Metadata, Measurement, And The Evolution To Data Infrastructure

“Metadata isn’t sexy,” notes Fariba Zamaniyan, Global SVP of Data Monetization at TiVo Ads. “I'll be the first to admit that. But it is foundational.” 

TVREV: (TVR): TiVo’s story starts with the DVR, but DVRs are basically a museum piece now. What’s the non-nostalgic case for why TiVo matters in today’s CTV and ad tech ecosystem?

FARIBA ZAMANIYAN (FZ): I’ve been with TiVo for over 15 years now, and the DVR was a catalyst for change in this new ‘on demand’ world, a way for consumers to watch content on their terms. We were the original disruptor, enabling time-shifted viewing and bringing apps like Netflix into the consumer experience before that was common.

But what people may not realize is that throughout this evolution—from standalone DVRs to pay-TV infrastructures and today’s smart TV operating systems—we’ve been a software and data-driven company at our core. We’ve been enabling content discovery and access through recommendations, search, and program guides. All of that is fueled by our rich metadata.

Today, we’re bringing that same foundational data forward to the digital ecosystem and increasingly, to measurement and ad tech companies that power viewership and modern TV advertising.

As a company, we’re still fundamentally about helping consumers find, watch and enjoy the content they want, when they want—we just do it differently now.

TVR: A lot of companies claim they’re “data infrastructure.” Concretely, what does TiVo have that isn’t commoditized, and why should advertisers or measurement companies care?

FZ: Our heritage has given us something unique: we’ve always had the “what” and the “who.” The “what” is the content metadata — show titles, episodes, genres, all the rich details that help identify unique programming, when and where it is available. The “who” is the viewership data passively collected from millions of households across the U.S.— quantifying what people are actually watching, how much time they’re spending, and what advertising they’re exposed to.

We’ve been an independent provider of this information since the digital transformation of TV, and that independence is increasingly valuable. We’re not trying to grade our own homework. We’re not a measurement company competing with our partners. We fuel the marketplace with data that brings context to content so others can effectively measure and activate against it.

That positioning — an independent and essential element to infrastructure rather than a competitor — allows us to work with everyone: advertisers, publishers, ad tech platforms, and measurement providers.

TVR: “Metadata is the connective tissue” gets said a lot, but it can sound like a buzzword. What breaks in the real world when metadata isn’t consistent and rigorous?

FZ: I actually love that phrase — connective tissue. That’s exactly right. You can’t get to accurate audience measurement and intent if you don’t start with the basics — which is properly identifying the show. Not just in linear, but across all platforms where that content can be accessed. You need a single, persistent ID that a publisher, an advertiser, and all of the players in between can use to effectively identify, enable and track that same piece of content everywhere it’s available for viewing.

The challenge is often, a single piece of content has multiple identifiers within the ecosystem and often, among publishers themselves for content they own. The show airs on linear, then it’s on streaming, then it’s available in different countries — and it gets a different identity each time. That creates exhaustive measurement challenges. How can you measure viewership accurately across platforms if you can’t consistently identify what’s being watched? Add sports to the mix and the challenge becomes greater and more complex.

TVR: Marketers love talking about audiences, outcomes, and optimization. They don’t love talking about metadata. If you had to make the “this actually matters” argument to a CMO, what’s the blunt version?

FZ: Think of it this way: content is a proxy for audience, and audience is a proxy for intent. You can’t get to that level of precision around audience and intent if you don’t start with accuracy in content identification. For advertisers, rich metadata enables contextual targeting—reaching audiences in environments that are seamless and relevant rather than disruptive. 

It’s not just about behavior; it’s about tying behavior to the content that’s actually appealing to that consumer. Without it, you’re building on sand.

TVR: The metadata space is crowded. What’s the real differentiation for TiVo, beyond “we also have metadata”?

FZ: For us, it comes down to two things: independence and comprehensiveness.

On independence, we’re different from incumbent providers who are in the measurement business. TiVo provides the data without grading our own homework. We want the industry to have the highest caliber, most comprehensive programming and scheduling identification and viewership data that they can then measure, on their own terms, effectively.

