
There are more than 817,000 unique program titles across U.S. traditional TV/streaming services as of Feb. 2022, with many featuring hundreds of individual episodes and chapters.*
*Nielsen’s Gracenote metadata listings
CTAM is leading brand exposure opportunities to attract viewers through three core initiatives:

Metadata Management
Ensures search, recommendation and discovery results through enriched descriptors, key images and nuanced content profiles. Better program suggestions and search make for increased customer satisfaction.
The Complex Metadata Journey
A first-of-its-kind visualization of the metadata pathway communicates a better understanding of the process.
These illustrations are designed to influence consistent metadata management practices across platforms and potentially stimulate process efficiencies.
Click each image to enlarge
News Metadata Best Practices
News and breaking news impose accelerated work flows for metadata management and these best practices provide guidance for news series and specials. Contributed by subject matter experts from Charter, Comcast, Fox, NBCU, and WarnerMedia.
Metadata Best Practices for Multi-Network Simulcast and Links Between Related Specials
A working group comprised of subject matter experts from Comcast, Charter, Fox, NBCU, WarnerBros. Discovery outline procedures for major events and simulcasts. Additionally, Gracenote diagrams the automation process and other important delivery guidelines.
6 Common Issues with Metadata for Content Providers
Developed with Witbe
The Importance of Metadata
Metadata, both the customer-facing element and the parts working behind the scenes, is the language that content runs on. It is essential to helping viewers navigate to search and discover what to watch. Metadata, and the process by which it is entered and relayed across different services, is also the starting point for many issues that affect customers at home.
The Importance of Verification
Content providers need a dependable verification process for catching these issues as they pop up. Wherever possible, metadata should be verified as an end-user on the same applications, devices, and networks that your customers use. If you want to verify at scale, automation is a must. Witbe is a service that helps monitor if content is actually going live on time and organized correctly across devices, regions, and platforms. Verification is essential for recognizing and resolving metadata issues before customers complain.
Content Discoverability Resources
The Impact of Aggregation
CTAM Commissioned Study with Hub Entertainment Research
June 2023
Discover how aggregating SVOD / FAST platforms into pay-TV services can impact perceived value, satisfaction, and likelihood to churn or recommend.
Highlights:
- 72% of consumers feel there are too many subscriptions.
- 51% feel there are so many shows to choose from it’s hard to
know where to start (up from 44% in 2022). - Almost half (46%) of those who have integrated say it makes
their pay-TV subscription a lot more valuable. - Pay-TV subscribers who have integrated are much more
satisfied with their pay-TV provider. - Those who have integrated are significantly more likely to
say they’ll still have their pay-TV subscription in a year.
Hub Entertainment Research: Conquering Content Study
(Oct. 2022)
Uncover how viewers discover new shows, and why they choose some content over others.
Highlights:
- More than half (51%) say the volume of shows makes it hard to know where to begin.
- As a result, universal listings are becoming more critical with 61% of viewers saying it’s needed to search all their platforms in one place.
- However, universal search is underutilized with those with the capability only using it about 40% of the time.
- Trailers are a keyway to “cut through the content cluttler”
- Almost two-thirds (63%) are more likely to choose a show if they can watch the trailer first.
- Three-quarters (78%) of those who discovered a new favorite show via a trailer said the trailer watched ran automatically.
- Viewers follow shows more than they follow platforms.
Click here for full study information.