TheTVDB.com
TheTVDB.com is a community-driven entertainment metadata database and API platform operated by Whip Networks, Inc. (a Whip Media subsidiary), serving developers, streaming platforms, device manufacturers, and content providers with structured TV and movie data via its API and consumer website.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What TheTVDB.com does
TheTVDB.com is a community-driven entertainment metadata database and API platform operated by Whip Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of Whip Media. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Santa Monica, California, with a regional office in London, the platform aggregates structured TV and movie metadata — including titles, overviews, cast/crew, artwork, ratings, translations, awards, and franchise taxonomy — across 171,000+ TV series, 359,000+ movies, and 754,000+ episodes. Data quality is maintained through a crowdsourced model: over 15,000 contributing editors submit and validate metadata, supervised by 25 active editorial moderators.
The platform's core technical product is the TheTVDB API, a RESTful API that handles over 1 billion calls per day on average and distributes metadata globally to third-party applications, media center software, streaming platforms, and devices. The consumer-facing website provides searchable entertainment data to 3M+ registered users, supported by display advertising and a paid ad-free subscription tier.
Revenue is generated through three primary streams: tiered API licensing for commercial users (free under $50k customer revenue, $1,000/year, $10,000/year, and custom enterprise terms above $1M customer revenue), a $11.99/year consumer subscription offering ad-free browsing and PIN access, and third-party display advertising via partners including Adnimation and Google Analytics. Customer segments span entertainment software developers, content providers (movie studios and TV networks), device manufacturers, video distributors (pay-TV, VOD, streaming), and entertainment retailers. The go-to-market is API-first and self-serve, complemented by community-led growth via a gamified points/rewards system that converts data contributions into free subscriptions.
TheTVDB.com firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TheTVDB.com
- Legal name
- Whip Networks, Inc.
- Website
- https://www.thetvdb.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- TheTVDB.com is a community-driven entertainment metadata database and API platform operated by Whip Networks, Inc. (a Whip Media subsidiary), serving developers, streaming platforms, device manufacturers, and content providers with structured TV and movie data via its API and consumer website.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TheTVDB.com industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Entertainment Metadata Database & API
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Data Platform & Audience Insights (CDP, Data Warehouse, Attribution) (MPAHAJAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Content Aggregators & Syndication Networks (Multi-Program Bundlers) (MPABAMAJ), Content & Program Performance Analytics (Minute-Level, Flow, Engagement) (MPABAOAI)
Keywords
Where TheTVDB.com is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
TheTVDB.com business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- API Licensing (Commercial): Tiered API licensing fees based on company revenue: free for <$50k, $1,000/year for $50k-$250k, $10,000/year for $250k-$1M, custom terms for $1M+. Requires attribution linking to TheTVDB.com.
- Consumer Subscriptions: $11.99 per year subscription for end users providing ad-free experience and PIN access for subscription-based projects/media center software integration.
- Advertising: Display advertising on the website. Third-party advertising partners including Google Analytics, Adnimation for programmatic ad sales.
- Community Points System: Free subscriptions earned through data contributions. Points portal allows community members to contribute metadata and earn rewards, creating engagement while reducing acquisition costs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free API tier for small companies and projects |
| Subscription | Annual | Small commercial API tier |
| Subscription | Annual | Mid-size commercial API tier |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise API tier with custom terms |
| Subscription | Annual | Consumer ad-free subscription |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
TheTVDB.com product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TheTVDB.com operates a community-driven entertainment metadata database and API platform that aggregates structured TV and movie information (titles, overviews, cast/crew, artwork, ratings, translations, taxonomy, awards, franchises) contributed by 15,000+ editors and refined by 25 active moderators. The platform exposes this metadata through a tiered RESTful API serving over 1 billion calls per day to developers and enterprises, alongside a consumer-facing website offering ad-free browsing via a paid subscription at $11.99/year.
Product overview
TheTVDB operates as a community-driven entertainment metadata database with a modular product architecture. The core offering is the Community Database, containing comprehensive TV and movie metadata maintained by over 15,000 contributing editors. This database feeds into TheTVDB API, the primary product for commercial and developer users generating over 1 billion calls daily. The Subscription service provides an ad-free experience and API PIN access for $11.99/year. The Points/Earn System gamifies data contribution, allowing users to earn free subscriptions through database submissions validated against external reference databases (IMDB, TMDB). The platform serves content providers, video distributors, device manufacturers, and entertainment software developers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- TheTVDB API The core metadata API that provides access to TheTVDB's entertainment database of TV series and movies. Used by thousands of developers, companies, and individuals to power apps, utilities, and projects. Generates over 1 billion API calls per day on average. Supports both commercial and non-commercial projects with tiered pricing based on company revenue (free for revenue under $50k/year; $1,000/year for $50k-$250k; $10,000/year for $250k-$1M; custom terms for revenue over $1M). Requires attribution linking to TheTVDB.com unless otherwise approved.
