TV Channel Management¶

TV channels are the basic content unit in the Catena system. Each channel represents a separate video content stream that is delivered to subscribers through client applications.

What is a Channel in Catena¶

A channel in Catena is an entity that combines:

Technical parameters — unique identifier and name for the streaming server
Visual presentation — display title and logo for users
Program guide — link to EPG (Electronic Program Guide) source
Pricing — inclusion in channel packages for selling to subscribers

It's important to understand that Catena does not handle direct video stream delivery — that's the streaming server's job (e.g., Flussonic Media Server). Catena manages channel metadata and access rights.

Main Channel Parameters¶

Technical Parameters¶

Channel ID

Automatically generated when creating a channel
Format: base64-encoded Snowflake ID with +/= replaced by -_.
Example: aKl9SW3AAAE.
Used for programmatic access via API
Not editable after creation

Streaming Name (Name)

Unique technical channel name within the portal
Used by the streaming server to identify the stream
Requirements:
Only Latin letters, digits, hyphen and underscore: [a-zA-Z0-9_-]
Length from 2 to 20 characters
Must be unique within your portal
Examples: sport1, news-hd, first_channel

Display Parameters¶

User Title (Title)

Localized channel name that viewers see
Can contain any characters, including Cyrillic
Examples: First Channel, Sport HD, News 24

Logo

Channel image for display in client applications
Format: PNG, transparent background recommended
Uploaded as binary data (base64)
Available through a separate endpoint: GET /channels/{channelId}/logo
Optimal size: 300x300 pixels

EPG Integration¶

EPG Source Name

Name of the electronic program guide source
References a previously created EPG Source in the system
One EPG source can be used for multiple channels

EPG Channel Name

Channel identifier within the EPG source
Used to match your channel with the program guide from the EPG file
Must exactly match the channel name in the XML EPG

Link Example: If in your EPG file the channel is called perviy-kanal, then in the EPG Channel Name field you need to specify exactly perviy-kanal, even if in Catena your channel is called first_channel.

Creating a Channel¶

Via Web Interface¶

Open the "Channels" section in the Catena control panel
Click the "Create Channel" button
Fill in required fields:
Name — technical name for the streaming server (in Latin)
Title — name to display to users
Fill in additional fields (optional):
Logo — upload channel image (PNG)
EPG Source Name — select program guide source
EPG Channel Name — specify channel name in the EPG source
Save the channel

After creation, the channel will receive a unique ID and will be available for adding to packages.

Via Management API¶

curl -X POST https://your-catena-domain.com/tv-management/api/v1/channels \
  -H "X-Auth-Token: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "sport1",
    "title": "Sport HD",
    "epgSourceName": "main-epg",
    "epgChannelName": "sport-channel-1"
  }'

Response:

{
  "channelId": "aKl9SW3AAAE.",
  "portalId": "pKl9SW3AAAE.",
  "name": "sport1",
  "title": "Sport HD",
  "epgSourceName": "main-epg",
  "epgChannelName": "sport-channel-1",
  "packages": []
}

Viewing Channel List¶

Via Web Interface¶

The "Channels" section displays a table with all portal channels:

Logo — channel logo thumbnail
Title — display name (Title)
Technical Name — streaming name (Name)
Packages — list of packages that include the channel
EPG — information about the connected program guide source
Actions — edit and delete buttons

Via Management API¶

Get list of all channels:

curl -X GET https://your-catena-domain.com/tv-management/api/v1/channels \
  -H "X-Auth-Token: your-api-key"

Response:

{
  "channels": [
    {
      "channelId": "aKl9SW3AAAE.",
      "portalId": "pKl9SW3AAAE.",
      "name": "sport1",
      "title": "Sport HD",
      "packages": ["basic", "premium"],
      "epgSourceName": "main-epg",
      "epgChannelName": "sport-channel-1"
    }
  ],
  "next": "cursor-for-next-page"
}

Pagination: To get the next page, use the cursor parameter:

curl -X GET "https://your-catena-domain.com/tv-management/api/v1/channels?cursor=cursor-for-next-page" \
  -H "X-Auth-Token: your-api-key"

Editing a Channel¶

Via Web Interface¶

Open the channel list
Find the needed channel and click the "Edit" button
Change parameters:
Title — can change the display name
Logo — upload new image
EPG Source Name / EPG Channel Name — change link to program guide
Save changes

Important: The name field (technical name) cannot be changed after channel creation. If you need to change the technical name, create a new channel and delete the old one.

Via Management API¶

curl -X PUT https://your-catena-domain.com/tv-management/api/v1/channels/aKl9SW3AAAE. \
  -H "X-Auth-Token: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "sport1",
    "title": "Sport Full HD",
    "epgSourceName": "new-epg-source",
    "epgChannelName": "sport-hd-channel"
  }'

Uploading and Getting Logo¶

Uploading Logo via API¶

When creating or updating a channel, the logo is passed in the logo field as a base64 string:

curl -X PUT https://your-catena-domain.com/tv-management/api/v1/channels/aKl9SW3AAAE. \
  -H "X-Auth-Token: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "sport1",
    "title": "Sport HD",
    "logo": "data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAA..."
  }'

Getting Logo¶

The logo is available through a separate endpoint:

curl -X GET https://your-catena-domain.com/tv-management/api/v1/channels/aKl9SW3AAAE./logo \
  -H "X-Auth-Token: your-api-key" \
  --output channel-logo.png

This URL can be used in client applications to display the logo.

Deleting a Channel¶

Via Web Interface¶

Open the channel list
Find the channel to delete
Click the "Delete" button
Confirm deletion

Warning: When deleting a channel, it will be automatically removed from all packages it was included in.

