Syndication Feeds - Integration

Kaltura Syndication Feeds API

Syndication feeds generate RSS/MRSS/XML feeds that external platforms pull via HTTP GET. Create a feed, configure its content scope and format, and share the feed URL — external platforms (Google, Apple Podcasts, Roku, news aggregators) fetch the XML on their own schedule. Feeds are stateless: Kaltura serves the current content each time the URL is requested.

Base URL: https://www.kaltura.com/api_v3 (may differ by region/deployment)
Auth: KS passed as ks parameter in POST form data (see Session Guide)
Format: Form-encoded POST, format=1 for JSON responses
Service: syndicationFeed

1. When to Use

RSS feed generation — Automatically generate standards-compliant RSS/MRSS feeds from your Kaltura content library for distribution to external consumers
Podcast distribution — Publish audio and video content as iTunes-compatible podcast feeds for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms
Content syndication to external platforms — Distribute video content to Google (Video Sitemaps), Roku (Direct Publisher), and news aggregators via pull-based XML feeds

2. Prerequisites

A Kaltura account with an ADMIN KS (type=2) with disableentitlement privilege
Syndication feed creation is available to all accounts — no additional plugin activation required

3. Core Concepts

3.1 How Syndication Feeds Work

Create a feed — choose a feed type (Google Video Sitemap, iTunes Podcast, MRSS, Roku) and optionally scope it to specific content
Get the feed URL — the API returns a feedUrl that serves XML at a public HTTP endpoint
Share the URL — register the feed URL with external platforms (Google Search Console, Apple Podcasts Connect, Roku Developer Dashboard)
External platforms poll — each platform fetches the feed on its own schedule; Kaltura serves the current content

3.2 Feed Types

Type	Value	Object Type	Output Format
Google Video Sitemap	1	`KalturaGoogleVideoSyndicationFeed`	XML sitemap with `<video:video>` elements
Yahoo MRSS	2	`KalturaYahooSyndicationFeed`	RSS 2.0 with `<media:*>` namespace
iTunes Podcast	3	`KalturaITunesSyndicationFeed`	RSS with `<itunes:*>` namespace
Flexible Format (XSLT)	6	`KalturaGenericXsltSyndicationFeed`	Custom XSLT-transformed MRSS
Roku Direct Publisher	7	`KalturaRokuSyndicationFeed`	Roku-specific MRSS
Opera TV	8	`KalturaOperaSyndicationFeed`	Opera TV format

3.3 Feed Object Fields

Base fields (all feed types):

Field	Type	Description
`id`	string	Feed ID (auto-assigned, e.g., `1_abc12345`)
`feedUrl`	string	Public URL to fetch the feed XML
`name`	string	Feed display name
`type`	int	Feed type enum
`status`	int	Feed status
`playlistId`	string	Content filter — restrict to a specific playlist
`landingPage`	string	Template URL for video links (use `{entry_id}` placeholder)
`allowEmbed`	bool	Include embed URLs in feed
`enforceEntitlement`	bool	Apply access control to feed entries
`entryFilter`	object	`KalturaMediaEntryFilter` — filter by tags, mediaType, categories
`feedContentTypeHeader`	string	Response Content-Type (default: `text/xml; charset=utf-8`)

iTunes-specific fields:

Field	Description
`feedDescription`	Channel description
`language`	Feed language code (e.g., `EN`)
`ownerName`	Podcast owner name
`ownerEmail`	Podcast owner email
`feedImageUrl`	Album art / channel logo URL
`feedAuthor`	Podcast author
`adultContent`	Explicit content flag

4. syndicationFeed.add

Create a syndication feed. The objectType must match the desired feed type.

Google Video Sitemap:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/add" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaGoogleVideoSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=Video Sitemap" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[type]=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[landingPage]=https://example.com/video/{entry_id}"

Yahoo MRSS:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/add" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaYahooSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=MRSS Feed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[type]=2"

iTunes Podcast:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/add" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaITunesSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=My Podcast" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[type]=3" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[feedDescription]=A podcast feed for video content" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[language]=EN" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[ownerName]=Channel Owner" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[ownerEmail]=owner@example.com"

Roku Direct Publisher:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/add" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaRokuSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=Roku Channel Feed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[type]=7"

Flexible Format (Generic XSLT):

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/add" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaGenericXsltSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=Custom Feed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[type]=6" \
  --data-urlencode 'syndicationFeed[xslt]=<?xml version="1.0"?><xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"><xsl:output method="xml"/><xsl:template match="/"><feed><xsl:copy-of select="."/></feed></xsl:template></xsl:stylesheet>'

The Generic XSLT feed type requires an xslt parameter containing the XSLT stylesheet that transforms Kaltura's internal MRSS into the desired output format.

