The OTT.X EPG, SCTE & Metadata Roundtables are working-session style discussions designed to bring together senior leaders and practitioners from across the CTV ecosystem to tackle one of the industry’s most foundational — and most complex — challenges: how metadata, signaling, and standards power discovery, monetization, and viewer experience at scale.

Rather than a broad, multi-topic conversation, this session will serve as a deep-dive working roundtable focused specifically on the EPG, metadata, and SCTE-driven standards environment, with an emphasis on the work currently underway across the DSCA and adjacent stakeholder groups. This session will center on real-world use cases and implementation challenges, including:

EPG Structure & Channel Typing

  • Linear, FAST, event-based, and special programming channels
  • Scheduled vs. real-time updates
  • Naming, labeling, aliases, and machine-readable descriptors

Metadata & Discovery

  • Live vs. recorded content attributes
  • Open-ended vs. closed-ended programming
  • Playback latency expectations and viewer experience impacts

SCTE & Signaling Considerations

  • Preemptive changes (sports overruns, breaking news, emergencies)
  • Program replacement, blackout handling, and program gaps
  • Coordination between metadata updates and signaling events

Interoperability & Implementation

  • Where standards align — and where gaps remain
  • Cross-platform consistency challenges
  • Practical considerations for distributors, publishers, and OEMs

DSCA Working Group Update

A dedicated portion of the session will include a working-group update and guided discussion based on current DSCA activity, including:

  • Review of use cases and attributes under discussion
  • Near-term goals and areas moving toward ratification
  • Open questions around artwork, real-time updates, and latency expectations
  • Next steps and how to get involved

What to Expect

  • A dedicated DSCA working group session focused on the current EPG specification
  • A focused review of where the EPG standard stands today
  • Discussion of key open questions impacting adoption
  • Real-world implementation considerations across platforms
  • Alignment on timelines and next steps as the spec nears completion

Who Should Attend

This roundtable convenes senior leaders and domain experts from across the CTV metadata, EPG, and signaling ecosystem, including streaming platforms and OEMs, FAST and linear publishers, distributors, standards bodies, and technology providers supporting metadata management, SCTE signaling, discovery, and measurement.

Finding Common Ground

Participants will engage in candid discussion around interoperability, update latency, real-time signaling, discovery, and implementation gaps, grounded in active industry use cases and current standards work. The goal is to leave the room with shared definitions, clearer expectations, and concrete next steps that help move the ecosystem forward as live and linear streaming continues to scale.

Event Details

  • Monday, February 23, 2026
  • 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
  • Fandango Offices — Universal City, CA
  • Available for in-person attendance or virtual participation via Zoom

Open to OTT.X & DSCA members and select invited stakeholders actively engaged in EPG, metadata, SCTE signaling, live streaming operations, and standards development across the CTV ecosystem.