--- title: "Creating a Web Feed" slug: "creating-a-web-feed" description: "Learn how to create a web feed in Skykit Beam." tags: ["stocks", "finance", "weather", "news", "Skykit Beam", "web feed"] updated: 2024-08-28T19:51:02Z published: 2024-08-29T14:00:30Z canonical: "support.skykit.com/creating-a-web-feed" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.skykit.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Creating a Web Feed **Note**: Some Skykit Beam feeds are not optimized for certain program layouts. Ensure optimal playback by only using supported program layouts with web feeds. To view a list of unsupported program layouts, see [Web Feeds: Unsupported Program Layouts](/v1/docs/web-feeds-unsupported-program-layouts). The Weather feed is available in all plans. News, Finance, Stock, and RSS feeds are available in Pro and Enterprise plans. ## **Creating a Web Feed** 1. In the **Content** menu, select the **+Content** button in the upper right corner of the window. ![Content window - Add Content button highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Content%20Window%20with%20Create%20Button(9).png) A drop-down list opens showing the content options available to you. ![Content Selector drop-down list](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Content%20Drop-Down(10).png) 2. Select **Feeds** from the list. The **Web Feed** settings window opens, defaulting to the settings for a Weather web feed. ![Web Feed settings window](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/creating-a-web-feed-image-1ji6lbrb.png) This is where you choose the type of feed you want to create and configure its settings. We'll walk you through the process for creating each type of web feed. ### **Weather Feed** 1. In the **Web Feed** settings window, select **Weather** from the **Feed Type** list. 2. From the **Weather Category** list, select the weather information you want to display: **Current Conditions**, **5 Day Forecast**, **Hourly**, or **36 Hour**. 3. From the **Temp Format** list, select the temperature format you want the web feed to use: **Fahrenheit** or **Celsius**. 4. In the last field, enter the **City**, **State**, and **Country** for which you want to display weather information. Location suggestions appear as you type; to ensure accuracy, select the location suggestion as soon as you see the location you want. ![Web Feed settings complete](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Web%20Feed%20Settings.png) 5. Select **Create**. The **Web Feed** content manager window opens showing a placeholder image of a weather feed. ![Web Feed content item manager](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Weather%20Web%20Feed(1).png) 6. Select **Publish** to make your feed available to publish directly to your displays or to insert into a playlist or program. ### **News Feed** NoteWe recently updated our news feeds to provide you a better experience. Please review this FAQ regarding the changes in experience and behavior. #### News Feeds Update FAQ | **Why are news feeds being updated?** Based on feedback from our customers, we wanted to provide more customization options and better overall visual experience for news feeds. **What will happen to my existing news feeds?** All existing News Feeds will be migrated without interruption for you. The current duration of your feed will also be maintained during this migration. **Will I still be able to control the number of news stories?** The number of stories will now vary depending on what’s available from the news provider. This can also change every 15 minutes when the feed attempts to retrieve any news updates. **How long does each news story/slide show?** Each story shows for 10 seconds. An option to change this duration will be available in the future. **Will total duration for news feeds be calculated the same way?** Existing news feeds will maintain the same total duration they had before. Because we no longer know how many stories may appear, we are unable to calculate the total duration. However, you can set the total duration on the content itself. For example, since each story stays on the display for 10 seconds, if you set the duration to 50 seconds and there are only three stories, then three stories will play and then the first two stories will repeat. All newly created news feeds default to 30 seconds. You can change the duration of a news feed from the Content Settings menu, or gear icon, at any time. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/news_feed_settings.png) **Will news feeds still play without connectivity?** Yes, news feeds will continue to play without connectivity for up to 4 hours. If a connection still isn’t available after 4 hours, the media player will play the fallback content set on the news feed. If no fallback content is set, a black screen may appear. You can set fallback content for a news feed from the Content Settings menu. **Will the updated news feeds look different on my displays?** Yes, the updated news feeds have a refreshed look with more engaging transitions between stories. Here is a screenshot example: ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/default_feed_example.png) **Will the updated news feeds work in all program layouts?