MovieLabs Packaging Requirements - Prime Video Tech Docs

MovieLabs Packaging Requirements

Prime Video uses the MovieLabs specification as the industry standard for structured partner content deliveries. It is one of the ways you can deliver content to Prime Video. Last updated 2026-10-01

What You’ll Learn

  • What a MovieLabs package is and why Prime Video uses it
  • The five components you need for a complete delivery
  • How a single shared ID ties everything together
  • Where to deliver each component
  • Quick tips to avoid the most common ingestion failures

Package Components at a Glance

A complete package has five components:

  1. EMA Avails
  2. MEC Metadata
  3. MMC Manifest
  4. Playable Media Assets
  5. Global Artwork Assets

⚠️ Important: Prime Video requires that all partner content assets meet defined standards and specifications. If you do not provide an asset, Prime Video may (if applicable) source it on your behalf. The same applies if your asset does not comply with a quality measurement or other delivery requirement. You can submit your own corrected assets at any time and Prime Video will remove the sourced versions once your compliant files are received.

The table below provides a high-level summary of the five components in a MovieLabs package.
All XML files must be auto-generated. Manual creation is not accepted. Deliver packages through Bulk File Delivery (XML) or Standard Delivery (Aspera on Cloud or AWS S3).

Component

Requirement

Why It’s Important

Delivery Method

Format

EMA Avails

Required (TVOD, Channels, SVOD CPH)

Defines your content rights: territory, license type, duration, and pricing

Bulk File Delivery

XLS (EMA v1.6 to v1.9)

Title Metadata (MEC)

Required

Describes your title: name, synopsis, cast, ratings, and genre

Bulk File Delivery

XML (MEC v2.6)

Playable Assets

Required

Video, audio, subtitles, forced narratives, and dub cards

Standard Delivery (Aspera or S3)

Media files (per PV spec)

Global Artwork

Required

Cover art, episodic art, box art, poster art, and hero art

Standard Delivery (Aspera or S3)

JPEG or PNG (RGB)

Asset Manifest (MMC)

Required

Maps all assets to the correct title and rights window

Bulk File Delivery

XML (MMC v1.5)

How the Components Connect

Each component in your package is linked by a single shared identifier.

  • In EMA v1.7 and later, this identifier is the ALID (Logical Asset ID)
  • In EMA v1.6, this identifier is the AltID

Think of the ALID or AltID as the “golden thread” running through your package. Prime Video uses this ID to match rights to the correct title metadata and media files.

This identifier must appear identically in three places:

  1. EMA Avail: The EMA Avail tells Prime Video where and when a title can be offered, and at what price.
  2. MEC File: The MEC file describes everything customers see about the title. This includes the name, description, cast, and genre.
  3. MMC Manifest: The MMC manifest ties every media file to the right title and rights window. This covers video, audio, timed text, and artwork.

⚠️ Important: Mismatched IDs across the EMA Avail, MEC, and MMC are the top cause of ingestion failures. Verify that your ALID (or AltID in EMA v1.6) is identical in all three files before you submit.

EMA Avails

Your EMA Avails file delivers exhibition rights to Prime Video. Prime Video supports EMA XLS Avails versions 1.6 through 1.9. The maximum file size is 60,000 rows per submission.

⚠️ Important: Your EMA Avails file is the single source of truth for all offers, rights, and publishing on Prime Video. No content can go live, be updated, or be removed without a valid avail submission. Always ensure your avails are accurate and current before delivering any other package components.

Entry Types
Only two entry types are accepted: Full Extract and Full Delete.

  • Full Extract: Replaces all current and future avail entries within the same scope. Scope is the unique combination of six elements: licensor, unique ID, GroupIdentity, quality, territory, and rights model. Each time you submit a Full Extract for a given scope, your previous entries are replaced.
  • Full Delete: Used only to remove erroneous avail files. Icontent that has not yet received matching metadata. To expire active content, submit a Full Extract with an appropriate end date instead.

Language Fields
Language fields use RFC 5646 language codes. You can append localization suffixes to specify asset types.

For example, es-419:sub applies only to Latin American Spanish subtitles. It does not affect dubbed audio. You can include multiple languages in a single field, separated by commas.

