MEC title metadata
FAQ: Upcoming changes to Summary190 metadata and Mini Synopses
In December 2024 and January 2025, Prime Video is changing the requirements for Summary190 MEC metadata and how that information is displayed to customers. Review the following FAQs for more information on what these changes mean to you.
Important: MEC metadata is used with bulk file delivery workflows only. If you are using single title upload to deliver content to Prime Video, MEC metadata is not used.
Title metadata contains title, synopsis, runtime, genre, director, cast, ratings, and other relevant production information used by customers to make a viewing decision. Metadata can be delivered in localized and original-language versions, and must be delivered according to the MovieLabs Media Entertainment Core (MEC) specification v2.6 using the Amazon-specific requirements listed in the following sections.
Our customer experience is supported by supplemental MEC requirements and attributes which differ from those for MovieLabs. Prime Video’s required fields and vocabulary applicable to our unique implementation of MEC are summarized on this page. We expect content providers and their representatives to submit accurate MEC data that adheres to Prime Video requirements. Non-compliant MEC submissions will result in redelivery requests.
The following sections explain the delivery standards, television content structure, and field list entries required to successfully deliver MEC title metadata to Prime Video.
The XML schema definition (XSD) and documentation for this specification can be downloaded in our sample file package. MEC file submissions are subject to file-naming rules. To ensure quality content for our users, unblock the fulfilment delivery process, and prevent errors, the XML file must be generated automatically. Non-adherence to these overall rules will cause delivery errors.
MEC: Metadata delivery standards
If you want to update or append metadata attributes for a previously-delivered title, your subsequent MEC metadata deliveries must use a ContentID that exactly matches the ContentID used in the original MEC metadata delivered for the title.
You’ll also need to create a unique ID for each title. A unique ID is a partner-defined value (also known as a SKU or EIDR) that uniquely defines a title. Every title (Episode, Season, Series, or Movie) requires a unique ID. You may use your own internal tracking number, provided it meets the following requirements:
- Must be unique within the partner’s catalog. No two titles can use the same unique ID.
- Must match the unique ID in the Prime Video Standard Naming Convention file name, the AltID used in the avail, and the AltIdentifier used in the metadata for the title.
- 50-character maximum.
- May only contain English letters, numbers, dashes ( - ), and underscores ( _ ).
For more examples, see the MEC Sample files and MMC sample files pages.
Your most recent submission, based on language-LOCALE code and delivery timestamps, is your authoritative submission. We accept partial MEC delivery for each unique language-LOCALE code without overwriting previous submissions. However, partial updates for language-LOCALE attributes are only supported for attributes within the LocalizedInfo sections of the MEC metadata title file, such as TitleDisplayUnlimited and Summary400.
We currently do not support partial MEC updates for non-language-LOCALE-specific attributes like RatingSet and People. Please include all available ratings and cast and crew information when you deliver an MEC metadata file. If you provide ratings for a single territory (or a subset of available ratings), they will overwrite previously provided ratings in other territories.
When submitting any update on a title, make sure that RatingSet is updated too. For more information, see Ratings.
If you deliver MEC metadata for the same language-LOCALE as a previous submission, your latest contribution overwrites your previous submission for that language-LOCALE.
For more information about supported language-LOCALE codes, see Languages, localization, and genres.
Note: ContentID and WorkType values are fixed with the first submission. Resubmitting MEC metadata with different values than the ones included in the initial submission will result in a delivery error.
MEC: Television content structure
For television content, MEC title metadata doesn’t permit delivery of all episodes of a season to be consolidated into a single MEC XML file. Each episode must be delivered in a unique MEC. Multiple language variants for the same episode can be combined in an individual MEC. Use the ParentContentID field to indicate the season to which an episode belongs.
Prime Video prefers delivery of “Series, Season, and Episode” XMLs simultaneously for non-current, catalog content. If current/active television content and television metadata can’t be delivered together, the metadata must be delivered sequentially in the following order: Series, Season, and Episode.
