ISAN

What ISAN does

ISAN-IA is the Swiss not-for-profit association mandated by ISO to operate the ISO 15706 standard identifier system for audiovisual works. Founded in 2003 by AGICOA, CISAC, and FIAPF and headquartered in Geneva, the organization issues ISANs — 24-digit hexadecimal identifiers comprising Root, Episode, and Version sections with check characters — that provide persistent, universal identification of audiovisual content across stakeholders, systems, national boundaries, and languages. V-ISAN (Version ISAN) extends the system to distinguish individual versions such as director's cuts or dubs. The central registry, initially seeded with 150,000 works from AGICOA in 2005, is supplemented by ISO 15706-2 (Version Identifier) and operated under RAND terms with identifiers remaining public domain.

The core product set includes ISAN Registration (individual, bulk via Excel, and API-driven), ISAN Retrieval/Search (public web interface plus credential-protected ISAN Reader), the ISAN Matching Service (deduplication algorithm for large catalog enrichment), and ISAN API 3.0 (REST-based programmatic access). The architecture is decentralized: a central registry maintained by ISAN-IA connects to 14 appointed Registration Agencies across Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, the USA, plus a transitory agency for other countries. Technical integrations span DDEX for metadata exchange, XMP schemas for embedding ISANs into MXF/MP4 containers, IMF for digital cinema, and Apple/iTunes ingestion requirements.

Revenue is generated through per-registration and lookup fees set locally by each Registration Agency on a cost-recovery basis under the RAND principle; the central entity itself operates as a lean standards body with approximately 5 staff. Customer segments include content owners (producers, studios), broadcasters and streamers, collecting societies, statistical offices (e.g., Swiss Federal Statistical Office since 2019), security/anti-piracy agencies, and developer platforms. The go-to-market combines the agency network, public web portal, REST API, industry event presence (IBC, EBU Production Technology Seminars), and flagship partnerships including TEMS/TAMIS for Europe's audiovisual data hub and Media Press Group for catalog validation.

Name

ISAN

Legal name

ISAN International Agency

Website

https://isan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISAN-IA operates the ISO 15706 standard identifier system for audiovisual works, issuing unique 24-digit ISANs through a network of 14 registration agencies serving 25,000+ users across 81 countries for rights management, royalty allocation, and catalog interoperability.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. ISAN Registration Fees: Fees are charged for registration of audiovisual works with ISAN. The fees are determined locally by registration agencies to reflect operational costs, following the RAND (Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) principle. ISO requires fees to be charged exclusively on a cost recovery basis.
2. ISAN Lookup/Query Fees: Fees may be incurred for lookups or queries against the ISAN Database, including for authentication purposes or any other purpose. ISAN-IA and its Registration Agencies are the sole providers of authenticated (official) ISAN lookup and query services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ISAN provides a globally recognized identification system for audiovisual works and versions under ISO standard 15706. The core service includes ISAN Registration (assigning unique 24-digit hexadecimal identifiers to audiovisual works and versions), ISAN Retrieval/Search (verifying existing identifiers and accessing metadata), and ISAN API (programmatic access for automated queries and registrations). V-ISAN extends the system to identify specific versions of works. Services are delivered through a network of 14 appointed Registration Agencies operating in 81 countries, coordinated by the ISAN International Agency in Geneva.

Product overview

ISAN (International Standard Audiovisual Number) is an ISO 15706 standard identification system for audiovisual works and versions. The core offering is the ISAN identifier itself—a 24-digit hexadecimal number providing unique, persistent, universal identification. The ecosystem comprises ISAN Registration (individual and bulk via Excel), ISAN Retrieval/Search (public and credential-protected ISAN Reader access), ISAN Matching Service (intelligent deduplication for catalog enrichment), ISAN API (programmatic registry access), and V-ISAN (version identifiers derived from root ISANs for version control). ISAN also offers barcode functionality for physical media. Services are delivered through a decentralized network of 14 appointed Registration Agencies operating in specific countries/regions, coordinated by the ISAN International Agency (ISAN-IA) in Geneva.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISAN Registration Service for registering audiovisual works and versions with ISAN to obtain unique and universal standard identifiers. Available for individual and bulk registrations through Registration Agencies, including barcode and certificate of registration.
• ISAN Retrieval / Search Service for accessing the ISAN Registry to verify existing ISAN numbers, including web-based public search, credential-protected full data access (ISAN Reader), and bulk search capabilities for managing large catalogs.
• ISAN API

