Episode-Level Metadata Standards for Episodic Torrents (Rivals, Blind Date, BBC Shows)

• Propose EMD v1 — an episodic metadata schema (JSON-LD) designed for P2P, compatible with magnet URIs and BitTorrent v2.
• Use a hybrid approach: embed minimal fields in the torrent/magnet (infohash, canonical IDs, pointer to signed JSON-LD) and keep the full record in a signed JSON-LD document hosted by verified indexes.
• Require provenance fields and signatures (Ed25519) so indexes can show verified status and trackers can prioritize authenticated sources.
• Define mandatory fields (title, season_number, episode_number, canonical_id, infohash) and optional fields (credits array, air_date, release_group, source, encoding, license_status).
• Provide an adoption roadmap (BEP proposal, reference implementation, indexer SDKs) and practical hygiene checks for curators and dev teams.

Why existing practices fail

For years, episodic torrents have relied on informal conventions: S01E01, E01, Episode 1, release-group tags, and sometimes a torrent 'comment' field. Those conventions are brittle:

• Filename parsing fails for international titles (UTF-8, local titles) and non-standard episode tags.
• Multiple editions (director's cut, extended, region-specific) often share unclear labels; indexes cannot automatically match them to the correct canonical episode.
• Credits (writers, directors, guest stars) are absent or inconsistent, hurting metadata-driven discovery and editorial presentation.
• Provenance is missing: who uploaded it, what index vetted it, and is the infohash tied to a legitimate source?

Design principles for an interoperable episodic metadata standard

1. Minimal on-chain, rich off-chain: embed minimal required identifiers in magnet/torrent, store the canonical metadata externally as signed JSON-LD.
2. Authoritative canonical IDs: map to public identifiers where available (TMDB ID, IMDb title ID, ISAN). This avoids title collisions like regional names for shows.
3. Provenance and signatures: every metadata document must include a signature and a verification chain to an index authority.
4. Backward compatible: use existing magnet parameters (xs) and the BitTorrent v2/metadata fields, avoid breaking legacy clients.
5. Privacy-preserving: do not expose uploader PII; use index authority assertions instead.
6. Actionable credits: credits must be structured (role, person, canonical_person_id) to support search and editorial display.

EMD v1: Required and recommended fields

EMD v1 is a JSON-LD document with a concise required core and optional extensions for provenance, credits and technical data.

Required core

• schema_version (string) — EMD/1.0
• infohash (hex) — BitTorrent v1/v2 infohash of the torrent
• canonical_title (string) — primary title in UTF-8
• canonical_id (object) — mapping to external IDs; at least one required e.g., {"tmdb":12345} or {"imdb":"tt1234567"}
• season_number (integer) — 1-based season index
• episode_number (integer) — 1-based episode index
• episode_tag (string) — standardized episode tag (E01, S01E01, etc.) for quick UI display
• release_title (string) — original filename or release name
• provenance (object) — minimal assertion block identifying the asserting index and signature info

Recommended (but optional)

• episode_title, air_date (ISO 8601 UTC)
• credits: array of {role: 'Director', person: 'Name', person_id: 'nmXXXX'}
• source: {platform: 'Hulu', region: 'US', stream_id: '...'} — useful when mapping to streaming deals like BBC-YouTube content
• encoding: container, codec, bitrate
• license_status: 'official', 'archival', 'unauthorized'
• release_group, edition (e.g., 'extended')

Metadata placement and magnet compatibility

EMD keeps the torrent light and makes metadata discoverable via magnets. Use existing magnet parameters:

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef01234567&dn=Rivals.S01E01.1080p.WEB-DL&xs=https://index.example/emd/0123456789abcdef.json

The xs parameter points to a signed JSON-LD document. If an index wants to assert verification, it should host the metadata at the xs URL and include the signature block (see schema below). Clients and indexes can fetch the xs target and verify the signature chain before showing the record as "verified."

Sample EMD v1 JSON-LD (trimmed)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.bitstorrent.org/emd/1.0/context.jsonld",
  "schema_version": "EMD/1.0",
  "infohash": "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef01234567",
  "canonical_title": "Rivals",
  "canonical_id": { "tmdb": 987654 },
  "season_number": 1,
  "episode_number": 1,
  "episode_tag": "S01E01",
  "episode_title": "Pilot",
  "air_date": "2026-02-14T20:00:00Z",
  "credits": [
    {"role":"Director","person":"Lee Mason","person_id":"nm123456"}
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "asserted_by": "https://verified-index.example",
    "assertion_date": "2026-02-15T12:00:00Z",
    "signature_scheme": "ed25519",
    "signature": "BASE64_SIG"
  }
}

Provenance and cryptographic verification

Provenance is the most critical innovation. The provenance block must include:

• asserted_by: an index hostname or DID (decentralized identifier)
• assertion_date
• signature_scheme (recommend Ed25519) and signature over the canonicalized JSON-LD
• optional certificate chain or public key location (e.g., https://verified-index.example/.well-known/emd.pub)

Indexes that adopt EMD should publish a verifiable key for operators. Clients and other indexes can retrieve keys via HTTPS with OCSP-like checks and cache results. Implementations must treat unsigned metadata as unverified and denote that in the UI and API.

Indexing rules and hygiene checks for curators

To keep catalogs reliable, indexes should implement a set of hygiene and ranking rules:

1. Signature validation: require EMD with a valid signature for "verified" status.
2. Canonical mapping: map at least one canonical_id (TMDB/IMDb/ISAN). If mapping fails, flag for manual review.
3. File-type validation: verify that the torrent contains media containers (mp4/mkv) and not executable payloads; run sandboxed file-type identification and sample frame extraction.
4. Edition deduplication: detect identical infohashes and group different editions under the same canonical episode, exposing edition metadata.
5. Credit matching: normalize credits to person IDs to support credit-based search and author pages.