Common parameters (all feed types):

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`syndicationFeed[objectType]`	string	Yes	Must match the feed type: `KalturaGoogleVideoSyndicationFeed`, `KalturaYahooSyndicationFeed`, `KalturaITunesSyndicationFeed`, `KalturaGenericXsltSyndicationFeed`, `KalturaRokuSyndicationFeed`, `KalturaOperaSyndicationFeed`
`syndicationFeed[name]`	string	Yes	Feed display name
`syndicationFeed[type]`	integer	Yes	Feed type enum: 1=Google Video Sitemap, 2=Yahoo MRSS, 3=iTunes, 6=Generic XSLT, 7=Roku, 8=Opera TV
`syndicationFeed[landingPage]`	string	No	Template URL for video links — use `{entry_id}` placeholder (required for Google Video Sitemap to generate `<loc>` elements)
`syndicationFeed[playlistId]`	string	No	Restrict feed to entries in this playlist
`syndicationFeed[allowEmbed]`	boolean	No	Include embed URLs in feed entries
`syndicationFeed[enforceEntitlement]`	boolean	No	Apply access control to feed entries
`syndicationFeed[entryFilter][objectType]`	string	No	`KalturaMediaEntryFilter` — required if using entry filter fields
`syndicationFeed[entryFilter][tagsLike]`	string	No	Filter entries by tags
`syndicationFeed[feedContentTypeHeader]`	string	No	Response Content-Type header (default: `text/xml; charset=utf-8`)

iTunes-specific parameters (type=3, KalturaITunesSyndicationFeed):

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`syndicationFeed[feedDescription]`	string	No	Podcast channel description
`syndicationFeed[language]`	string	No	Feed language code (e.g., `EN`)
`syndicationFeed[ownerName]`	string	No	Podcast owner name
`syndicationFeed[ownerEmail]`	string	No	Podcast owner email
`syndicationFeed[feedImageUrl]`	string	No	Album art / channel logo URL
`syndicationFeed[feedAuthor]`	string	No	Podcast author
`syndicationFeed[adultContent]`	string	No	Explicit content flag

Generic XSLT-specific parameters (type=6, KalturaGenericXsltSyndicationFeed):

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`syndicationFeed[xslt]`	string	Yes	XSLT stylesheet that transforms Kaltura's internal MRSS into the desired output format

Response includes the feedUrl for accessing the generated XML:

{
  "id": "1_abc12345",
  "feedUrl": "https://www.kaltura.com/api_v3/getFeed.php?partnerId=\{PARTNER_ID\}&feedId=1_abc12345",
  "name": "Video Sitemap",
  "type": 1,
  "objectType": "KalturaGoogleVideoSyndicationFeed"
}

5. syndicationFeed.get

Retrieve a syndication feed by ID:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/get" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "id=$FEED_ID"

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`id`	string	Yes	Syndication feed ID (e.g., `1_abc12345`)

6. syndicationFeed.list

List syndication feeds:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/list" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1"

All filter and pager parameters are optional. Omitting them returns all feeds on the account.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`filter[objectType]`	string	No	`KalturaBaseSyndicationFeedFilter` or `KalturaSyndicationFeedFilter`
`filter[typeEqual]`	integer	No	Filter by feed type: 1=Google, 2=Yahoo, 3=iTunes, 6=Generic XSLT, 7=Roku, 8=Opera TV
`filter[orderBy]`	string	No	Sort field: `+createdAt`, `-createdAt`, `+name`, `-name`
`pager[pageSize]`	integer	No	Results per page (default 30, max 500)
`pager[pageIndex]`	integer	No	Page number, 1-based (default 1)

7. syndicationFeed.update

Update a syndication feed:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/update" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "id=$FEED_ID" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaRokuSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=Updated Feed Name"

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`id`	string	Yes	Syndication feed ID to update
`syndicationFeed[objectType]`	string	Yes	Must match the feed's original type (e.g., `KalturaRokuSyndicationFeed`)
`syndicationFeed[name]`	string	No	Updated feed name
`syndicationFeed[landingPage]`	string	No	Updated landing page URL template
`syndicationFeed[playlistId]`	string	No	Updated playlist scope
`syndicationFeed[allowEmbed]`	boolean	No	Updated embed URL inclusion
`syndicationFeed[enforceEntitlement]`	boolean	No	Updated entitlement enforcement
`syndicationFeed[entryFilter][objectType]`	string	No	`KalturaMediaEntryFilter` — required if updating entry filter
`syndicationFeed[entryFilter][tagsLike]`	string	No	Updated tag filter

Pass only the fields to change. Fields not included remain unchanged. The type field is immutable and cannot be updated.

