Data about data

“If you can’t find it – you haven’t got it.”

This is true of systems involving vast amount of digital content, which is why the importance of metadata systems is growing for broadcasters as the amount of data they deal with grows exponentially.

Metadata is indispensable for content archives, programme production, distribution and any system design to electronically search and retrieve the assets you need and want. Whenever we store things, the box needs a label on the outside to tell us what it contains. If we had a lot of boxes without labels, we would never find anything. In the world of digital television and radio contents, metadata is the label. Of course, television and radio content is itself digital data, so metadata is often called data about data, or information about information.

In a broadcasting production environment, incorrect or poorly created metadata can mean missed deadlines, not ?nding the right clip for the producer, and even mistakenly airing the wrong programme because another show had a similar title but the metadata was not clear. Inaccurate data affects all aspects of an end-to-end production environment, from the initial concept and planning stage to distribution of clips to the playout servers.

Once metadata is created or extracted from a video file, relevant keywords and descriptions can then be selected to drive effective search engine optimisation. The metadata is one important aspect used by search engines to rank content in a search directory.

Designers of metadata systems, including broadcasters, have to trade off the advantages of comprehensiveness with those of simplicity. Too much complexity may be unnecessary and costly. Too simple a system may not cover what is needed. User-friendliness, easiness, flexibility, adaptability and scalability are more important than richness and comprehensiveness, with impossible compliance rules.

On the web, inevitably experts are exploring the huge potential held by such models, linking data from different information silos in a flexible way. Applications should include the development of tools for journalists to easily pull together detailed information from a variety of sources, and the automated aggregation of data to enrich broadcaster websites with huge amounts of additional content, during major sporting events for example.

Broadcast news divisions understand the importance of maintaining at least a minimum amount of key metadata (subjects, people, locations, dates). Their own researchers and producers need to be able to quickly ?nd clips for daily news programmes and documentaries. Major broadcasters and stations often provide access to their stock footage databases through external agencies or licensing consortia. These agencies’ websites sometimes provide digital previews of the footage, so that researchers can determine whether the footage contains what they need before they buy it.

However, it is the accuracy of the metadata in the online database that brings the researcher to the footage and, it is hoped, to a sale for the broadcaster. Consistent and standardised metadata created by the broadcaster is the key to a seamless workflow.

Programme development and pre-production – Working title, genre, subjects, the programme peg and structure, treatments and angles, conceptual and contextual information, key personnel, target air date, number of episodes, targeted slot.

Rights and licensing – Information on rights to use the material, both for external licensing footage and for the consumer to view on television on demand, over air (terrestrial or satellite), or over the internet; rights for use of different components of the completed work such as the script, soundtrack, merchandising material, reuse, and retention.

Production – Financial information, location logistical information, lighting, location, and shooting scripts, music details, personnel contact details (staf?ng, crewing, performers), contractual details, safety information or authorisations, technical details (high de?nition, widescreen, line standards, progressive or interlace), delivery information.

Salaheddine Awad is Head of Broadcast at beIN Sports.