Our Holiday Wish – Federated Search

Is a new TV on your Christmas list?  If so, you will likely have even more options for watching video content. Your new TV will be a Smart TV that has its own user interface (UI) that provides access to many popular streaming apps, free ad-based streaming channels (aka FAST channels), free-to-air linear channels or those enabled by your Pay TV service.

These new TVs increase access to video programmes while also increasing the challenge of content discovery. Owners of Smart TVs have several options for “watching TV” which include:

1. Pay TV subscriptions from providers such as Sky or Virgin Media. These services display linear programming schedules in an electronic program guide with program titles, start time, running time, lead actors and short synopses. Content discovery is possible within the Pay TV providers UI.

2. Streaming apps such as Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime. With a smart TV, accessing streaming apps is similar to tuning into channels such as BBC or ITV. The user clicks on the chosen app, authenticates their subscription (usually a one-time effort),and enters a walled garden of content. The user interface is defined by the streaming platform provider. It is possible to search for content available within the app.

3. FAST channels provided by a smart TV manufacturer such as Samsung, LG or Vizio.. These manufacturers provide hundreds of free channels that allow viewers to enjoy linear style programming with ads. The content is usually syndicated TV shows and non-premium live news and sports. Users can search for desired content within the FAST channels.

These alternatives for consuming video on the TV itself may put consumers in a quandary about where they can find their desired programmes – especially during the holiday season. 

We often learn about upcoming programming from friends, family, social media and advertising. Once we’ve heard about a show of interest, our next thought is when and where we can watch it. Search functionality is dependent on the quality of metadata in each of the user interfaces. The combination of Pay TV channels, FAST channels and walled garden streaming platforms can be difficult to navigate. During the holiday season, we want simplicity when it comes to spending time with family watching favourite TV shows in the comfort of our living rooms.

Seasonal programming requires the service provider to update their user guides with relevant metadata about each of the programs. Families want to know where they can watch content such as the holiday episodes of Call the Midwife and Peppa Pig, or new movies such as Spirited starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. These programs can be found across the range of broadcast, pay TV and streaming app based services.  

But, what if the metadata is incomplete? What if it only includes the title but not cast or sub-genre. If the consumer knows the name of the program they seek, search is fairly simple. But what if they don’t remember the title, but only the name of an actor or the genre? While it’s easy to categorize programing as “holiday”, the addition of sub-genres such as “drama’, ‘comedy’, ‘kids’, ‘animation’ might add further context and improve search results. 

An additional challenge is the limitation of sharing metadata across services, channels and apps. While the smart TV has become an excellent platform for accessing and viewing scheduled and on-demand content, content discovery is limited by the content providers themselves in how their metadata is made available (or not). 

As a metadata specialist focused on aggregating and enriching metadata for a wide range of video service providers, our holiday wish is for all service providers to open access to the descriptive metadata that enables content discovery. We are experienced in improving the quality of metadata present in user guides and interfaces – giving consumers the details they need to identify where and when they can watch their program of choice. We believe that increasing the breadth and depth of available metadata is the key to delivering fulfilling consumer experiences during this festive season and throughout the year.

Interested in learning more about our metadata management capabilities? Contact us at hello@metabroadcast.com