Updated iTunes Package TV Specification.

We’ve updated the iTunes Package TV Specification to make it easier to manage your TV content on the iTunes Store. Version 5.2.8 includes the following updates:

Episode Subtype
The episode <subtype> field is now required. You must include this field in your episode deliveries by October 23, 2017 or your deliveries will be blocked in Transporter. Make sure you are inputting accurate values. The available subtype values are:

• "episode" for a regular episode
• "episodebonus" for bonus content related to a specific episode
• "seasonbonus" for bonus content related to an entire season

Rating Codes
All TV ratings now have a short, plain-ASCII Apple rating code. A new code attribute can be used with the <rating> tag. Standardizing the Apple rating codes reduces errors resulting from typos. The code attribute is optional, however Apple recommends that you start supplying the codes to prepare for the time in the future when the codes become required.

Advisory Codes
All TV advisories now have a short, plain-ASCII Apple advisory code. A new code attribute can be used with the <advisory> tag to supply the Apple advisory code. The code attribute is optional, however Apple recommends that you start supplying the codes to prepare for the time in the future when the codes become required.

Rating Changes in Australia
As previously mentioned, Australian ratings B, W, P, C, and AV15+ are no longer valid. They have been removed from the spec and sending these ratings will be blocked on delivery.

Crop Dimensions Update
Crop dimensions are required for episodes that are matted and contain inactive pixels. When sending crop dimensions, send accurate dimensions and avoid unnecessary cropping, especially horizontally. If your video does not contain inactive pixels (that is, it is not matted), you can set all the crop values to zero, or omit the crop dimension attribute tags. If you do not supply any crop dimensions, iTunes will default to 0,0,0,0.

Cue Sheets
Cue sheets have been added to provide a list of music played in an episode. Cue sheets are optional and can be used to supply start time, duration, title, performers, and other details of a musical piece.