Roku Lesson 02 Hosting Your Videos and Creating Your First Roku JSON Feed

“Roku’s rules got updated. New channels and any updates get judged by the new rules. If your channel is already live, you’ll face the new rules the next time you change anything.”

Now that you understand how Roku channels work, it’s time to actually host your videos and build the feed Roku will read. This lesson will walk you through the free hosting method and creating your very first JSON feed.

1️⃣ Hosting Your Video Files (Free Options)

Roku doesn’t store your videos — they must be hosted somewhere with a publicly accessible URL. Here are 3 free options:

Internet Archive (archive.org)
- Free hosting, reliable, allows direct MP4 linking
- Simply upload your MP4 and get the direct file link
GitHub Pages + Git LFS
- Free for smaller video files
- Can also host your JSON feed in the same place
Free AWS S3 Tier
- Requires setup, but very fast delivery
- First 5GB free for 12 months

Tip: For beginners, Internet Archive is the easiest option.

2️⃣ Hosting Your Thumbnails

Thumbnails must also be hosted online with a public link. You can host them:

On the same service as your videos
Or use free image hosts (Imgur, Postimages, etc.)
Roku requirement: Minimum 800×450 pixels

3️⃣ Creating Your First JSON Feed

The JSON feed is the heart of your Roku channel. It’s a simple text file telling Roku where your videos and images are.

Here’s a working example (replace links with your own):

{
  "providerName": "My First Roku Channel",
  "language": "en",
  "lastUpdated": "2025-08-05T14:00:00+00:00",
  "movies": [
    {
      "id": "video1",
      "title": "My First Video",
      "content": {
        "dateAdded": "2025-08-05T13:00:00+00:00",
        "videos": [
          {
            "url": "https://archive.org/download/myvideo/myvideo.mp4",
            "quality": "HD",
            "videoType": "MP4"
          }
        ],
        "duration": 120,
        "language": "en"
      },
      "genres": ["special_interest"],
      "thumbnail": "https://archive.org/download/myvideo/thumbnail.jpg",
      "releaseDate": "2025-08-05",
      "shortDescription": "A short teaser for my first Roku video."
    }
  ]
}

4️⃣ Hosting the JSON Feed

Once your JSON file is ready:

Save it as feed.json
Upload it to your chosen host (Internet Archive, GitHub Pages, or AWS S3)
Get the public URL to this file

Example URL: https://myusername.github.io/feed.json

5️⃣ Connecting Your Feed to Roku

Create a free account at Roku Developer Dashboard
Select Manage Channels → Add Channel
Choose Direct Publisher
Fill in your channel details:
- Channel name, category, branding
- Logo (use Artistly to design this)
Paste your JSON feed URL when prompted

Once saved, Roku will validate your feed and show you any errors.

6️⃣ Testing Your Feed

In your Roku Developer Dashboard:

Go to your channel’s settings
Click Preview & Validate
If all is correct, your video should appear in the preview player

Tip: If you get errors, double-check your JSON formatting using JSONLint.

✅ Homework Before Lesson 3

Upload at least 1 MP4 video to a free host and get its public link
Upload a matching thumbnail image and get its public link
Create your JSON feed and host it publicly
Paste your feed URL into Roku Direct Publisher
Preview your channel to make sure the video plays

In Lesson 3, we’ll focus on:

Expanding your feed with multiple videos
Adding categories to organize your channel
Optimizing your feed for faster Roku approval