Via Management API¶

curl -X DELETE https://your-catena-domain.com/tv-management/api/v1/channels/aKl9SW3AAAE. \
  -H "X-Auth-Token: your-api-key"

Channel-Package Relationship¶

A channel by itself is not accessible to subscribers. To provide access to a channel, it needs to be included in a channel package.

The packages field in the channel (read-only): When getting channel information, the packages field contains a list of package names that include the channel. This field is read-only and is automatically updated when adding/removing a channel to/from packages via the channel-package relationship management API.

Example:

{
  "channelId": "aKl9SW3AAAE.",
  "name": "sport1",
  "title": "Sport HD",
  "packages": ["basic", "premium", "sport-package"]
}

Channel-EPG Relationship¶

How EPG Integration Works¶

Create an EPG source in the EPG Sources section
Specify the URL of the XML file with the program guide
Start synchronization of EPG data
In the channel settings, specify:
epgSourceName — name of the created EPG source
epgChannelName — channel name as specified in the XML EPG

Channel Mapping¶

EPG XML structure example:

<tv>
  <channel id="perviy-kanal">
    <display-name>First Channel</display-name>
  </channel>
  <programme start="20241015120000" stop="20241015130000" channel="perviy-kanal">
    <title lang="en">News</title>
  </programme>
</tv>

In Catena specify:

EPG Source Name: main-epg (name of the source you created)
EPG Channel Name: perviy-kanal (value of the id or display-name attribute from XML)

After this, the program guide will be automatically available for this channel in client applications.

Typical Use Cases¶

Launching a New Channel¶

Task: Add a new sports channel to the service

Steps:

Create a channel in Catena with the name sport-premium
Upload the channel logo
Configure EPG link (if program guide is available)
Add the channel to one or more packages
Configure the corresponding stream on the streaming server with the name sport-premium

Bulk Adding Channels¶

Task: Add 50 channels from a new content provider

Solution via API:

Prepare CSV or JSON with channel data
Create a script for automatic channel creation via API
Upload logos for each channel
Configure EPG mapping
Group channels into thematic packages

Updating EPG for Channels¶

Task: Change EPG source for a group of channels

Steps:

Create a new EPG Source with current data
Update channels, specifying the new epgSourceName
Check the correctness of epgChannelName mapping
Start EPG update

Channel Rebranding¶

Task: Change channel name and logo

Steps:

Open channel editing
Update the title field with the new name
Upload a new logo
Save changes
Changes will automatically appear in client applications on the next data update

Best Practices¶

Channel Naming¶

Name (technical name):
Use short, clear names: sport1, news, movies-hd
Avoid special characters except hyphen and underscore
Add suffixes for HD/SD versions: sport-hd, sport-sd
Title (display name):
Use full, clear names: "Sport HD", "News 24"
Can use any characters and emoji
Indicate quality in the name: "4K", "HD", "SD" (if important)

Channel Organization¶

Group channels logically by themes, using packages
Use a consistent style for logos (size, background, format)
Keep EPG data current
Document technical channel mapping

Logo Management¶

Size: optimal 300x300 pixels
Format: PNG with transparent background
File size: no more than 100 KB for fast loading
Consistent style: use the same style for all logos

Streaming Server Integration¶

Remember that the technical channel name in Catena must match the stream name on the streaming server:

Catena: name: "sport1"
Flussonic: stream must be named sport1

This ensures proper operation of access tokens and viewing analytics.

Troubleshooting¶

Channel Not Displayed in Application¶

Possible causes:

Channel is not included in any package
Subscriber doesn't have a subscription to a package with this channel
Corresponding broadcast is not configured on the streaming server

Solution:

Check that the channel is added to a package
Make sure the subscriber is subscribed to this package
Verify that the streaming server is delivering a stream with the corresponding name

EPG Not Displayed for Channel¶

Possible causes:

Incorrect epgChannelName specified
EPG Source not updated or contains errors
No data for this channel in the EPG XML

Solution:

Open the XML EPG and find the correct channel identifier
Update epgChannelName in the channel settings
Start forced EPG update
Check EPG update logs for errors

"Name must be unique" Error¶

Cause: A channel with this technical name already exists in your portal

Solution:

Use a different technical name
Or delete the existing channel with that name (if no longer needed)

Logo Won't Upload¶

Possible causes:

File is too large
Unsupported image format
Base64 encoding error

Solution:

Use PNG format
Compress the image to size < 100 KB
Check base64 encoding correctness

TV Channel Management¶

What is a Channel in Catena¶

Main Channel Parameters¶

Technical Parameters¶

Display Parameters¶

EPG Integration¶

Creating a Channel¶

Via Web Interface¶

Via Management API¶

Viewing Channel List¶

Via Web Interface¶

Via Management API¶

Editing a Channel¶

Via Web Interface¶

Via Management API¶

Uploading and Getting Logo¶

Uploading Logo via API¶

Getting Logo¶

Deleting a Channel¶

Via Web Interface¶

Via Management API¶

Channel-Package Relationship¶

Channel-EPG Relationship¶

How EPG Integration Works¶

Channel Mapping¶

Typical Use Cases¶

Launching a New Channel¶

Bulk Adding Channels¶

Updating EPG for Channels¶

Channel Rebranding¶

Best Practices¶

Channel Naming¶

Channel Organization¶

Logo Management¶

Streaming Server Integration¶

Troubleshooting¶

Channel Not Displayed in Application¶

EPG Not Displayed for Channel¶

"Name must be unique" Error¶

Logo Won't Upload¶

See Also¶