On comprehensiveness, we continue to support linear broadcast and fill critical gaps. For example, we support the complexities of local programming and long-tail cable distribution. We have partnerships that span from the largest measurement currencies to new startups. And our data enables identification and tracking for linear and streaming, across all the platforms where video content is available for viewing.

TVR: You keep emphasizing you’re not a measurement provider. Some people will hear that and think “so you’re trying to sit in the middle and be everyone’s vendor.” How deliberate is that, and what’s the strategic bet?

FZ: It’s extremely intentional. It’s core to our strategy. The industry demanded options when it came to audience measurement, and we got multicurrency. But if all these currencies are built on the same foundation—the same content identification system — how are they going to differentiate?

I think of it as a tree. The innovation that comes from multicurrency work is based on the options available at their disposal. If there’s only one choice for content ID, you’re just going to have me-too products with maybe some human finesse. But if we give options to these measurement alternatives, then we’re enabling real innovation.

And with AI increasingly driving predictions and planning — where machines will feed into all the manual work we do today—having quality options in the data ingested to the machines becomes even more critical. Competition at this layer ultimately brings down costs for buyers and sellers while driving innovation.

TVR: “Converged TV” can be a slogan. What’s the practical decision-making improvement your data unlocks for buyers and sellers when linear and streaming are mashed together?

FZ: Practically, the key is consistency across platforms. Let me give you an example: if you enjoy watching “Suits,” you’re watching “Suits” whether it’s on linear or streaming. You’re not a different person with a different profile.

Having that single way of identifying content helps the machine learning behind targeting and recommendations. It reduces noise in the predictions. When buyers want to target you with advertising, they can have confidence that the data is high quality, stable, and consistent — whether you’re watching on one platform or another.

That extends to related content too. Maybe you watch Major League Soccer, you have a specific team you follow, but occasionally you watch other teams. That level of granularity in the content data, combined with viewership data, allows for much more sophisticated and accurate audience creation and targeting.

TVR: Context and adjacency are having a moment, but a lot of it still feels squishy. How do you translate metadata into something that actually aligns brand messages with programming moments in a repeatable way?

FZ: It really goes back to our original mission: helping consumers find content they want in an environment that’s seamless and engaging. When you’re on our smart TV interfaces, we put content first on the screen—not apps first.

For advertisers, that means their messages can be aligned with content in contextually relevant ways. The advertising you’re exposed to should be seamless and relevant, not disruptive. And that’s only possible when you have rich metadata about the content — genre, themes, mood, audience composition — that allows for intelligent adjacency decisions.

We believe that when the consumer experience is right, advertising performance follows. If viewers are engaged and the ad experience is integrated thoughtfully with content discovery, everyone benefits.

TVR: Where does this go next? If you’re right that metadata is infrastructure, what’s the next frontier that actually changes how advertising works?

FZ: For us, AI is absolutely the next frontier. Machine learning needs consistency — the more noise in your data, the more noise in predictions and outcomes. As the industry automates more of the planning, buying, and optimization processes, the quality of the foundational metadata becomes exponentially more important.

The convergence of linear and streaming continues to accelerate. The ability to identify and measure content consistently across all platforms isn’t just nice to have — it’s essential infrastructure. Companies that get this right will be well positioned to drive the next generation of TV and advertising forward.

TVR: Last one: what’s the clearest proof point that TiVo has successfully made the leap from a consumer brand people associate with DVRs to an infrastructure player the industry actually relies on?

FZ: Honestly? The fact that our aspiration has come to fruition.

We’re well-positioned to shake up the incumbents and enable the industry to advance content measurement. The rapid adoption we’ve seen, the partnerships forming, the recognition that the industry needs options at every layer — it validates the transformation we’ve made from a consumer hardware company to an essential infrastructure provider.

And we’re just getting started. There are significant partnerships still to be announced, new applications for our data as AI evolves, and a growing understanding across the industry that you can’t measure what you can’t properly identify. That’s where TiVo Ads comes in.