BroadcastEvent schema: the only other type eligible for Indexing API

What BroadcastEvent schema is

BroadcastEvent is a schema.org type that describes a live or recorded broadcast — most commonly a live stream. Combined with VideoObject, it tells Google that a specific page will host a live video at a specific time, making it eligible for Google's Live badge in search results.

It is also one of only two structured data types that make a URL eligible for priority submission via the Google Indexing API. For publishers who run regular live streams — news organisations, sports platforms, conference organisers, educators — implementing this schema correctly is a meaningful distribution advantage.

When a BroadcastEvent qualifies for the Indexing API

Not every BroadcastEvent implementation qualifies. The page must meet all of these conditions:

• The JSON-LD uses VideoObject as the root type
• The publication property references a valid BroadcastEvent object
• isLiveBroadcast is set to true
• Both startDate and endDate are present in ISO 8601 format
• The startDate is in the future (or recent past) at the time of submission
• The page is crawlable and not blocked by robots.txt or noindex

The complete JSON-LD template

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "Product Launch Livestream — Acme Corp",
  "description": "Join us live as we reveal our new product line.",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/thumbnails/launch-stream.jpg",
  "uploadDate": "2026-06-01T09:00:00+00:00",
  "duration": "PT2H",
  "contentUrl": "https://example.com/live/launch-stream",
  "embedUrl": "https://example.com/embed/launch-stream",
  "publication": {
    "@type": "BroadcastEvent",
    "name": "Product Launch Livestream",
    "isLiveBroadcast": true,
    "startDate": "2026-06-01T09:00:00+00:00",
    "endDate": "2026-06-01T11:00:00+00:00"
  }
}
</script>

Required and recommended fields

Common implementation mistakes

• Using BroadcastEvent as the root type — It must be nested inside VideoObject via the publication property. A standalone BroadcastEvent does not qualify for Indexing API eligibility.
• Static dates that do not update — If you reuse the same page for recurring streams, update startDate and endDate before each event and resubmit.
• Missing timezone in date fields — 2026-06-01T09:00:00 is ambiguous. Always include a timezone offset: 2026-06-01T09:00:00+00:00 or 2026-06-01T09:00:00Z.
• Thumbnail not crawlable — If the thumbnail URL returns 404 or requires authentication, Google cannot verify the schema and may reject the rich result.

Validating and submitting

Before submitting via the Indexing API, validate with Google's Rich Results Test. Look specifically for the VideoObject detection — if the tool does not show a VideoObject result with BroadcastEvent properties, the submission will not receive priority treatment.