** We recommend using news feeds in Program Layouts with landscape 16:9 or portrait 9:16 aspect ratio zones for optimal fitment and playback. Our [unsupported layouts for Web Feeds](/v1/docs/web-feeds-unsupported-program-layouts) still hold true for the updated news feeds. | | --- | #### Creating News Feeds 1. In the **Web Feed** settings window, select **News** from the **Feed Type** list. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/image-1698443274321.png) 2. From the **News Category** list, select **Top News**, **Entertainment News**, **Sports News,** or **Business News**. 3. From the **Location** list, select the location of the news feed. The options change slightly depending on the news category you choose. 4. From the **Custom Settings** section in the **Web Feed** create window, you can choose to customize general and text elements on the news feed itself to align with your brand or preference. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/beam.skykit.com_content%20(8).png) 5. Select **Create**. The **Web Feed** content manager window opens showing a placeholder image of a news feed. ![Web Feed window showing News feed item](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/news_feed_detail.png) 6. Select **Publish** to make your feed available to publish directly to your displays or to insert into a playlist or program. ### **Finance Feeds** #### Creating a Top Gainer/Loser financial feed 1. In the **Web Feed** settings window, select **Finance** from the **Feed Type** list. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Screenshot%202024-08-28%20at%2010.22.53%E2%80%AFAM.png) 2. From the **Financial Category** list, select **Top Gainers/Losers** from the list. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Screenshot%202024-08-28%20at%2010.54.36%E2%80%AFAM.png) 3. From the **Custom Settings** section in the W**eb Feed** create window, you can choose to customize general and text elements on the news feed itself to align with your brand or preference. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Screenshot%202024-08-28%20at%2010.53.39%E2%80%AFAM.png) 1. **Background Color:** Controls the background color. 2. **Font Family:** Font name for all text on the page. 3. **Accent Text Color:** This is the company name. 4. **Font Color:** This changes the main body text and title. 5. **Accent Color:** This is the background color of the title/company name. 4. Select **Create.** #### Creating a Stocks financial feed 1. In the **Web Feed** settings window, select **Finance** from the **Feed Type** list. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Screenshot%202024-08-28%20at%2010.22.53%E2%80%AFAM.png) 2. From the **Financial Category** list, select **Stocks** from the list. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Screenshot%202024-08-28%20at%2010.55.14%E2%80%AFAM.png) 3. Enter the desired stock symbol in the '**Stock Symbol**' field. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Screenshot%202024-08-28%20at%2011.53.19%E2%80%AFAM.png) 4. From the **Custom Settings** section in the **Web Feed** create window, you can choose to customize general and text elements on the financial feed itself. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Screenshot%202024-08-28%20at%2011.53.45%E2%80%AFAM.png) 1. **Background Color:** Controls the background color. 2. **Font Family:** Font name for all text on the page. 3. **Accent Text Color:** This is the company name. 4. **Font Color:** This changes the main body text and the graph lines. 5. **Accent Color:** This is the background color of the company name. 5. Select **Create**. ### **RSS Feed** RSS feeds let you display RSS feed content so your users can stay up to date with news and content from RSS sources. RSS feeds can be added to programs. RSS feeds are only supported on Android devices and do not support images. Currently, RSS feeds are only available to selected customers. 1. In the **Web Feed** settings window, select **RSS Feed** from the **Feed Type** list. ![RSS Feed Settings window](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/creating-a-web-feed-image-r3htyqc5.png) 2. In the **RSS feed URL** field, enter the URL for the RSS feed you want to display. You must use a valid RSS URL (for example, [https://www.yahoo.com/news/rss](https://www.yahoo.com/news/rss)). See [Popular RSS Feeds](/v1/docs/popular-rss-feeds) for links to popular news feeds in a variety of categories. 3. Using the slider, select the **Number of posts** you want to include in your feed. You can set up to 10 posts, depending on the publication or RSS provider. 4. From the **Refresh Rate** list, select how often (from 30 minutes to 24 hours) you want the feed refreshed. 5. To customize the colors of your feed (for instance, if you want it to align with your company's branding), select the **Font Color** and **Background Color** fields, then use the color selectors or enter a hex code to choose new colors. The colors default to black text on a white background. 6. Select **Create** to create your RSS feed and return to the **Content** menu. The new RSS feed appears in the list of content items. It is now available to publish directly to your displays or to insert into a playlist or program. ## **Next Steps** Now that you've created your Web Feed, you can manage it in Beam. See [Managing a Web Feed](/v1/docs/managing-a-web-feed) to learn more.