How to Deliver Videos via MRSS Feed (Without Paying Enterprise Prices)

If you’ve been tasked with delivering video assets to a streaming service, you may have been told they require an MRSS feed for ingestion. If you’re not a tech person, the phrase Media RSS might sound intimidating—and the lack of clear, non-enterprise resources online doesn’t help.

This article will explain what MRSS is, why services use it, and how you can set it up without paying Enterprise-level prices from platforms like Brightcove, JW Player and Muvi.

What is an MRSS Feed and Why Do Streaming Services Require It?

An MRSS (Media RSS) feed is a special type of RSS feed designed to deliver rich media—videos, audio, and images—along with detailed metadata like:

Video file URLs
Thumbnails
Descriptions
Categories & keywords
Credits and licensing info

Streaming services love MRSS feeds because they:

Automate ingestion – They can pull new content without manual uploads.
Keep metadata consistent – Titles, thumbnails, and descriptions arrive intact.
Support multiple formats – Useful if you have multiple resolutions or aspect ratios.

Common Challenges When Delivering via MRSS

If you’re an editor or producer rather than a developer, setting up MRSS can feel overwhelming. Common pain points may include:

Finding an affordable tool – Many enterprise video hosting services (Brightcove, JW Player, Ooyala) are priced for companies pushing thousands of videos per month. VideoNest has become the most affordable way to create an MRSS Feed.
Understanding the XML format – MRSS uses structured XML with specific <media:> tags that must be correct or the feed will fail ingestion.
Hosting the media files – You need a stable, public-facing URL for each video file.
Validating the feed – Even a small formatting error can break the feed entirely.

Affordable MRSS Feed Solutions for Small-Scale Distribution

Even if you’re publishing massive amounts of content, you don’t need enterprise pricing. Here are some budget-friendly options:

1. VideoNest

Designed for creators, media companies, and small businesses, VideoNest automatically generates MRSS feeds from your video uploads or synced social channels. It’s OTT-ready, supports ingestion, and is far less expensive than Brightcove & JWPlayer.
(videonest.co)

2. Hand-Coded MRSS Feeds (for one-off projects)

If you only need to deliver a handful of videos, you can manually create an XML MRSS file and host it on your own server or via GitHub Pages. Just make sure you follow the MRSS specification from the RSS Advisory Board.

Basic MRSS Feed Structure

Here’s a simplified example of what a video item looks like in an MRSS feed:

<item> <title>Sample Video</title> <link>https://example.com/videos/sample</link> <description>A short description of the video.</description> <media:content url="https://example.com/media/sample.mp4" type="video/mp4" fileSize="12345678" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://example.com/media/sample-thumb.jpg" width="1280" height="720" /> <media:category>Entertainment</media:category> </item>

You’d repeat this <item> block for each video you want to deliver.

Tips for Successful MRSS Delivery

Validate before sending – Use tools like Feed Validator or MRSS-specific validators to check your XML.
Keep URLs stable – If your video file URLs change, the feed will break for your client.
Match requirements – Some streaming services require specific tags (e.g., <media:duration> or <media:group>). Always request their MRSS spec sheet.
Test in a sandbox – Ask your client if they have a staging or test environment to avoid breaking the live feed.

Once it’s set up, MRSS becomes a set-it-and-forget-it distribution tool—letting your content flow directly into your client’s streaming service without constant manual uploads.

You don’t have to be a developer—or pay enterprise rates—to deliver videos via MRSS. Whether you use an affordable syndication platform like VideoNest, a CMS plugin, or a hand-coded XML file, the key is to get your media hosted, your metadata complete, and your feed validated.

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