People Love Metadata (they just don’t realise it!)

It is not an overstatement to say that consumers love video. According to PWC, there will be 14.5 million Pay TV subscribers and 45 million SVOD subscribers by 2025 in the United Kingdom alone. In the United States, Hub Entertainment Research indicates that 63% of US viewers subscribe to both traditional Pay TV and streaming services.  Yet, the consumer experience navigating video services is dependent on relevant metadata.

With all of these services competing for consumer eyeballs, we spoke with MetaBroadcast Content Data Editor, Rachel Naylor, about the pervasive nature of metadata when it comes to navigating our favorite video services.  

MetaBroadcast: Do consumers actually understand how they engage with their video services? Do they know what data they expect to see that helps them decide what they want to watch? 

Rachel: They probably don’t think of data at all, but it is the metadata that exists in every user interface that guides their decision-making. The more relevant the data the less likely they are to slide down the proverbial rabbit hole while figuring out what they want to watch. Decision fatigue is real and video services need to do everything they can to retain subscribers. There is a lot of discussion about analytics related to what consumers are watching but little focus on how the metadata describing the content influences what they watch and how it is pivotal for the analytics everyone is seeking.

MetaBroadcast: Can you share some examples? 

Rachel: Sure, programme titles are a basic metadata requirement but similar titles can represent different series. For example, the iCarly series is popular on Paramount+. However, the original series and the new reboot are considered separate programmes despite having the same name. This means the metadata surrounding each episode must be accurate to associate the right episodes with the correct brand. 

When it comes to metadata about film and television, it’s vital to have the data consumers need to discover content. Consumers have different search behaviors. Sometimes they are searching for new content, other times they are browsing for ‘comfort’ content. When searching for new content, they are often seeking specific genres or favorite actors. However, sometimes viewers aren’t sure what they want to watch and are browsing, hoping to be inspired by a suggestion where they can then explore more details such as longer descriptions, reviews or ratings. 

MetaBroadcast:   So, relevant metadata includes brands, titles, synopses, series, episodes, and cast. Is that enough?

Rachel:  No! While this data may help with an initial search, it doesn’t go far enough. The more data the better! We haven’t even talked about images or trailers. Many consumers are attracted to visuals that reflect the tone or mood of the content or videos that give them a sneak peek. They want something that will catch their eye, but this content is only made discoverable in the first place due to descriptive metadata

We need to remember that the goal for video service providers, especially streaming services, has shifted from attracting viewers to retaining subscribers. The level of churn is high which means that these services must do all they can to retain viewers. 

Consumers want a more personalised experience.  Younger viewers, in particular, understand the power of technology and expect these tech-savvy streaming services to leverage available data to promote, suggest and expose content of interest to individual viewers based on their consumption habits.  And that’s what metadata enables. It’s meant to help the process of searching and being able to find certain content a lot easier by using keywords. 

If you think about how most of the streaming services showcase the most popular content, that’s interesting, but it isn’t personalised to the individual viewer. The use of more data gives the consumer more context about the content and should also help the video service gain greater insight into consumer preferences.

MetaBroadcast: Relevant data seems to be a theme here. What happens if there is not enough data or the data is not relevant? 

Rachel: The short answer is that consumers can end up in a rabbit hole of irrelevant content. One of our earlier blogs mentioned that the attention span of the average consumer is only 8 seconds. So, I wonder what happens to someone who gets frustrated because they cannot find a fantasy series or a new film with Ewan McGregor or something with a high Rotten Tomatoes rating? If this situation happens repeatedly, consumers will be tempted to pause or even cancel their subscriptions.

I’ve learned how important metadata is to content discovery. Well-known, popular programmes seem to have a lot of metadata associated with them. However, smaller, niche shows seem to have less data which impacts their ‘discoverability’. I read that 80% of content consumed on Netflix comes from its content recommendation system which leverages algorithms using a combination of various metadata fields combined with viewer patterns.

MetaBroadcast: Well, that’s interesting. Do you have any recommendations based on both your professional and personal experiences? 

Rachel: I think it comes back to something I said earlier.  The more data the better. But I think there is a challenge related to defining a data schema with the needs of the consumer in mind and then making sure that all data fields are filled out consistently. When it comes to consumer needs, we all watch content on various platforms and become aware of which ones have which data and how that data is presented. We then expect to see that type of data on the other services. 

For example, I really like the Amazon Prime X-Ray capabilities where I can see which actors are in each scene and other information that enriches my viewing experience (e.g., character profiles, music used and fun trivia).  I realise Amazon has access to data, via their ownership of IMDb, that other services may not have, but as a consumer, I really like that feature. The data is relevant to me as a fan and I envision similar technology being utilised by other services in the years to come. 

MetaBroadcast:  Wow, the consumer experience navigating video services is dependent on relevant metadata. Thanks for an insightful chat, Rachel!

MetaBroadcast has been helping video service providers organise, unify and cleanse descriptive metadata for over 10 years. Let’s talk about how our technology can help you makes sure you have relevant metadata to better engage your audience. 

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