Vimeo is a great online video platform (OVP) used by many businesses and individuals as video storage for their OTT apps.

In this post, I will explain how we use Vimeo to store our video content and connect via API to publish to the Roku Direct Publisher channel.

To have Vimeo API access, you will need to get a Vimeo Pro/Standard account. This will cost you $20/month. We are using OTTfeed platform to manage our video content metadata, and to host the JSON content feed that is required for Roku Direct Publisher channel.

OTTfeed was designed to bridge the gap between Vimeo and Roku Direct Publisher. To learn more, check out OTTfeed Features at the bottom of this page.

Once you get your Vimeo Pro/Standard account, go to the Vimeo Developer website, click on the “New App” button in the top right corner, and log in if you are logged out.

On the “Create a new app” page, enter the following information:

• App name: This could be the name of your OTT channel (e.g., OTTfeed TV).
• App description: Describe what your app does (e.g., Our OTTfeed TV Roku Channel).
• Will people besides you be able to access your app? Select “No,” only you will be accessing. This could be confusing but the App is referring to the Vimeo access app.
• Check the box to agree to the terms and click the “Create App” button.

Now you will need to generate an authenticated (you) access token with the following scope:

• Public: This will give you access to your Vimeo public member data, and it’s required (e.g., access to a video that is public).
• Private: This will give you access to your Vimeo private member data (e.g., access to a video that is private).
• Video Files: This will give you access to video files (e.g., link to HLS format).
  

The last step is to copy your token string and store it in a safe place. This is the only time you will be able to copy the token string. If you forget or lose your token, you will have to generate a new one and replace it in all applications that are using it to access your Vimeo account.

After copying the token, go to your OTTfeed account, click on the Vimeo link in the top menu, paste your token in the “Vimeo token” text field, and click “Continue.” This will allow OTTfeed platform to access your Vimeo account.

On the next page, you will be able to import all your videos’ metadata from your Vimeo Pro/Standard account.

Keep in mind as a best practice that you should only use one access token per application (e.g., OTTfeed).

OTTfeed Features

There are many reasons why you should use OTTfeed platform to manage your content feed, here are some of them:

• OTTfeed supports all types of content, from short-form videos and movies to series with seasons and livestreams.
• With OTTfeed you can specify custom ad breaks per content up to milliseconds, this way you can have ads exactly between scenes.
• With OTTfeed you can easily manage categories, groups, and playlists.
• Schedule content for publishing, this feature will automate your content release workflow.
• Multi-user support makes collaboration with your team members a breeze.

Every business or individual needs a solid long-term solution when it comes to video content distribution, and with OTTfeed you and your business will save time and money.

To learn more about OTTfeed platform or to request a demo, go to https://OTTfeed.com.