Metadata identifiers for transactional movies and TV content

In order to deliver content, there are various identifiers that you need to include in your metadata.

Provider short name

A provider short name is uniquely associated with each provider within the Apple TV app. Transporter uses the provider short name (together with the “–s” parameter) to link delivery with a specific provider. The provider short name must be included in the metadata file and it must be capitalized correctly. If you don’t know your provider short name, let us know.

Vendor ID

A vendor ID is a permanent, provider-generated value that uniquely identifies a TV episode or movie delivered to Apple. This ID is used for tracking and reporting. Every title must have a unique vendor ID. You cannot change, reuse, or duplicate vendor IDs.

Note that the vendor ID can only contain alphanumeric characters and underscore marks. It cannot contain spaces, dashes, ampersands, other punctuation, or symbols. The vendor ID is case sensitive and must not start with an underscore.

Container ID

The container ID is a permanent, provider-generated value that uniquely identifies a TV season. This should not be confused with a Vendor ID, which is specific to episodes and movies. The container ID is used for tracking and reporting. Every season must have a unique container ID. You cannot change, reuse, or duplicate container IDs. Additionally, every episode must be delivered with the correct container ID to attach it to the correct season.

Note that the container ID can only contain alphanumeric characters and underscore marks. It cannot contain spaces, dashes, ampersands, other punctuation, or symbols. The container ID is case sensitive and must not start with an underscore.