March 29, 2009

More metadata, search, yada yada

Metadata and metrics may be the talk of the town but "discovery" (search results) seems important when housewives can't find shows and times using digital cable and the web. Maybe Google will make even more in ad money from the confusion. Debra Kaufman at Studio Daily has a report from the recent Future of Television conference in Hollywood. Here's an excerpt from her Online Video: Room to Grow:

'At the Future of Television conference in Hollywood, a group of panelists debated the global opportunities and challenges of distributing and monetizing online video. ...Online video has become a huge commodity, and these experts discussed the obstacles they currently face to make it bigger than ever. Metrics and metadata were two of the most talked-about issues.

... The moderator pointed out that metadata also has its complications. “If you buy something in the US, my metadata will be in English but it might have to go to a German audience,” he said. “How do I cope with this complexity in international distribution?” Metz said that “as an entertainment metadata company, Macrovision has been researching how to take metadata, prioritize markets and translate.” She revealed that the company is already partnering with a provider in Japan, but she notes that key to the issue is starting with quality data. “At the end of the day, the data without the guide is irrelevant,” she said. “We’re looking at how you look ahead to what the market needs worldwide and create enough depth to facilitate search and discovery.”'

Additional perspectives can be found in an AEP post, Metadata, search, analytics & monetization, and in other posts.

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