Search and UI signals

EMD enables indexes to do more than show a filename. Suggested UI fields and ranking signals:

• Verified badge (signature + authoritative canonical_id)
• Episode breadcrumbs: Show canonical title → Season X → Episode Y
• Credits preview (director, lead guest) and link to person page
• Source affinity: highlight official streams or platforms associated with the episode (e.g., BBC production, YouTube series)
• Format indicators (HDR, 1080p, 4K) surfaced from the encoding block

Developer APIs and example endpoints

Indexes should expose a simple REST API to serve EMD documents and search results. Minimum endpoints:

• GET /emd/{infohash} — returns signed EMD JSON-LD
• GET /episode/{canonical_id} — returns index entries grouped by edition
• POST /verify — accepts an EMD document and returns verification status (for CI integration)

Sample cURL to fetch and verify (developer workflow):

curl -sS https://verified-index.example/emd/0123456789abcdef.json | jq '.'
# then verify signature using index public key

Integration with trackers, clients and seedboxes

Trackers and clients can adopt EMD with incremental changes:

• Trackers: index EMD xs pointers and surface canonical_id fields in tracker admin dashboards. When returning peer lists, attach a metadata_status flag.
• Clients: fetch xs and show episode metadata inline in the UI (season/episode, episode title, credits). Offer subscription to canonical IDs (auto-download new episodes for a show when available).
• Seedboxes/APIs: provide checks to auto-verify EMD signatures as part of ingest pipelines and notify operators of mismatches.

Case studies & simulated workflows (experience-driven)

Case 1 — Curated index integrating BBC-YouTube partnership content

In a 2026 pilot, a verified index processed BBC-produced content slated for YouTube distribution. By mapping episodes to TMDB IDs and ingesting official metadata feeds from the BBC, the index pre-populated EMD documents and signed them. When users found a torrent, the index served the signed EMD so clients could show the "official" badge and link to the BBC YouTube channel — improving trust and lowering classification disputes.

Case 2 — Regional naming collisions for a show like Rivals

International titles can cause confusion: an episode named differently in EMEA vs US. By requiring canonical_id (TMDB/IMDb), the index deduplicated multiple releases of the same episode (different release groups) and combined credits from the authoritative feed. This improved discovery for QA teams and content engineers looking to build editorial pages.

Governance, standards and next steps (BEP proposal)

To achieve interoperable adoption we recommend:

1. Draft BEP-EMD-1: submit to the BitTorrent community as a BEP to standardize the xs use and signature rules.
2. Reference implementation: provide a minimal open-source server that hosts EMD and signs it (GitHub repo with CI tests).
3. Index adoption pilot: recruit 3 verified indexes and 2 clients (desktop/web) to implement verification and display features.
4. Schema evolution: define an extension mechanism for special use cases (podcasts, live tournaments, multi-part episodes).

Legal and privacy considerations

EMD focuses on metadata hygiene, not content legality. Implementers should:

• Respect takedown workflows: include an administrative contact in the provenance chain and honor DMCA or equivalent notices.
• Avoid exposing uploader PII: use index assertions rather than raw uploader identities.
• Do not conflate "verified" with "licensed": verification indicates that an index attests to metadata integrity, not license validity. Include a clear license_status field.

Adoption roadmap and checklist for engineers

1. Implement EMD parsing: add support for fetching the xs pointer in magnet URIs.
2. Support JSON-LD canonicalization and Ed25519 signature verification libraries.
3. Expose verification status through APIs and UI components (verified, unverified, signature-missing).
4. Map canonical IDs to local catalogs (TMDB/IMDb/ISAN) and store mapping cache with TTL.
5. Perform hygiene checks: file-type scanning, sample-frame extraction, credit normalization.

Future trends and why EMD matters in 2026 and beyond

Late 2025 and early 2026 showed two accelerating trends:

• Increasing collaboration between traditional broadcasters and new platforms (example: BBC in talks to produce content for YouTube), which demands clean, cross-platform metadata to manage rights and discoverability.
• Platform consolidation and curated indexes gaining prominence — publishers and rights holders want accurate crediting and provenance to be visible to end users.

EMD enables P2P ecosystems to be interoperable with these trends: legitimate distributors can assert metadata, indexes can present clear provenance, and dev teams can build automation around canonical IDs and release tracking.

Actionable takeaways

• Start by mapping your existing episode catalog to canonical IDs (TMDB/IMDb) — this reduces title collisions immediately.
• Publish a signed EMD JSON-LD for any torrent your index or tracker serves; consumers should prefer signed EMD documents.
• Implement signature verification and surface a "verified" flag in your API and UI to increase trust.
• Automate hygiene: file-type validation, sample-frame extraction, and credit normalization before marking a record as curated.
• Join the BEP process: propose EMD as a BitTorrent Enhancement Proposal so clients, trackers, and indexes can standardize behavior.

Final notes and call to action

The episodic world is complex — from reality formats like Blind Date to serialized dramas like Rivals and public-broadcast partnership content from organizations like the BBC. P2P can continue to play a role in distribution and archiving, but only if metadata is trustworthy, structured, and interoperable.

We invite index operators, tracker maintainers, client developers, and rights holders to:

• Review the EMD v1 draft (see GitHub: bitstorrent/emd)
• Run a pilot: sign three episodes and publish EMD documents using the xs magnet parameter
• Join the BEP-EMD working group to finalize the specification and create client SDKs

Get started: download the reference implementation, sign an EMD for a test torrent, and implement signature verification in your index. If you want hands-on help, contact the BitTorrent standards working group to join the pilot and help shape BEP-EMD.

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