Which BroadcastEvent fields are required for a live video badge?

Definition: For a video to be eligible for Google's LIVE badge, put a BroadcastEvent object inside the VideoObject's publication property. The required nested data is isLiveBroadcast, startDate, and endDate.

Key facts

• Google's Video structured data documentation says a LIVE badge comes from marking a video with BroadcastEvent.
• The required wrapper is publication, which contains a BroadcastEvent and can be a single instance or a list.
• The required nested fields are publication.endDate, publication.isLiveBroadcast, and publication.startDate.
• isLiveBroadcast is a Boolean set to true when the video is, has been, or will be streamed live.
• startDate and endDate use ISO 8601 date-time values. Schema.org describes them as the item's start and end date and time.

What must be nested under publication?

Google distinguishes the general BroadcastEvent type from the fields needed for LIVE badge eligibility. The type itself is optional in a VideoObject, while Google requires the publication wrapper and its three nested fields for this feature. publication describes when the video is streamed live and accepts a single BroadcastEvent or a list.

Schema.org defines BroadcastEvent as an over-the-air or online broadcast event. Its isLiveBroadcast property has the Boolean meaning “True if the broadcast is of a live event.” In JSON-LD, the nesting is visible because publication contains an object whose @type is BroadcastEvent.

How should startDate and endDate be set?

Google's required-property table specifies ISO 8601 format for both date-time fields. A startDate in the past or present indicates that the stream actually started; a future value indicates a scheduled start. An endDate in the past or present indicates that the stream ended, while a future value indicates a scheduled end.

Google requires endDate after the video has finished and is no longer live. If the expected end is unknown before the livestream starts, the documentation recommends an approximate endDate. Update the page's markup with the actual end time when the stream stops.

What does the markup look like?

Google's example places the three fields inside one BroadcastEvent object under publication:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org/",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "Cat video",
  "publication": {
    "@type": "BroadcastEvent",
    "name": "First scheduled broadcast",
    "isLiveBroadcast": true,
    "startDate": "2018-10-27T14:00:00+00:00",
    "endDate": "2018-10-27T14:37:14+00:00"
  }
}

The value true marks the publication as live, and the two date-time strings describe its scheduled interval. Schema.org accepts Date or DateTime for these properties; Google's LIVE badge documentation specifies ISO 8601 date-time values for this use.

When should the page be updated?

Google recommends using the Indexing API so it can crawl a livestream page at the right time. The documented events are when the video goes live, when streaming stops and the markup receives its endDate, and whenever a markup change needs to be reported. Google states that the Indexing API supports livestream videos.

Related terms

• What thumbnail data does Google require for VideoObject markup?
• How should VideoObject.uploadDate include time zone information?
• When should a live video page send an Indexing API update?
• How do contentUrl and embedUrl differ in VideoObject?

FAQ

Are these fields required for every VideoObject?

No. Google makes the requirement conditional on eligibility for the LIVE badge. The BroadcastEvent properties are optional generally, while the listed publication fields are required for this feature.

What should you do when the end time is unknown?

You can provide an approximate endDate before the livestream starts. After the stream finishes, update the markup with the end date and report that markup change through the documented indexing workflow.

Can one video have more than one live publication?

Yes. Google's publication definition allows a list or a single BroadcastEvent instance. Each live publication carries its own isLiveBroadcast, startDate, and endDate values.

Sources

1. Google Search Central, "Video (VideoObject, Clip, BroadcastEvent) structured data", 24 September 2026
2. Schema.org, "BroadcastEvent", undated

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