Minutiae Matters in TV Metadata

When an entertainment metadata vendor regularly offshores the collection, creation and aggregation of its data, errors become a foregone conclusion. Even the smallest of integral details are overlooked, leading to issues like poor spelling and grammar.

These sorts of inaccuracies cannot be considered trivial. Viewers should be able to navigate an EPG or television platform and receive information that is not flawed. Spelling errors can often result in inaccurate search results, jeopardizing the content discovery process and the receipt of recommended programming.

Moreover, if a celebrity name or program title isn't listed properly, TV analytics and measurement could go awry - which in turn induces faulty or missing residual payments.

In an example from one metadata business, the name of actress Kelsea Ballerini is misspelled as “Lelsea” in a summary.

@KelseaBallerini They spelled your name wrong on the TV show description :-( @RDCountry pic.twitter.com/jIkmPCQrQL

— Scott Rosen (@DaScottyMac) April 30, 2016

Here, a metadata provider offers the name of Lucifer as “Lucipher.”

@lucifansgroup1 If anyone has TV Guide app on their devices, check this out. G'NITE All#Lucifer pic.twitter.com/TCRGT5ZmjU

— Rebel (@ReDa1025) March 7, 2016

An Anderson Cooper Post Debate special features several spelling issues in its program title.

The comcast guide writer is drunk pic.twitter.com/tyiXoLevfA

— sarah (@sarahcastic) January 29, 2016

This data company has listed the name of pop singer Ciara instead of the character Clara in a “Doctor Who” episode synopsis.

Description of last night's #DoctorWho on Comcast. That would be quite a change in companion, huh? pic.twitter.com/mbCXNWgfQg

— Casey (@k_see) October 18, 2015

For a key sporting event, the name of Smoky Hill High School has received an extra ‘e’ by this metadata vendor.

@dish_answers @AltitudeTV Smoky is spelled wrong @SmokySports pic.twitter.com/I8MAp1Jw9B

— Jared Benefield (@jbenny33) August 29, 2015

This TV metadata provider has confused “Resident” with “Residential” in a movie title, substantially altering its meaning. The name of actress Milla Jovovich is also misspelled in this double error.

View post on imgur.com

It’s obvious an eye for the minor items is important for television metadata.

Be sure to bear this in mind when selecting a provider for your EPG or OTT service.

Author: Brian Cameron

Image via Shutterstock

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