---
title: "Media Manager"
canonical: "https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5341192/Media%20Manager"
format: markdown
---
<span style="color: #172b4d">**Media Manager is used by the PBS community to publish and distribute videos across digital platforms.  **</span>

> ⚠️ <span style="color: #003366">**Are you using the Media Manager API? **</span><span style="color: #003366">**[Click here for Media Manager developer documentation](https://docs.pbs.org/space/CDA/3047426/Media+Manager+API)**</span>

- [Changelog](https://docs.pbs.org/space/CHAN/5638440/)

> Macro (toc)

## Overview

Media Manager is a content management system (CMS) used by the PBS community to publish and distribute videos across platforms. It seeks to improve the way stations, producers, and users search and view digital content, and provides the ability to organize, relate, and present it in ways that streamline searchability. Media Manager is **not designed to serve as an archive** for stations and producers to store media files for other purposes, as there is no mechanism for console users to download their original video and caption files.

***What does all of that mean? ***Generally speaking, it means that searching for videos on PBS.org and station and producer sites is easier than ever. When your video is mapped properly in Media Manager, it's possible to locate it through more granular searches such as a particular show within a season or a specific episode within a show.

Your video content can be organized within the following categories:

- [Franchises](https://pbs-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MM/pages/5343789)
- [Shows](https://pbs-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MM/pages/5343796)
- [Seasons](https://pbs-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MM/pages/5343800)
- [Episodes](https://pbs-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MM/pages/5343798)
- [Specials](https://pbs-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MM/pages/5343806)
- [Collections](https://pbs-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MM/pages/5343803)

<span style="color: #000000">**[Click here to view a Media Manager tutorial](https://static.pbslearningmedia.org/media/help/Media+Manager+Tutorial+Full+v2.mp4)**</span>

## About this manual

This user manual provides details on the types of content used in Media Manager. Here you can find out how to create your own [episodes](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343798/Episodes), [assets](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343793/Assets), [seasons](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343800/Seasons), [specials](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343806/Specials), [extras](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5344064/Extras), [collections](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343803/Collections), and [remote assets](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343943/Remote++Assets) and add them to the PBS catalog.

## What you need

<span style="color: #333333">To use Media Manager, you must have a PBS Account and request access to the console. </span>

<span style="color: #333333">Learn </span><span style="color: #333333">[how to create a PBS account](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343932/)</span><span style="color: #333333"> and </span><span style="color: #3366ff">[submit a support ticket](http://digitalsupport.pbs.org/support/tickets/new)</span><span style="color: #333333"> to request access to the </span><span style="color: #333333">[Media Manager console](https://media.console.pbs.org/login/?next=/admin/shows/)</span><span style="color: #333333">. </span>

<span style="color: #333333">If you already have a Media Manager login,</span><span style="color: #333333">* *</span><span style="color: #3366ff">*[start adding content](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343796)*</span><span style="color: #3366ff">!</span>

## Features

Some key features of Media Manager include:

- Detailed and organized digital assets
- Streamlined [console](https://media.console.pbs.org/admin/shows/)
- Auto-detection and [manual time zone selection](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343823/Getting+Started#Selecting-a-time-zone)
- Enhanced [metadata](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343796/Shows) and detailed hierarchy allowing viewers to easily find a specific episode of a show
- Detailed presentation of [shows](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343796/Shows), including season, episode, and special
- Presentation of videos by [availability](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5344827/Audience+and+Availability+Rules#Asset-Availability) (e.g.: pre-air, just-aired, Passport, expired).
- A [history feature](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5345074/History+Logging) that logs and tracks all changes in the CMS
- Franchise/Show genre mapping right from the console
- Content sharing between PBS stations
- Ability to [embed video](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5344942/The+Viral+Player) on third party websites
- Notifications area located in the console's global header, used to provide important updates, features, and announcements. [See where this is located on the console](https://static.pbslearningmedia.org/media/help/notifications.jpg)

## Data Model

The following diagram illustrates the relationship between each object in Media Manager. It shows which objects can hold clips, previews, or full length video assets and displays the relationship between franchises, shows, collections, seasons, specials, and episodes. 

![image](media://f7813903-4fed-427d-9faf-2c0e5f0d25ce)

## Getting started

Ready to begin using the Media Manager console? [Let's get started!](https://pbs-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MM/pages/5343823)

## Questions?

[Visit the FAQ page](https://pbs-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MM/pages/5343949) for answers to your questions and quick tutorials on how to perform common tasks in Media Manager.