MRSS (Media RSS) is the standard feed format that powers video distribution across CTV platforms, news publishers, podcast directories, and content aggregators. Instead of uploading manually to each destination, you publish once and let the feed do the delivery. Here are five common ways publishers use MRSS and how VideoNest handles each one.
Use Case 1: News and Content Syndication
Major news and content aggregators like MSN and Yahoo ingest video via MRSS rather than requiring direct uploads. Publishers whose content matches the platform's editorial requirements can reach millions of readers this way. No ongoing manual work required. VideoNest automates the feed generation and manages the syndication relationships directly. Once connected, your library is live on the platform and new videos appear automatically within minutes of publishing.
Use Case 2: Smart TV and CTV Distribution
OTT platforms including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV use MRSS to populate video channels. Each platform has its own metadata schema: field names, character limits, thumbnail requirements, and category taxonomies that differ between them. VideoNest generates feeds formatted to each platform's specific requirements, so your content passes ingestion validation on the first attempt. As you publish new videos, the feeds update automatically and your channel stays current without any intervention from your team.
Use Case 3: Editorial and Publisher Integrations
Digital newsrooms and editorial sites use MRSS to pull relevant video directly into articles and section pages. Rather than embedding individual videos by hand, the CMS ingests a feed and surfaces matching content automatically. VideoNest supports filtered MRSS feeds: you can deliver sports content to a sports publisher and finance content to a finance platform from the same library, without any overlap or manual segmentation. Revenue sharing from these placements flows back through VideoNest's monetization program.
Use Case 4: Podcast and Vodcast Distribution
VideoNest's podcast distribution feature is built on MRSS. Set a duration filter and a content type, and VideoNest generates a formatted RSS feed from every qualifying video in your library. That feed is submitted to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other directories and updates automatically with each new upload. You don't record a separate podcast; the video content you're already producing becomes the episode. Back catalog content is included from day one.
Use Case 5: Content Portability and Platform Migrations
MRSS feeds are also a practical tool for content portability. Because the feed includes video URLs, metadata, thumbnails, and publish dates in a structured format, it serves as a complete snapshot of your library that any compatible platform can ingest. Publishers migrating between hosting providers, or setting up a presence on a new platform, can use their VideoNest MRSS feed as the source of record rather than manually re-uploading and re-entering metadata for every video.