kanaalID

KanaalID (Dutch for Channel ID) is a unique identifier assigned to a television, radio, or streaming channel within a media ecosystem. It is intended to be stable and independent of channel name changes, branding, or language. KanaalID enables systems such as electronic program guides, content management, advertising, rights management, and analytics to reference a channel unambiguously across platforms and services.

The identifier is typically issued by the channel operator or platform and can be specific to a single service or shared across a family of services. Formats vary: many implementations use numeric codes of fixed length; others use alphanumeric strings. In some broadcast systems, KanaalID may correspond to the service identifier (SID) assigned in a DVB transport stream, but implementation details differ by vendor.

Usage and management: The ID is used in transport streams, middleware, metadata, and APIs. It helps map channel lineups to stores or guides, route advertisements, and enforce rights. Changes to a KanaalID are rare; when needed, they require updates to metadata catalogs and downstream systems.

Governance: A central registry is not universal; some ecosystems rely on operator-level catalogs; cross-network interoperability requires mapping tables. In OTT or IPTV, KanaalID is often part of a larger metadata schema and may be linked to program IDs and genres.

See also: service ID, channel number, EPG, metadata registry.