Skip to main content

RSS Feeds Integration

Display dynamic content from blogs, news sites, and other RSS sources on your BrandCast displays.

Overview​

The RSS Feeds integration allows you to connect to any valid RSS feed URL and display its content on your digital signage. By creating reusable RSS Content Sources, you can easily distribute news, blog updates, or industry announcements across multiple layouts and displays.

Key Features:

  • Auto-Updating: Content refreshes automatically based on your settings.
  • Reusable Sources: Configure a feed once (e.g., "Industry News") and use it in multiple layouts.
  • Flexible Display: Choose from Ticker, List, or Card styles for each source.

1. Connect the Integration​

RSS Feeds are a native integration and do not require external account authentication (OAuth). You simply provide the feed URL.

Prerequisites:

  • A valid RSS feed URL (e.g., https://rss.nytimes.com/rss/cnn_topstories.rss).
  • Ensure the feed is public and valid (test at validator.w3.org/feed).

2. Create a Content Source​

A Content Source is a configured instance of an RSS feed. You can create multiple sources for different feeds (e.g., "Tech News Source", "Company Blog Source").

  1. Navigate to Integrations > RSS Feeds.
  2. Click Create New Source.
  3. Feed URL: Enter the full URL of the RSS feed.
  4. Name: Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "BBC Top Stories").
  5. Refresh Interval: How often to check for new posts (e.g., Every 15 minutes, Hourly).
  6. Max Items: Limit the number of items to fetch and display (default: 10).

Why create Content Sources? Once created, this source is saved in your account. You can add "BBC Top Stories" to your Lobby Layout, your Breakroom Layout, and your Hallway Playlist without re-entering the URL every time.

3. Content Source Configuration (Styles)​

Customize how this specific feed appears. These settings are saved with the Content Source.

  • Display Style:
    • Ticker: Scrolling text at the bottom of the screen.
    • List: Vertical list of headlines.
    • Cards: Grid of cards with images and summaries.
  • Typography: Choose fonts, sizes, and colors for headlines and body text.
  • Filtering: (Advanced) Include/Exclude items based on keywords.

4. Add to Layout​

Once your Content Source is ready, place it on a screen.

  1. Open the Layout Editor for the desired Layout.
  2. Add a RSS Feed area to the canvas.
  3. Select your saved source (e.g., "BBC Top Stories") from the dropdown.
  4. Save the layout.

Layout Reusability: You can create a special "Holiday News Layout" using this source and assign it to a schedule. When the holidays are over, simply remove the layout from the schedule. The layout and the RSS source remain saved in your account for next year.

Troubleshooting​

  • Feed Not Valid: If the feed doesn't load, check it with an online RSS validator.
  • Images Missing: Not all RSS feeds include images. Check the feed source.