- TheTVDB Subscription Paid subscription service at $11.99/year providing an ad-free experience on the TheTVDB.com website, access to exclusive areas, and a PIN code for use with subscription-based projects and media center software integration. Note: TheTVDB is not a streaming service; subscribing does not provide access to watch shows or movies.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1 billion API calls per day on average
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use TheTVDB.com
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
TheTVDB.com technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
TheTVDB.com partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators10 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
TheTVDB.com competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Metacritic: Aggregated scores and metadata for entertainment titles. Comparable consumer use case to TheTVDB's website experience for ratings and discovery.
- EIDR (Entertainment Identifier Registry): Industry-backed content identifier registry used by studios and distributors for rights and metadata management. Comparable in serving enterprise content supply-chain needs that TheTVDB targets with its companies and episodes data.
- Rotten Tomatoes: Consumer-facing entertainment database with ratings, reviews, and metadata. Overlaps with TheTVDB's consumer website traffic and ratings data, particularly for movie discovery and merchandising.
- Gracenote (Nielsen): Established enterprise entertainment metadata provider serving broadcasters, streaming platforms, and device OEMs. Overlaps with TheTVDB's enterprise API offering but at significantly larger scale and with paid-curator rather than crowdsourced data.
Direct peers
- TVMaze: Community-edited TV and film metadata database with a public API for developers. Closely matches TheTVDB's model of crowdsourced editorial content paired with a commercial API offering.
- IMDb: Amazon-owned entertainment metadata database with the largest consumer mindshare. Like TheTVDB, it is referenced inside TheTVDB's Points system as an authoritative source for titles and people, confirming direct overlap in catalog and use cases.
- Watchmode: API-first metadata and availability service for streaming titles across services. Competes directly with TheTVDB's commercial API for developer customers building streaming guides and discovery applications.
- The Movie Database (TMDB): Community-driven movie and TV metadata platform offering a free public API. TheTVDB itself references TMDB within its Points contribution workflow, underscoring direct substitutability for developer-facing entertainment metadata.
Emerging players
- Reelgood: Universal streaming guide using aggregated entertainment metadata to power cross-service search. Comparable in being a developer-led platform that integrates upstream metadata sources similar to TheTVDB.
- JustWatch: Streaming search and availability engine that aggregates metadata to tell users where to watch content. Competes with TheTVDB-powered discovery experiences while also being a potential enterprise customer for metadata APIs.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
TheTVDB.com financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TheTVDB.com leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
TheTVDB.com funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TheTVDB.com M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TheTVDB.com
What does TheTVDB.com do?
TheTVDB.com operates a community-driven entertainment metadata database and API platform that aggregates structured TV and movie information (titles, overviews, cast/crew, artwork, ratings, translations, taxonomy, awards, franchises) contributed by 15,000+ editors and refined by 25 active moderators. The platform exposes this metadata through a tiered RESTful API serving over 1 billion calls per day to developers and enterprises, alongside a consumer-facing website offering ad-free browsing via a paid subscription at $11.99/year.
Is TheTVDB.com a public or private company?
TheTVDB.com is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was TheTVDB.com founded?
TheTVDB.com was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is TheTVDB.com based?
TheTVDB.com is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does TheTVDB.com make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. API Licensing (Commercial) is the primary driver. The others are consumer Subscriptions, advertising and community Points System.
Who are TheTVDB.com's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Metacritic, EIDR (Entertainment Identifier Registry), Rotten Tomatoes and Gracenote (Nielsen). Direct peers are TVMaze, IMDb, Watchmode and The Movie Database (TMDB). Emerging players are Reelgood and JustWatch.
Does TheTVDB.com have an API?
Yes. TheTVDB offers a metadata API for TV and film content, available for both commercial and individual developers. The API is accessible via API keys and optional PIN codes. Documentation and official libraries are available through a public GitHub repository. Attribution with a direct link to TheTVDB.com is required unless approved otherwise. Rate limits exist and excessive API calls are prohibited. Pricing tiers: Free (requires attribution) for revenue <$50k/year; $1,000/year for $50k-$250k; $10,000/year for $250k-$1M; custom terms for $1M+. The API provides access to TV and movie metadata including titles, overviews, companies, runtime, genres, ratings, characters, cast & crew, translations, artwork, and more. Developer documentation is at github.com/thetvdb/v4-api.
What industry is TheTVDB.com in?
TheTVDB.com's product category is Entertainment Metadata Database & API. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHAJAN, Data Platform & Audience Insights (CDP, Data Warehouse, Attribution), with a secondary code of MPABAMAJ, Content Aggregators & Syndication Networks (Multi-Program Bundlers). Its NAICS code is 516210 and its SIC code is 7370.