8. syndicationFeed.delete

Delete a syndication feed:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/delete" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "id=$FEED_ID"

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`id`	string	Yes	Syndication feed ID to delete

9. syndicationFeed.getEntryCount

Get the number of entries in a syndication feed:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/getEntryCount" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "feedId=$FEED_ID"

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`feedId`	string	Yes	Syndication feed ID to count entries for

Response:

{
  "totalEntryCount": 27118,
  "actualEntryCount": 27118,
  "requireTranscodingCount": 0,
  "objectType": "KalturaSyndicationFeedEntryCount"
}

totalEntryCount — entries matching the feed filter
actualEntryCount — entries with required flavors available
requireTranscodingCount — entries needing transcoding before inclusion

10. Feed URL & XML Output

All feeds are served at: https://{service_url}/api_v3/getFeed.php?partnerId=\{PARTNER_ID\}&feedId=\{FEED_ID\}

Append &limit=N to cap the number of entries returned (also reduces cache TTL from 24 hours to 30 minutes).

10.1 Roku MRSS Output

<rss xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
     xmlns:dcterms="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title><![CDATA[Feed Name]]></title>
    <description><![CDATA[Description]]></description>
    <item>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">ENTRY_ID</guid>
      <title><![CDATA[Entry Title]]></title>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 Jul 2014 07:20:18 -0400</pubDate>
      <media:content url="http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/.../playManifest/.../a.m3u8" duration="2969"/>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://cfvod.kaltura.com/.../thumbnail/.../width/800/height/450"/>
      <media:keywords><![CDATA[tag1, tag2]]></media:keywords>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

10.2 iTunes Podcast RSS Output

<rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>Feed Name</title>
    <language>EN</language>
    <itunes:owner>
      <itunes:name>Owner Name</itunes:name>
      <itunes:email>owner@example.com</itunes:email>
    </itunes:owner>
    <item>
      <title>Entry Title</title>
      <enclosure url="https://cfvod.kaltura.com/.../serveFlavor/.../name/a.mp4" type="video/mp4"/>
      <itunes:duration>1:58:18</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:image href="https://cfvod.kaltura.com/.../thumbnail/.../ext.jpg"/>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

10.3 Google Video Sitemap Output

<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"
        xmlns:video="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-video/1.1">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/video/ENTRY_ID</loc>
    <video:video>
      <video:title>Entry Title</video:title>
      <video:thumbnail_loc>https://cfvod.kaltura.com/.../thumbnail/...</video:thumbnail_loc>
      <video:content_loc>https://cfvod.kaltura.com/.../serveFlavor/...</video:content_loc>
    </video:video>
  </url>
</urlset>

11. Entry Filtering

Scope a syndication feed to specific content using entryFilter or playlistId.

Filter by tags:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/add" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaGoogleVideoSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=Tagged Content Feed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[type]=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[landingPage]=https://example.com/video/{entry_id}" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[entryFilter][objectType]=KalturaMediaEntryFilter" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[entryFilter][tagsLike]=webinar"

Filter by playlist:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/add" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaYahooSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=Playlist Feed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[type]=2" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[playlistId]=$PLAYLIST_ID"

Feeds without a playlistId or entryFilter include all account entries.

12. Feed Caching & Performance

Default feed cache TTL: 24 hours
Adding &limit=N to the feed URL reduces cache to 30 minutes and caps at N items
Special characters in entry metadata are XML-escaped automatically
Feeds without content filters on large accounts can include tens of thousands of entries — use playlistId or entryFilter to scope appropriately
Google Video Sitemap feeds require a valid landingPage URL to generate <loc> elements

13. API Actions Reference

Service	Action	Description
`syndicationFeed`	`add`	Create syndication feed
`syndicationFeed`	`get`	Get feed by ID
`syndicationFeed`	`list`	List feeds
`syndicationFeed`	`update`	Update feed config
`syndicationFeed`	`delete`	Delete feed
`syndicationFeed`	`getEntryCount`	Count entries in feed

14. Error Handling

Error Code	Meaning	Resolution
`INVALID_FEED_ID`	Feed ID does not exist	Verify the feed ID
`PROPERTY_VALIDATION_CANNOT_BE_NULL`	A required field is missing (e.g., `objectType`)	Add the required parameter
`PROPERTY_VALIDATION_NOT_UPDATABLE`	Attempted to update an immutable field	Check which fields are read-only for the feed type
`SERVICE_FORBIDDEN`	KS lacks required permissions	Use an admin KS with `disableentitlement`
`INVALID_KS`	KS is invalid, expired, or lacks privileges	Generate a fresh admin KS

Retry strategy: For transient errors (HTTP 5xx, timeouts), retry with exponential backoff: 1s, 2s, 4s, with jitter, up to 3 retries. For client errors (INVALID_FEED_ID, PROPERTY_VALIDATION_*), fix the request before retrying.

