Gain a Competitive Advantage with Data Provenance

In today’s digital-first world, media companies rely on more than just great content to succeed. Detailed, accurate, descriptive metadata ensures video programs reach the right audience and generate revenue. But it’s not enough to just have metadata. With the rise of AI-generated metadata, it’s vital to know where that data came from, how it has been changed, and who has handled it.  In short, companies need to track its provenance.

What is data provenance?

It’s the ability to understand and document the origin and transformation of data throughout its lifecycle. It is understanding the data source. Was it ingested from a commercial metadata provider, created internally, or generated via AI (e.g., automated tagging)? Every source should be able to provide records indicating where, when, and by whom metadata was added or modified.

Metadata provenance is of paramount importance for media companies that distribute and monetize video programs. Descriptive metadata refers to the information that describes the content, context, and attributes of video assets (e.g., title, genre, synopsis, cast, plot, keywords, and technical specifications).

Detailed content metadata is essential for content indexing on streaming platforms, search engines, and content libraries. Accurate metadata provenance ensures that all modifications or updates (e.g., a change in genre or keywords) are tracked, which helps keep content relevant and easily discoverable by the right audiences.

All video delivery platforms, especially streaming services, use metadata to suggest content to viewers. Clear metadata provenance ensures that the right tags, genres, suitability ratings, and descriptions are applied, enhancing the accuracy of recommendation algorithms and boosting the visibility of video programs.

As media companies distribute video content across an increasing range of platforms (e.g., broadcast, on-demand, free-to-air, FAST, etc.), descriptive metadata must remain consistent. Consistency ensures uniform branding, content representation, and viewer experience. Metadata provenance helps companies track changes and maintain consistency, preventing errors that could confuse viewers or lead to contract violations.

Metadata provenance also helps track and manage different versions of a video program, such as localized versions with different languages or subtitles. By keeping track of changes, media companies can ensure that the correct versions are distributed in each region, maximizing audience reach and monetization.

Provenance is essential for audience engagement by enabling the delivery of highly relevant recommendations that boost interaction and minimize churn. For example, detailed metadata about themes, cast, or storylines can be leveraged to create personalized viewing experiences.  Moreover, confidence in the accuracy and origins of metadata allows media companies to align audience measurement outcomes to more tailored marketing and distribution strategies – maximizing monetization opportunities across different platforms.

Descriptive metadata provenance is invaluable for media companies that distribute and monetize video programs. Giving our customers better insight into their data is at the core of what we do. Whether it is in the form of our Audit or through the persistent metadata management enabled by Atlas, our focus is ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and traceability of our customers’ metadata.

Metadata provenance enhances discoverability, drives revenue, improves compliance, and strengthens audience engagement. In an industry where competition is fierce and content is distributed across multiple platforms, having a robust metadata strategy that includes clear provenance tracking is not just an operational necessity—it’s a competitive advantage.

Contact us to learn more about how we track metadata provenance.