Recommendation rows automatically surface the right content to each of your viewers based on their viewing habits, much like the personalized rows on major streaming services. Unlike a manual or dynamic category, you don’t choose the individual titles that appear—the recommendation system selects them for each viewer. You stay in control of which types of content are eligible, and you can exclude anything you don’t want recommended.
This article explains what a recommendation row is, how it differs from other categories, how to create one, how to choose which content types are recommended, how to exclude specific content, and how recommendations are generated.
In this article:
- What is a recommendation row?
- How a recommendation row differs from other categories
- How to create a recommendation row
- Choose which content types are recommended
- Exclude content from a recommendation row
- How recommendations are generated
- Frequently asked questions
What is a recommendation row?
A recommendation row (also called a recommendation category) is a category that fills itself with personalized content for each viewer. Instead of curating a fixed list, the recommendation system decides what each viewer sees based on their watch history and viewing behavior. Each viewer—and each profile (if profiles are enabled) on a shared account—sees their own selection, and a row shows up to 30 titles per viewer.
How a recommendation row differs from other categories
When you create a category on Vimeo OTT, you choose one of three types:
- Manual — you curate the content yourself by adding each title.
- Dynamic — you set rules that automatically curate the content.
- Recommendation System powered — smart recommendations based on viewing habits, populated automatically for each viewer.
With a recommendation row you can’t add or reorder individual titles—that’s handled by the recommendation system. What you control is which types of content are eligible, and which specific titles should never appear.
How to create a recommendation row
- Log in to your Vimeo OTT admin.
- Navigate to Content > Categories in the navigation bar.
- Create a new category.
- For the category type, select Recommendation System powered (“Smart recommendations based on viewing habits”).
- Give the category a name and save it. This name is the row title your viewers will see.
Once the category is created, open its Content tab to configure it.
Choose which content types are recommended
On the category’s Content tab, the Content types section controls which kinds of content the recommendation system is allowed to include. Select any combination of:
- Video — individual videos.
- Movie — movie collections.
- Playlist — playlists.
- Series — episodic series.
Check the types you want in the row, then click Save. At least one type must be selected. If you don’t configure this, all types are eligible by default.
💡 Tip: Use content types to keep a row focused—for example, select only Series to build a “Recommended series for you” row, or only Video for a row of individual titles.
Exclude content from a recommendation row
Below Content types, the Excluded content section lets you stop specific titles from ever appearing in the row—useful for content that isn’t relevant, is being retired, or that you simply don’t want recommended.
- In the Excluded content section, click + Exclude content.
- In the Exclude Content window, find and select the videos or collections you want to exclude.
- Confirm to add them to the exclusion list.
Excluded items appear in a list you can review at any time. To stop excluding something, click Remove next to it—it becomes eligible for recommendation again right away.
💡 Tip: Excluding content only hides it from this recommendation row. It doesn’t unpublish the title or remove it from anywhere else on your site.
How recommendations are generated
Recommendations are generated automatically from how your viewers engage with your catalog—primarily their watch history and viewing behavior. Recommendations include only content that the viewer has never watched, so the row always surfaces fresh content.
The system refreshes periodically, so each viewer’s row updates as their tastes change and as new viewing data comes in, rather than in real time. Viewers who are new or haven’t watched much yet see a sensible default selection until there’s enough activity to personalize their row.
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose exactly which videos appear in a recommendation row?
No. The recommendation system selects content for each viewer automatically. You can control which content types are eligible and exclude specific titles, but you can’t hand-pick or reorder the items.
Do all viewers see the same recommendations?
No. Recommendations are personalized per viewer, and each profile on a shared account gets its own set.
How many items appear in a recommendation row?
Up to 30 per viewer.
Why is my recommendation row empty?
A row can look empty if your content type and exclusion settings leave nothing to show. Make sure at least one content type is selected and that you haven’t excluded most of your catalog.
How often do recommendations update?
They refresh periodically rather than instantly, so changes in viewing behavior are reflected after the next refresh.
Why don’t I see recommendation categories?
Recommendation categories are available only to enterprise accounts. If you’re an enterprise account and still don’t see them, reach out to your Account Manager or customer support.