specification: API Commons Plans
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/Plans
provider: TheTVDB
providerId: tvdb
created: '2026-05-30'
modified: '2026-05-30'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Television
  - Movies
  - Metadata
  - Entertainment
description: >-
  TheTVDB sells API access through two parallel models: a subscriber-supported
  model where each end user maintains a personal $12/year TheTVDB subscription
  and the developer uses a free API key on their behalf, and a negotiated
  commercial license tiered by company annual revenue. The commercial tiers are
  free under $50k revenue (attribution required), $1,000/year for $50k-$250k,
  $10,000/year for $250k-$1M, and custom-negotiated terms above $1M. Both
  models require an API key minted from the dashboard and use JWT bearer auth
  acquired via /login. Pricing and terms can change at any time without notice.
sources:
  - https://thetvdb.com/api-information
  - https://thetvdb.com/subscribe
  - https://github.com/thetvdb/v4-api
plans:
  - id: tvdb-subscriber-supported
    name: Subscriber-Supported API
    type: freemium
    description: >-
      Free API key for developers whose end users each hold an active $12/year
      TheTVDB subscription. The subscriber pin is passed alongside the API key
      to /login.
    entries:
      - label: API key (subscriber-supported)
        name: api_key_subscriber
        type: flat
        metric: key
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: 'free (subscriber-supported)'
        userMultiplied: false
      - label: End-user TheTVDB subscription
        name: end_user_subscription
        type: subscription
        metric: seat
        limit: 1
        timeFrame: year
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: '$12/year'
        userMultiplied: true
    elements:
      - name: Full v4 REST API access
      - name: JWT bearer authentication (1 month tokens)
      - name: Updates endpoint for incremental sync
      - name: Postman collection
      - name: Official Python SDK
      - name: Attribution requirement "Metadata provided by TheTVDB"

  - id: tvdb-commercial-under-50k
    name: Commercial — Under $50k Revenue
    type: tiered
    description: >-
      Free commercial usage for companies with annual revenue under $50k,
      provided the consuming product displays "Metadata provided by TheTVDB"
      with a direct link to TheTVDB.com.
    entries:
      - label: Commercial license (under $50k revenue)
        name: commercial_under_50k
        type: subscription
        metric: month
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: year
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: free (attribution required)
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: Full v4 REST API access
      - name: Attribution requirement
      - name: Suitable for hobby / pre-revenue / early-stage projects

  - id: tvdb-commercial-50k-250k
    name: Commercial — $50k-$250k Revenue
    type: subscription
    description: >-
      Negotiated commercial license for companies with annual revenue between
      $50k and $250k.
    entries:
      - label: Commercial license ($50k-$250k revenue)
        name: commercial_50k_250k
        type: subscription
        metric: year
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: year
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: $1,000/year
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: Full v4 REST API access
      - name: Negotiated commercial terms
      - name: Use of TheTVDB data in commercial products

  - id: tvdb-commercial-250k-1m
    name: Commercial — $250k-$1M Revenue
    type: subscription
    description: >-
      Negotiated commercial license for companies with annual revenue between
      $250k and $1M.
    entries:
      - label: Commercial license ($250k-$1M revenue)
        name: commercial_250k_1m
        type: subscription
        metric: year
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: year
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: $10,000/year
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: Full v4 REST API access
      - name: Negotiated commercial terms
      - name: Use of TheTVDB data in commercial products at scale

  - id: tvdb-commercial-enterprise
    name: Commercial — $1M+ Revenue (Enterprise)
    type: enterprise
    description: >-
      Custom-negotiated commercial license for companies with annual revenue
      above $1M. Contact TheTVDB for terms.
    entries:
      - label: Enterprise commercial license
        name: commercial_enterprise
        type: subscription
        metric: year
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: year
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: custom
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: Full v4 REST API access
      - name: Custom commercial terms negotiated directly with TheTVDB
      - name: Large-scale media / streaming / catalog use cases