Suffix

Meaning

:sub

Subtitle assets only

:dub

Dubbed audio assets only

:subdub

Both subtitle and dubbed audio assets

:any

Any localization type for that language

Key Required Fields

Field

Requirement Notes

DisplayName

Your assigned Prime Video PartnerAlias. Used to match rights to asset packages.

Territory

ISO 3166-1 territory code for where rights are granted.

WorkType

Movie, Season, Episode, or Supplemental.

EntryType

Full Extract or Full Delete only.

LicenseType

EST, VOD, SVOD, AVOD, POEST, or FVOD.

FormatProfile

HD, SD, 4K, or UHD. For SVOD, specify max resolution.

Start

Start of license term. Use YYYY-MM-DD or ISO 8601 format. Always required.

PriceType / PriceValue

Required for all TVOD rights. PriceType accepts WSP, Tier, or Category.

PriceCurrency

ISO 4217 currency code. Required when PriceType is WSP or SRP is provided.

ALID (v1.7+) / AltID (v1.6)

Must be identical to the ContentID in the MEC and the ALID in the MMC.

Title Metadata: MEC

Your MEC file is an XML document that covers the display name, synopsis, genre, cast, crew, ratings, and release year. MEC follows the MovieLabs MEC specification v2.6. It must be auto-generated. Manual authoring is not accepted. Like your EMA Avail, the MEC is delivered through Bulk File Delivery via Aspera on Cloud or AWS S3.

ContentID Rules
Every MEC file is anchored to a ContentID. This ID is fixed on first submission. Once established, it must remain the same for all future updates to that title. ContentIDs must match the ALID or AltID in your EMA Avail and MMC manifest. They can be up to 50 characters long. Only alphanumeric characters, dashes, and underscores are allowed.

Localization
You can deliver multiple LocalizedInfo blocks in a single MEC file. Each block is associated with a different language. At least one LocalizedInfo block is required. It must be marked as the default (original production language). All descriptive title information must come from the MEC file. This includes ratings, director, and cast. Do not place this information in the EMA Avail.

Original Language and Localized Language Examples
The following examples show how packaged assets correspond to what the customer sees when they are looking at a particular title on Prime Video.

  • Title metadata, including the name of the movie, a description, and the director, stars, and genre, appear on the left.
  • An image from the movie (global artwork) appears on the right.
  • The playable assets served to the customer include English closed captions, English audio and audio description, and the Watch now button.
  • The avails served to the customer in this example include the Watch now button and the Download button.

Original language: English

Localized language: Brazilian Portuguese

Example screenshot for the movie Coming 2 America as it appears to customers in its original language, English. Title metadata, images, playable assets, and avails are highlighted in the example.

Example screenshot for the movie Coming 2 America as it appears to customers when localized into Brazilian Portuguese. Title metadata, images, playable assets, and avails are highlighted in the example.

Required Fields at a Glance

Field

Requirement Notes

ContentID

Fixed on first submission. Max 50 characters. Alphanumeric, dashes, and underscores only. Must match ALID/AltID.

TitleDisplayUnlimited

The display title used by Prime Video. Max 250 characters. Required.

Summary190

Short synopsis. Max 150 characters (Prime Video limit). Required.

Summary400

Long synopsis. Max 400 characters. Required.

Genre

At least one Prime Video genre required. Up to three unique genres allowed per title.

ReleaseYear

The first year the work was released in any territory. Required.

ReleaseDate

Original theatrical or premiere date in YYYY-MM-DD format. Required.

RatingSet

Content rating. System and value must be from the MovieLabs ratings list. Required.

People (Director)

At least one Director entry required for movies.

AssociatedOrg

One entry with your Prime Video Partner Alias and role = “licensor” is required.

TV Content Structure
Each episode requires its own individual MEC XML file. Episodes link to their parent season through a ParentContentID. Seasons link to their parent series the same way. Delivery should follow this hierarchy: Series, then Season, then Episode. Each level must carry the correct SequenceInfo (Number field). This ensures episodes and seasons display in the right order.

For special content types like news, sports, talk shows, and game shows, use the WorkTypeDetail field. This lets Prime Video apply the correct ordering and display logic.