MEC: Field list entries
The following table summarizes MEC fields and Prime Video-specific notes. (To see annotated examples of which fields are sub-categories and which are “parent” fields, download the MEC Metadata v2.5 sample files and review the template for your title type.)
The Field name column lists MEC fields; attributes for fields are indicated by the @ symbol.
The Accepted values column lists the acceptable values or value type expected for each field. If left blank, it indicates that a string entry is permitted.
Unless otherwise specified, string inputs are limited to 250 characters. All inputs are limited to UTF-8 characters. The Prime Video usage column indicates whether the field is required, optional, or not used by Amazon.
The table and notes are in addition to the documentation and definitions provided by MovieLabs. Should any conflict or tension occur between the two, Prime Video-specific requirements take precedence over any conflicting data provided by MovieLabs.
Important: Specifically for Genre, at least one genre is required in at least one LocalizedInfo section. The code for each genre selection must be included in the ID attribute. Three unique genres total are allowed per title. For example, Action—Epic and Action—Historical would count as two genres. For more information about genres, see the Genres list.
| Field name | Definition & notes | Accepted values | Prime Video usage |
| BasicMetadata-type | |||
| @ContentID | ID of the metadata provided. Should follow the MovieLabs ID best practices. Updates to previously-submitted metadata must include the same ContentID. | Required | |
| UpdateNum | Amazon will use the most recently received file as the latest update, as determined by delivery timestamp. | Integer | Not used |
| LocalizedInfo | This block includes elements that may be localized. At least one is required. | Required | |
| @Language | Must be a value from the list of Prime Video allowed languages. | Required | |
| @Default | Must be included for one instance of LocalizedInfo for the language of original production. | Boolean | Not used |
| TitleDisplay19 | 19-character limit. | Optional | |
| TitleDisplay60 | 35-character limit. This is the title field used by Amazon to display custom season names on the detail page. This field SHOULD NOT include the series name. This field should be localized in the same language as the associated synopsis. If the contribution for TitleDisplay60 does not honor the guidelines (including character limit), Amazon will fall back to the AlternateNumber field. If AlternateNumber is not available, we will fall back to Number. For example: If multi-part seasons or specials are intended, then TitleDisplay60 would have Season 1, Season 2 Part 1, Season 2 Part 2, Season 3, Holiday Special, Season 4, and so on. If you supply TitleDisplay60 with a particular language-LOCALE on a season, you must provide TitleDisplay60 with the same language-LOCALE on all seasons within the same series. | String | Optional for WorkType = Season Used for Season. Not used for episode, movie, promotion, or supplemental. |
| TitleDisplayUnlimited | 250-character limit. This is the title field used by Amazon. The words “episode” and “season,” if used, should be localized in the same language as the associated synopsis. If this is for season level, then the series name should be included in the season title. A number should also be used to indicate a season. | String | Required |
| TitleSort | Title sort is required by the MEC XSD, but isn’t used by Amazon. It’s permissible to provide empty tags to satisfy the XSD: <md:TitleSort></md:TitleSort> | Not used | |
| ArtReference | This is used by Amazon. Artwork must be associated with a title via the art reference section in the MEC file. | Required | |
| @Resolution | This is the resolution of the image being delivered. | Required | |
| @Purpose | This is the purpose of the image being delivered. | Required | |
| Summary190 | 150-character limit. Note that although MEC specification supports 190 characters in Summary190, Prime Video only accepts up to 150 characters. | Required | |
| Summary400 | 400-character limit. | Required | |
| Summary4000 | 4,000-character limit. | Optional | |
| DisplayIndicators | Intended to capture information that may affect customer UI. Examples include CC (Closed Captions), DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Premiere (season premiere), and so on. | Not used | |
