audiences discover, engage with, and enjoy content. It’s necessary, and it's essential to be well done and tagged.
Speaking as a true binge watcher, I have been either bored or overwhelmed with the amount of movies and shows available. Metadata helps when searching for movie recommendation platforms like Just Watch or even trying tinder-like apps where you can swipe movies on and get a match with your partner, to avoid the relentless “what do you want to watch” and never agreeing before our dinner gets cold.
Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels
In this context, correct and validated metadata can also help entertainment platforms to curate personalized movie or series playlists tailored to each individuals’ viewing history, preferences, and even mood. By relying on metadata to understand the intricacies of each piece of content, platforms can craft playlists that blend genres, themes, or specific attributes, creating a truly customized viewing experience. Who doesn’t love to feel that someone understands you, even if it’s a streaming platform?
Challenges and Solutions
While the benefits of well-managed metadata are quite evident (hopefully), the path to achieving this level of precision comes with its own set of challenges. Maintaining consistency, accuracy, and relevance in an evolving landscape requires continuous effort. However, technical advancements of metadata enrichment tools, like yours truly, Clipsource, are paving the way for more efficient and effective metadata management.
Content sure is king, but viewer experience is queen. And what is a king without his queen? Boring. As technology evolves, so does the potential of metadata. The industry's commitment to optimizing metadata practices will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of entertainment consumption. As viewers demand more personalized and engaging content, metadata will remain a big part in exceeding these expectations.
We can help you pull metadata from multiple systems, keep your metadata organized, up to date, error free and not duplicated. Book a discovery call with us or just to talk about my favorite icon Babadook at sales@clipsource.com.