15. Best Practices

Scope feeds with filters. Use playlistId or entryFilter to limit feed content — unscoped feeds on large accounts return all entries.
Add &limit=N to feed URLs for testing. This reduces the cache TTL to 30 minutes and caps entries, making iteration faster during development.
Use HTTPS for feed URLs. The feedUrl returned by the API uses http:// — convert to https:// in production.
Match objectType to feed type. The objectType in syndicationFeed.add must correspond to the type value — mismatches cause validation errors.
Use iTunes-specific fields for podcasts. Set feedDescription, language, ownerName, and ownerEmail for Apple Podcasts compliance.
Set a landingPage for Google Video Sitemaps. The {entry_id} placeholder in landingPage generates the <loc> URLs that Google indexes.

Common Integration Patterns

Google Video Sitemap for SEO

Generate a Google-compatible video sitemap for search engine indexing:

# Create a Google Video Sitemap feed scoped to published content
curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/add" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaGoogleVideoSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=Video Sitemap - Published" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[type]=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[landingPage]=https://mysite.com/watch/{entry_id}" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[entryFilter][objectType]=KalturaMediaEntryFilter" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[entryFilter][tagsLike]=published"

Submit the feed URL to Google Search Console as a video sitemap.

Podcast Feed Generation

Create an iTunes-compatible podcast feed:

curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/add" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaITunesSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=Company Podcast" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[type]=3" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[feedDescription]=Weekly insights from our team" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[language]=EN" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[ownerName]=My Company" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[ownerEmail]=podcast@example.com" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[playlistId]=$PODCAST_PLAYLIST_ID"

Use playlistId to restrict the podcast to a curated playlist of episodes.

Content Syndication for News and Media

Create multiple feed formats for different distribution channels:

# MRSS for news aggregators
curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/add" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaYahooSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=News Video Feed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[type]=2" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[entryFilter][objectType]=KalturaMediaEntryFilter" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[entryFilter][tagsLike]=news"

# Roku feed for OTT
curl -X POST "$KALTURA_SERVICE_URL/service/syndicationFeed/action/add" \
  -d "ks=$KALTURA_KS" \
  -d "format=1" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[objectType]=KalturaRokuSyndicationFeed" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[name]=Roku Channel" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[type]=7" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[entryFilter][objectType]=KalturaMediaEntryFilter" \
  -d "syndicationFeed[entryFilter][tagsLike]=featured"

Webhook-Triggered Feed Refresh

Combine syndication with webhooks for proactive cache management. Set up a webhook that fires when new content is published, then programmatically add &limit=N to your feed URL to trigger a 30-minute cache window — ensuring external platforms see new content sooner than the default 24-hour cache.

Session Guide — KS generation and management
Content Distribution API — Push content to external platforms via connectors (push model vs syndication's pull model)
Upload & Ingestion API — Content upload, flavors, and ingestion (entries that appear in feeds)
Webhooks API — Event-driven automation (trigger feed cache refresh on content events)

Kaltura Syndication Feeds API​

1. When to Use​

2. Prerequisites​

3. Core Concepts​

3.1 How Syndication Feeds Work​

3.2 Feed Types​

3.3 Feed Object Fields​

4. syndicationFeed.add​

5. syndicationFeed.get​

6. syndicationFeed.list​

7. syndicationFeed.update​

8. syndicationFeed.delete​

9. syndicationFeed.getEntryCount​

10. Feed URL & XML Output​

10.1 Roku MRSS Output​

10.2 iTunes Podcast RSS Output​

10.3 Google Video Sitemap Output​

11. Entry Filtering​

12. Feed Caching & Performance​

13. API Actions Reference​

14. Error Handling​

15. Best Practices​

Common Integration Patterns​

Google Video Sitemap for SEO​

Podcast Feed Generation​

Content Syndication for News and Media​

Webhook-Triggered Feed Refresh​

16. Related Guides​