| Genre | At least one Prime Video genre, not defined by MEC, in at least one LocalizedInfo section is required. Up to three genre entries are allowed for each LocalizedInfo section. | Required | |
| @source | URL that identifies the source of the genre list. If you’re providing genres from multiple lists, distinguish the genre list for each entry using this attribute. | Optional | |
| @ID | ID code for genre. Required for Amazon genres. See genre list for genre values and codes. | Required | |
| @level | “0" indicates parent level. “1" indicates sub-genre. Indication of levels isn’t required for Amazon genres. | Integer | Optional |
| Keyword | Keywords are often culturally specific, so different keywords may exist for different regions. At this time, no keywords are defined. | Not used | |
| VersionNotes | A descriptive statement about why this cut was created, or what its content represents with reference to other versions of this work. Don’t include information about the language of the title in this field. | Optional | |
| Region | The region(s) where the work is intended to be broadcast or shown. | Optional | |
| Country | The country where the work is intended to be broadcast or shown. | ISO 3166-1 | Optional |
| CountryRegion | The country-region where the work is intended to be broadcast or shown. | Not used | |
| OriginalTitle | Original title of the content. | Optional | |
| CopyrightLine | Displayable copyright line. | Optional | |
| PeopleLocal | Individuals involved in a localized production of the work (typically voice actors for dubbing). Don’t use for localized versions of cast names. Note: See the People field in this table for the full list of attributes available in the People type. | Optional | |
| AlternateTitle | Used to communicate commonly known alternate titles for content. | Not used | |
| @type | Various types should be used for the type attribute describing an AlternateTitle element. | Not used | |
| @language | Alternate titles may include a language attribute to indicate a language different from the language attribute in the parent element. | Not used | |
| RunLength | Specify to at least seconds. Zero is recommended for seasons and series. | Optional | |
| ReleaseYear | The first year the work was released in any territory. | Required | |
| ReleaseDate | The date of a movie’s original theatrical release, or the original television debut/premiere of a TV series. Format is YYYY-MM-DD. For a movie, this is the first theatrical release date in the specified territory. For TV episodes, this is the original air date (not the most recent broadcast date). For bundles, use the bundle creation date as the release date. For trilogies, use the theatrical release of the first movie. | Required | |
| ReleaseHistory | Information about releases of the content. | Required for ReleaseType = Original | |
| ReleaseType | The type of release of the content (Original, Broadcast, DVD, Blu-ray, PayTV, InternetBuy, InternetRent, Theatrical, SVOD). | Enumerated | Required for ReleaseHistory |
| @wide | Indicates a wide release, particularly for theatrical. | Boolean | Not used |
| DistrTerritory | Country code for distribution territory. | ISO 3166-1 | Required for ReleaseHistory |
| Date | May include year, full date, or date and time. Provide as much specificity as available. | Required for ReleaseHistory | |
| @scheduled | Indicates date is scheduled. | Boolean | Not used |
| Description | Description of the release. | Optional | |
| ReleaseOrg | Organization involved with the release for the ReleaseHistory. | Optional | |
| @organizationID | Organization’s unique ID. | Optional | |
| @idType | ID scheme used for organizationID. | Optional | |
| @role | Role of the associated organization. | Optional | |
| DisplayName | A string that will be displayed when referring to this group. | Required for ReleaseOrg | |
| SortName | Sortable version of name. If the display name and the sort name are the same, the SortName element may be excluded. | Optional | |
| AlternateName | Other names for this organization. | Optional | |
| WorkType | Type of the work. Prime Video accepts movie, episode, season, series, promotion, or supplemental. | Enumerated | Required |
| WorkTypeDetail | More specific definition of WorkType to allow a more detailed description. | Optional | |
| PictureColorType | Color type of asset. | Not used | |
| PictureFormat | A textual description of the aspect ratio format type. This field doesn’t contain the actual aspect ratio. | Not used | |
| Aspect Ratio | Aspect ratio of active pixels. | Not used | |
