Datafeeds are structured data sources within the Blue Billywig OVP. They let you define a set of rows and columns and make that data available to other parts of the platform, such as KPI calculations and dynamic content.
1.0 | Feed Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| RSS Feed Import | RSS Feed ImportImports data automatically from an external RSS/XML feed URL |
| XML Upload Import | Accepts XML payloads posted to a generated endpoint (push-based) |
2.0 | Creating and Managing Datafeeds
Navigate to Library > Datafeeds in the OVP to manage datafeeds. From this screen you can:
- Create a new datafeed
- Filter by status (active / inactive)
- Search by name
- Open, edit, or delete existing datafeeds
Opening a datafeed takes you to its Metadata tab, where all configuration and data entry is done.
3.0 | Common Properties
These fields apply to all feed types.
- Name Display name of the datafeed
- Description Optional freeform description
4.0 | RSS Feed Import
Imports data from an external RSS or XML feed. The OVP fetches the feed on a schedule and populates rows automatically.
4.1 | Media File Behaviour
Controls what happens to media files referenced in the feed.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Use source media | Links to the original URL; no files are copied into Blue Billywig |
| Copy and host media | Downloads the file and hosts it within Blue Billywig |
| Retranscode | Downloads and re-transcodes the file using the selected preset |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Autopublish imported items | When enabled, newly imported items are automatically published |
| Upload with presets | Transcoding preset to apply when Retranscode is selected |
4.2 | Data
Enter the RSS feed URL first. The remaining fields appear once a valid URL has been provided.
| Field | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| RSS feed URL | URL of the RSS or XML feed to import from | – |
| RSS XML item node path | XPath to the repeating item nodes in the feed | /rss/channel/item |
| RSS updated date path | XPath used to detect changed items (delta imports) | /rss/channel/pubDate #text |
4.3 | RSS Item Property Paths
XPath expressions that tell the OVP where to find media properties within each item.
| Field | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| RSS feed item ID path | XPath to the unique identifier of each item | ./guid #text |
| Video path | XPath to the video file URL | ./media:content/@url |
| Video width path | XPath to the video width | – |
| Video height path | XPath to the video height | – |
| Thumbnail path | XPath to the thumbnail image URL | ./media:content/media:thumbnail/@url |
| Thumbnail width path | XPath to the thumbnail width | – |
| Thumbnail height path | XPath to the thumbnail height | – |
4.4 | Media Clip Field Mapping
Maps mediaclip properties to XPath expressions in the feed. Each row defines one mapping: select a Mediaclip Property on the left and enter the corresponding XML item property path on the right.
A mapping for Source ID is required; this uniquely identifies each imported item and prevents duplicates on re-import.
5.0 | XML Upload Import
Accepts XML data pushed to a generated endpoint. Use this when you control the source system and want to push data into the OVP rather than having the OVP pull from a URL.
5.1 | General Settings
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Transfer protocol | How incoming files are delivered: S3 File transfer or FTP |
| Feed URL | The endpoint your system should deliver XML files to (generated after saving the feed) |
| Name | Display name of the datafeed |
| Code | A short unique identifier used in the generated feed URL |
| Description | Optional freeform description |
| Upload with presets | Transcoding preset to apply to imported media |
5.2 | Data
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Example import XML | Upload or paste a sample XML file; used as a reference when configuring field mapping |
| XSL for mapping | Upload or paste an optional XSL stylesheet applied to incoming XML before parsing |
| XML item node path | XPath to the repeating item nodes in the XML (e.g. /items/item) |
5.3 | Field Mapping
Maps mediaclip properties to XPath expressions in the XML. Works the same as RSS Feed Import: select a Mediaclip Property and enter the corresponding XML item property path. A mapping for Source ID is required.
5.4 | Example: S3 Upload with XSL Transformation
This example illustrates a typical S3-based workflow where a source system automatically delivers a sports highlight video to Blue Billywig.
The upload
For each new video, the source system uploads three files to the S3 feed URL:
- A video file (e.g.
abc123.mp4) - A thumbnail image (e.g.
abc123.jpg) - An XML descriptor file
The XML descriptor contains the metadata for that video:
<match>
<mediaId>abc123</mediaId>
<title>Home Team - Away Team</title>
<homeTeamName>Home Team</homeTeamName>
<awayTeamName>Away Team</awayTeamName>
<matchId>100001</matchId>
<matchRound>21</matchRound>
<matchDate>2025-12-19T00:00:00Z</matchDate>
<competitionName>Example Competition</competitionName>
<duration>267</duration>
</match>The XSL transformation
The datafeed has an XSL stylesheet configured under XSL for mapping. When the XML arrives, the OVP applies this stylesheet before processing the file. In this example, the XSL:
- Constructs the video and thumbnail URLs by combining a CDN base URL with the
mediaId - Maps match metadata (round, date, teams) to auxiliary fields on the mediaclip
- Normalises team names to lowercase with underscores (e.g.
Home Team→home_team) for consistent filtering
The XSL outputs a <media-clip> element in the format the OVP expects:
<media-clip
mediatype="video"
sourceid="abc123"
title="Home Team - Away Team"
src="https://cdn.example.com/xml/myfeed/abc123.mp4">
<categorization>
<category-tree type="keywords">
<category name="Home Team"/>
<category name="Away Team"/>
</category-tree>
</categorization>
<auxiliary-fields>
<field name="competition">Example Competition</field>
<field name="match_round">21</field>
<field name="match_date">2025-12-19T00:00:00Z</field>
<field name="team_home">home_team</field>
<field name="team_away">away_team</field>
</auxiliary-fields>
<thumbnails>
<thumbnail src="https://cdn.example.com/xml/myfeed/abc123.jpg" main="true"/>
</thumbnails>
</media-clip>The result
The OVP creates a mediaclip with:
- The title, source URL, and thumbnail from the XSL output
- The team names set as keyword categories
- All auxiliary fields populated and available for filtering and personalisation
- Transcoded video renditions generated automatically using the configured preset
If Autopublish imported items is enabled, the clip is published immediately after transcoding completes.
Keep in mind the above is a specific example. Video and/or thumbnail files can also be provided through a URL.