The TAG API is a JSON-based, open interface that exposes 100% of the platform for configuration, control, and monitoring. It allows operators, engineers, and developers to integrate TAG seamlessly into existing broadcast and media workflows without additional licensing requirements .
With the API, teams can automate repetitive tasks, reduce manual configuration, and build custom dashboards or control panels tailored to their needs. It enables interoperability with leading orchestration tools, NMS platforms, and third-party broadcast controllers, creating a unified operational environment.
By supporting complete external control over monitoring, multiviewing, and visualization, the TAG API empowers organizations to streamline workflows, reduce complexity, and scale operations efficiently. This flexibility ensures TAG fits seamlessly into diverse technical ecosystems while maintaining reliability and transparency.
Technical Overview
TAG’s API framework provides multiple integration layers, each optimized for specific workflows and use cases across the MCM and MCS platforms. All APIs are JSON-based, open, and designed for easy interaction with external systems and automation tools.
API 2.0 serves as the foundation for MCM GUI and core functionality. It uses numeric-based indexes (IDs) that reflect the system’s internal database structure, offering direct access to configuration, control, and monitoring parameters. This version is ideal for standard operational automation or when MCM operates standalone, without an external control layer.
API 3.0 was developed to manage visualization and multiviewer control. It simplifies the automation of display behavior by mapping monitored channels to output tiles dynamically. This allows third-party systems to control what is visualized – for example, assigning or removing a channel from a tile automatically – without requiring manual reconfiguration.
API 4.0 is designed for broadcast controller integration and mimics early NMOS (Networked Media Open Specifications) principles. It introduces a sender-receiver model, using UUIDs instead of IDs to define and control components such as ST 2110 or SMPTE 2022-6 video, audio, and ancillary data streams. This API enables external broadcast controllers to integrate seamlessly with TAG in static multiviewer environments, where channel configurations are fixed but require interoperability across devices.
API 5.0, developed for TAG’s Media Control System (MCS), enables deep control and data sharing between MCM and MCS instances. It introduces functionality for statistics aggregation through Redis databases and supports advanced orchestration features such as stacking, multi-instance control, and resource synchronization. While API 5.0 overlaps with MCM capabilities, it is primarily used when the system is integrated with MCS for centralized management.
Across all versions, TAG’s APIs are open, extensible, and interoperable, ensuring continuous compatibility with evolving broadcast standards and third-party systems. This layered approach gives users the flexibility to choose the right level of control – from granular configuration to full broadcast orchestration – without rewriting or rebuilding their workflows.