| AltIdentifier | The ID used in the avail must also be included here with the appropriate namespace (EIDR or ORG). | Required | |
| Namespace | Accepted values: EIDR, ISAN, IMDB, or ORG. Exactly one ID of either EIDR or ORG must be included, and its Identifier value must correspond to the ALID from the MMC and the AltID from the Avail. | Required | |
| Identifier | This value must be the ID string only and not a MovieLabs ID URN. For example, provide “manchester” instead of “md:contentid:org:amazon: manchester” | Required | |
| Location | Provide URI to look up the id (such as an EIDR or IMDB link). | Optional | |
| RatingSet | Provide all ratings available. If content has been rated in some territories but not all, include available ratings only and don’t include a reference to the not-rated territories. If at least one rating has been provided, don’t use the NotRated field. Alternatively, if content hasn’t received a rating in any territory, a NotRated field must be included under <md:RatingSet>. | Required | |
| Rating | Content rating. | Required | |
| Region | The region(s) where rating applies. | Required | |
| Country | ISO country code of applicable country where rating applies | ISO 3166-1 | Required |
| CountryRegion | The country-region(s) where rating applies. | Not used | |
| System | The values provided in the System and Value fields should conform to the common metadata ratings provided by MovieLabs. | Required | |
| Value | The values provided in the System and Value fields should conform to the common metadata ratings provided by MovieLabs. | Required | |
| Reason | Reasons for the rating (for example, violence). | Optional | |
| NotRated | If content hasn’t received a rating in any territory, a NotRated field must be included per the following example: <md:RatingSet> Please note true is case sensitive. | Boolean | Required if no Ratings provided |
| @condition | Indicates why the content isn’t rated. | Optional | |
| IsAdult | Indicates adult content. There is no standard definition of this flag, and it’s used at the discretion of the licensor. | Boolean | Optional |
| People | Include Actor, Director, and Producer entries, as applicable. Amazon requires at least one Director for movies and at least one job function for TV. Maximum 100 entries. | Required | |
| Job | Description of job. | Required for People | |
| JobFunction | Role in production of media. Prime Video accepts Director, Producer, Actor, Writer and Creator. | Required for People | |
| JobDisplay | Displayable version of role. | Not used | |
| @language | Language of JobDisplay. | Not used | |
| BillingBlockOrder | Order of listing, starting with 1. If missing, implies infinity and may be listed in any order. | Integer | Optional |
| Character | For Actor entries, what role(s) they are playing. | Optional | |
| Guest | Whether this is a guest role. | Boolean | Optional |
| Name | Defines person identification for the purposes of metadata. | Required for People | |
| DisplayName | Name of the person identified. May provide multiple entries with the language attribute to provide localizations of the name where appropriate. | Required for People | |
| @language | If a language attribute isn’t supplied for DisplayName, the language identified in OriginalLanguage will be assumed. Also, if you supply a language that doesn’t match any language provided in the LocalizedInfo section, the People DisplayName won’t be displayed. | Optional | |
| SortName | Name used to sort. May be excluded if identical to DisplayName. | Optional | |
| @language | Language of SortName. | Optional | |
| FirstGivenName | First name. | Optional | |
| SecondGivenName | Second name. | Optional | |
| FamilyName | Family name. | Optional | |
| Suffix | Suffix. | Optional | |
| Moniker | Alternative name. | Optional | |
| Identifier | Assuming there is an identifier associated with the person, this section holds information about that identifier. | Optional | |
| Identifier | Identifier associated with this individual within the Namespace. | Required for Identifier | |
| Namespace | Namespace for Identifier. | Required for Identifier | |
| ReferenceLocation | Location associated for the identifier within the namespace. This is expected to be an online reference to information about the individual. | Optional | |
| Gender | Gender of the individual. | Optional | |
| CountryOfOrigin | Defined as the “generally accepted country of reference.” | Required | |
| country | The country from where the title originates. | ISO 3166-1 | Optional |
| countryRegion | The country-region from where the title originates. | Not used | |