Quantifiable outcome

• Eliminates manual reconciliation errors in royalty allocation across high-volume data flows
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Media Press GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026Strategic collaboration announced February 2026 where Media Press Group gains API access to validate and enrich audiovisual metadata. The partnership ensures regulatory compliance for Swiss VoD services, enhances catalog accuracy for major streamers, and reinforces global standards for audiovisual identification.
• European Broadcasting Union (EBU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026Collaboration through the TEMS project where ISAN serves as the backbone for high-quality metadata. At the EBU Production Technology Seminar, ISAN-IA demonstrated how ISAN integrates with the TEMS project enabling seamless data collection, management, and sharing across the entire lifecycle.
• European Broadcasting Union (EBU) - TAMIS ProjectflagshipTechnology or Integration · 12 September 2025TAMIS (Trusted Audiovisual Media Identity System) is a flagship initiative within TEMS that demonstrates how the ISAN standard, combined with the TEMS ontology and protocol, enhances metadata enrichment, interoperability, and content discovery across the audiovisual production chain.
• Trusted European Media Data Space (TEMS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2023ISAN plays a central role in the TEMS dataspace to properly identify audiovisual content and enable interoperability of data between stakeholders. ISAN anchors metadata within the TAMIS (Trusted Audiovisual Media Identity System) project, establishing ISAN as the critical unique identifier for Europe's upcoming audiovisual data hub. 43 organisations are allied in building the European Media Data Space.
• Swiss Federal Statistical OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Federal Statistical Office publishes authoritative Swiss VoD market statistics relying on ISAN identifiers for precise catalog tracking and reliable usage data across all platforms. Since 2019, Swiss VoD providers have been required to report catalogs and usage identified with ISAN.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• OCLC: Non-profit library technology cooperative operating WorldCat and identifier services for cataloging and bibliographic data. Adjacent standards-and-registry operator serving cultural-heritage institutions; comparable as a non-profit identifier infrastructure provider though focused on print/archives rather than audiovisual.

Direct peers

• ISSN International Centre: Manages the International Standard Serial Number (ISO 3297) for serial publications. Another ISO identifier authority in ISAN's explicitly cited family of media identifiers with comparable governance and revenue model.
• DOI Foundation: Manages the Digital Object Identifier system (ISO 26324) for persistent identification of digital objects including audiovisual content. Closely analogous identifier authority operating as a not-for-profit registry with similar API and metadata integration services.
• ISNI International Agency: Operates the International Standard Name Identifier (ISO 27729) for identifying parties (people and organizations) in the creative industries. Closest peer to ISAN: both are ISO-mandated not-for-profit identifier agencies serving media and rights ecosystems with similar governance models and RAND pricing principles.
• IFPI (ISRC International Agency): Administers the International Standard Recording Code (ISO 3901) for sound recordings. Sister ISO identifier authority operating under the same RAND, cost-recovery framework as ISAN; comparable business model focused on music recordings rather than audiovisual works.
• ISBN International Agency: Administers the International Standard Book Number (ISO 2108). Sister ISO identifier authority in the same family as ISAN (per isan.org), operating under parallel RAND/cost-recovery principles for the publishing sector.
• CISAC (ISWC): Administers the International Standard Musical Work Code (ISO 15707) for musical works. CISAC is also an ISAN founding member; comparable identifier authority serving adjacent creative-content verticals under similar ISO governance.

Emerging players

• MusicBrainz: Open-source, community-driven music metadata project providing unique identifiers (MBIDs) for recordings, releases, and works. Analogous role in open music metadata that ISAN fills for audiovisual works; smaller scope and volunteer-governed rather than ISO-mandated.

Broad incumbents

• IMDb (Amazon): Largest entertainment metadata database covering film, TV, and streaming content globally. Comparable as an audiovisual content identification and metadata reference but proprietary, commercially driven, and embedded in Amazon's broader Prime Video ecosystem rather than an open ISO standard.
• Gracenote (Nielsen): Major commercial entertainment metadata provider powering music, TV, and film identification across streaming platforms and consumer devices. Operates proprietary content recognition systems (e.g., for video and music matching) that overlap functionally with ISAN's identification and matching services at much larger commercial scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ISAN_IA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isan-international-agency-isan-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ISAN