--- title: "What Is Semantic Search? Definition and Examples | RentAnOTT" description: "Semantic search finds titles by meaning, not exact keywords, so viewers can search by mood, plot or theme. See how it works and when a catalog needs it." url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/semantic-search" markdown_url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/semantic-search.md" category: "Platform" updated: "2026-10-05" --- # What is semantic search? Semantic search is search that matches the meaning of a query instead of its exact words. On a streaming service it lets a viewer type something like a feel-good film about food and get relevant titles, even when none of those words appear in a title or its tags. ## How semantic search works A language model converts each title's description, genre and other metadata into a vector, a list of numbers that represents its meaning. The viewer's query is converted the same way. The search returns the titles whose vectors lie closest to the query's. Because closeness is about meaning, heist and bank robbery land near each other, and a misspelled or loosely worded query still finds its target. ## Semantic vs keyword search The two are usually combined, so that an exact title match ranks first and meaning-based results fill in below. - Keyword search: matches the words typed against titles, cast and tags. Exact, fast, and best when the viewer knows the name - Semantic search: matches intent. Best when the viewer knows what kind of thing they want but not what it is called ## When a catalog needs it The benefit grows with the size and variety of the catalog. In a small library, browsing is enough. In a large one, many searches return nothing under keyword matching, and each empty result is a viewer who may leave. Semantic search turns those into plays. Its quality depends on the metadata it reads. Thin synopses give it little to work with. ## Semantic search on RentAnOTT AI semantic search is a $59/month add-on on RentAnOTT, letting viewers find titles by meaning and mood, not only exact keywords. [See pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing). ## Related terms - [Recommendation engine](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/recommendation-engine) — A recommendation engine is the system that chooses which titles to suggest to each viewer, based on what they and similar viewers have watched and on the properties of the titles themselves. It fills rows such as recommended for you and because you watched. - [Content metadata](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/content-metadata) — Content metadata is the information that describes a video title and governs how it is presented and used: its title, synopsis, cast, genre, rating, artwork, languages, rights and technical details. It is what makes a file into a catalog entry. - [Video CMS](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/video-cms) — A video CMS (content management system) is the back-office application where a streaming team uploads video, adds metadata and artwork, organizes titles into a catalog, sets who can watch and at what price, and publishes to the website and apps. ## Further reading - [Add-ons](https://www.rentanott.com/features#addons) - [OTT solution guide](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/ott-solution) - [How to start a streaming service](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/how-to-start-a-streaming-service) ## Frequently asked questions ### Is semantic search the same as AI search? It is the most common form of it. The AI part is the language model that turns text into a representation of meaning. ### Does semantic search work across languages? Multilingual models can match a query in one language to descriptions in another, though results are best when metadata exists in the viewer's language. ### Does it replace recommendations? No. Search answers a question the viewer asks. Recommendations suggest something before they ask. Services use both. All 163 terms: [Streaming and OTT glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary). ## Book a demo Tell RentAnOTT what you are launching. The team walks through the platform and maps the path to go-live around your catalog, markets and revenue model. Book a demo: https://www.rentanott.com/contact ## More from RentAnOTT - [Home](https://www.rentanott.com/index.md) — What RentAnOTT is, what every plan includes, and how launch works - [Features](https://www.rentanott.com/features.md) — Every core feature and optional add-on - [Pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing.md) — Platform tiers, apps, add-ons, usage rates and example bills in INR and USD - [Free tools](https://www.rentanott.com/tools.md) — OTT app builder and calculators for streaming revenue, bandwidth, bitrate and pricing - [Insights](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs.md) — All streaming business articles - [Glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary.md) — Definitions of streaming and OTT terms - [Book a demo](https://www.rentanott.com/contact.md) — Talk to RentAnOTT about your launch Full site in one file: https://www.rentanott.com/llms-full.txt