File delivery

Delivery Sequence

Video, closed caption, and artwork files must finish uploading before you deliver the metadata that references them. Delivering metadata while those files are missing or still transferring can cause processing failures.

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Folder Structure

• Production files must be delivered to the /prod folder. Files delivered elsewhere will be delayed or may not be processed.
• Test files may be delivered to the /testing folder.

Subfolders

Content should not be delivered into subfolders. Deliver directly to /prod (or /testing) whenever possible. If subfolders are necessary, follow these guidelines:

• Subfolder names must not begin with an underscore. Roku's system will ignore any subfolder beginning with an underscore.
• Do not separate files into subfolders by file type (e.g., don't put all video in one subfolder and all artwork in another).
• All media files for a single title (episode, movie, or short-form) must be delivered to the same directory.
• Metadata must be delivered to the same directory as the media files it references. The ingest platform assumes referenced media files are located alongside the metadata file.
• When replacing a file delivered via subfolder, the replacement file and its associated metadata must be delivered to a folder named identically to the original delivery folder.

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Delivery Notifications

Delivery notifications can be sent to: [email protected]

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File Retention

The delivery location is a temporary staging area for partners to upload files for ingestion into the Roku Channel content library.

• Upon successful ingest, automation moves files from the delivery location to an archive location, where they are stored indefinitely.
• Files uploaded to the delivery location are expected to be ingested within a reasonable timeframe, not to exceed 30 days.
• Valid and complete metadata must be delivered shortly after files are delivered, to ensure timely ingest.
• Files remaining in the delivery location after 30 days without ingesting are subject to deletion.

Exception: files in the /testing folder may be exempted from the file retention policy.

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File Naming

Source video, closed caption, and artwork files delivered for ingest must adhere to the following:

• File names must not exceed 125 characters in length.
• File names must match the file name referenced in the metadata supplied for the title.
• File names are case-sensitive.
• File names must end with a proper file extension, and extensions must be lowercase.
• File names must not begin with an underscore. Roku's system will ignore any file beginning with an underscore.
• Whitespace and special characters must not be included in any file name. This restriction applies to video, subtitle, closed caption, sidecar audio, and metadata files alike. See the forbidden character table below for the complete list with character names.
• Reusing the same image across every episode of a series is discouraged. A unique per-episode image is preferred. If the same image is reused, it must still be delivered as a separate, uniquely-named file for each episode (e.g., episode.jpg delivered as episode_01.jpg, episode_02.jpg, etc.)

Characters Allowed in File Names

Characters Forbidden in File Names

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Partner Responsibility

Partners are responsible for delivering files to the correct location, following the agreed delivery schedule, and using valid file names. Roku may not have visibility into individual partner schedules.

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Glossary