| PrimarySpokenLanguage | Language spoken throughout the work. May have more than one. | Optional | |
| OriginalLanguage | Language identified as the original production of the work (the “OV” language). This is generally the language used for the title treatment and/or credits of the work. Only one value allowed. | Required | |
| VersionLanguage | Used only if the title described is edited for a particular language release. Not common. | Optional | |
| AssociatedOrg | One entry with organizationalID = Prime Video Partner Alias and role value = “licensor” is required. | Required | |
| @organizationalID | Unique ID for the organization. Prime Video-provided Partner Alias should be included here. | Required | |
| @idType | ID scheme used for the organizationalID. Not required if @role= “licensor.” Acceptable for other entries. | Optional | |
| @role | One entry with the value of “licensor” is required. “LSP” is also accepted to identify an LSP delivery. | Required | |
| DisplayName | Organization name (human-readable). This is required by the XSD but not Prime Video. | Optional | |
| SortName | Sortable version of name organization. | Optional | |
| AlternateName | Alternative name of organization. | Optional | |
| SequenceInfo | Sequence information for seasons and episodes. | Required for WorkType episode, season, promotion, and supplemental. | |
| Number | The sequence number that Amazon uses to order episodes within seasons and seasons within series. Do not use zero (0); start at 1. For example: If episodes were intended to be ordered 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 4, they would have Number values of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, respectively. | Integer | Required for WorkType episode or season. |
| DistributionNumber | A flexible, but mainly numeric, representation of the sequence of release within a set or season as used in distribution. | Not used | |
| @domain | The namespace domain for the element. | Not used | |
| HouseSequence | Identifier used internally for the asset. This might not be ordered the same as Number and is general in format, to allow the inclusion of season or other information. | Not used | |
| @domain | The namespace domain for the element. | Not used | |
| AlternateNumber | This number is optional and will only be used by Amazon to generate a fallback display for season name (Season+AlternateNumber) IF TitleDisplay60 is not provided/compliant AND the value in Number is not desired for display. For example: If AlternateNumber values are 1, 2, 301, 302, 4, then the display fallback will be Season 1, Season 2, Season 4, Season 301, Season 302. | Integer | Optional for WorkType = Season Used for Season. Not used for episode, movie, promotion, or supplemental. |
| @domain | The namespace domain for the element. | Not used | |
| Parent | The parent metadata object. | Required for WorkType episode, season, promotion, and supplemental. | |
| @relationshipType | isepisodeof = Episode of a season These should have a WorkType of promotion. | Enumerated | Required for Parent |
| ParentContentID | ContentID of the parent. For example, for an episode, this would be the ContentID of the season metadata. | Required if parent metadata isn’t provided | |
| [Parent metadata] | Nested parent metadata information. This is accepted by Prime Video. | Required if ParentContentID isn’t provided | |
| mdmec:CompanyDisplayCredit | At least one entry for CompanyDisplayCredit is required. This provides the customer-facing studio credit line. May be optionally localized by language and by territory. A single line limited to 250 characters is supported for any given language or territory. | Required | |
| DisplayString | Customer-facing company credit line. | Required | |
| @language | Language of DisplayString. If blank, then all languages. | Optional | |
| Region | Region for which credit applies. | Optional | |
| Country | Country for which credit applies. | ISO 3166-1 | Optional |
| Countryregion | Country-region for which credit applies. | Not used | |
| DisplaySequence | Order of display. Lower-numbered entries are displayed before higher-numbered entries. | Integer | Optional |
Warning: Special characters and accented characters used in the synopsis fields of an MEC file will cause publishing errors. The following entries can be used to correctly reference the associated special characters.
| Symbol | Enter |
| < | < |
| > | > |
| & | & |
| ' | ' |
| " | " |
| | | | |
| . | . |
| # | # |
| / | / |
| ! | ! |