Note: Episode 0 is not a valid delivery. To deliver trailers, teasers, or promotional content, use WorkType = “Promotion” with the appropriate Parent relationship.

For the complete MEC field-level specification and sample files, see: MEC title metadata and MEC sample files

Asset Manifest: MMC

The MMC file is the central organizing document of your package. It maps every media file to the correct title, presentation, and rights window. Without a valid MMC, Prime Video cannot associate your assets with the right title. The MMC is an auto-generated XML file delivered through Bulk File Delivery. It must conform to the MovieLabs MMC specification v1.5.

The MMC has five sections:

MMC Section

What It Does

Inventory

Lists every asset with technical metadata (codecs, checksums, language, HDR parameters).

Presentations

Groups synchronized video, audio, and timed-text tracks together. One instance per track set.

Playable Sequences

Defines playback order, including pre-roll and post-roll content. Attaches dub cards.

Experiences

Groups sequences and artwork into a viewing unit per territory or language.

ALID-Experience Mapping

Connects EMA rights (via the ALID) to the correct Experience.

Partial Package Delivery
Partial MMC delivery is supported. When updating a subset of assets, include only the updated assets. You do not need to re-deliver the entire package. The ALID must match between the initial package and any update package.

Asset Identifier Structur
URIs used as asset identifiers within the MMC follow this structure:

These URIs must be consistent throughout the MMC. Your namespace and SSID values are established during onboarding.

For the full MMC specification and sample files, see: MMC Asset Manifest and Sample Files Respository

Playable Assets

Playable assets are the media files customers watch when they press play. A complete set includes a video master, original-language audio, dubbed audio tracks, timed text files, and dub cards.

All assets must conform to Prime Video technical specifications. They must also be referenced in your MMC manifest.

Asset Type

What You Need to Know

Video

Must be semi-textless with no burnt-in subtitles. Original creative text is permitted (credits, titles, location callouts). Deliver forced narratives as separate timed-text files. The original audio track must be muxed into the mezzanine file with the video.
For more information see: Video requirements

Alternate Audio

One separate file per dubbed language. Each must be conformed to the video mezzanine. Includes descriptive audio for the visually impaired.
For more information see: Audio requirements

Forced Narratives

Translate on-screen text or foreign-language dialogue not in the main audio. Required for every alternate audio language you deliver.
For more information see: Captions and/or timed text

Full Subtitles

Full transcription of all dialogue. Must include all forced narrative content. Delivered as separate timed-text files.
For more information see: Captions and/or timed text

Dub Cards

Voice actor credits for dubbed tracks. Must be video files with embedded audio. Still images are not accepted.
For more information see: Dub cards requirements

Ingestion and Delivery

Prime Video supports two delivery paths for MovieLabs packages. Your path is set during onboarding with your Account Manager.

Delivery Path

Details

Aspera

Prime Video’s preferred portal. Supports media uploads and XML bulk file delivery.

AWS S3

Direct upload to a designated AWS S3 endpoint. File names must follow the PV Standard Naming Convention.

Routing rules (both paths):

  • EMA Avails, MEC metadata, and MMC manifests go through Bulk File Delivery.
  • Playable media files (video, audio, timed text) go through Standard Delivery (Aspera or S3).
  • Artwork files also go through Standard Delivery. Reference them in the MEC or MMC.
  • All file names must follow the Prime Video Standard Naming Convention.

Quick Tips

Partners who submit complete, accurate packages go live faster and reach more customers. A quick check before you submit can save days of troubleshooting.

Issue

What to Check

Mismatched IDs

Confirm the ALID or AltID is identical in the EMA Avail, MEC ContentID, and MMC mapping.

Manually created XML

All XML must be auto-generated. Manual files are rejected.

Burned-in subtitles

Video must be semi-textless. Deliver forced narratives as separate timed-text files.

Missing POEST + EST pair

Always submit both together in the same file.

Episode 0

Not valid. Use WorkType = “Promotion” instead.

Exceeding 60,000 EMA rows

Split large files across multiple submissions.

Missing TVOD pricing

PriceType, PriceValue, and PriceCurrency are all required.

Missing forced narratives

Required for every alternate audio language you deliver.

Dub cards as images

Must be video files with embedded audio. Still images are not accepted.

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