Categories are broad groupings that organize your content by genre or theme, like "Fitness," "Cooking," or "Documentaries."
They help viewers browse your catalog by topic and must be assigned to all content (videos, collections, live events) for it to appear in your catalog.
Key Points
All content must be assigned to at least one category to appear in your Catalog
Categories appear on the catalog page as browsable sections
You can customize category thumbnails and descriptions
Categories can be ordered and arranged to prioritize certain content
Categories work across all platforms: web, mobile apps, and TV apps
Categories vs. Collections
Many creators confuse categories and collections, but they serve different purposes.
🔗 Learn more about Collections
Categories | Collections |
Broad themes for organizing all content | Playlists or series grouped for sequential viewing |
Act like genres (e.g., "Yoga," "Documentaries") | Act like a TV series or courses (e.g., "30-Day Challenge") |
Organize your entire catalog | Used to group related videos meant to be watched together |
Required for content to appear in the Catalog | Must be assigned to categories to appear in the Catalog |
ℹ️ INFO: Categories are like genres (action, comedy), while collections are like TV series or movie sequels.
Creating a Category
Navigate to Content > Organize (Categories)
Click Add New
Enter a name for your category
Add a description (optional but recommended for SEO)
Upload a thumbnail image
Optionally, customize the URL slug for the category page
Click Save Changes
💡 TIP: Your category page URL structure will be /category/url-slug. Creating SEO-friendly slugs can help with discoverability.
Managing Category Content
There are three ways to organize your content with categories:
Assigning Categories to Individual Content
This method works best when adding categories to a single item.
Navigate to Content > Videos (or Collections, Live Streaming)
Click on the content item you want to edit
Scroll down to the Organize card
Select the categories you want to assign or create a new one
Click Save Changes
📝 NOTE: Your created categories will not appear in your Catalog until they contain at least one published content (video, collection, or livestream). Empty categories remain hidden from viewers.
Adding Content through the Category Editor
Use this method to add content items of different types to a specific category.
Navigate to Content > Organize (Categories)
Click the category you want to add content to
Under the Manage Content card, click Add Content
Select the content items you want to add
Click Add
💡 TIP: Unassigning categories can be done simply by using the Remove from Category option in the category editor or by editing the individual content and deselecting the category.
Bulk Assignment from Content Lists
This is the fastest way to organize multiple content items at once.
Navigate to Content > Videos (or Collections, Live Streaming)
Tick the checkboxes for the items you want to select
Click Add Categories
Select the categories you want to assign
Click Add
Order Videos within a Category
Control the sequence in which videos appear within a specific category.
Navigate to Content > Organize (Categories)
Click the category you want to organize
Scroll down to the Manage Content card
Here you can:
Click the Randomize Content button to shuffle the order
Drag and drop content items to manually reorder them
Use the Sort By dropdown to select a sorting option
(Newest First, Alphabetical, Most Viewed, etc.)
ℹ️ INFO: The changes to the order of the content are automatically saved. This ordering applies to how content appears when viewers browse that specific category.
Order Categories in the Catalog
Control the sequence in which categories appear on your catalog page.
Navigate to Content > Organize (Categories)
Click and edit the specific category
Under the About card, enter the Category Position
Click Save Changes
💡 TIP: The position of other categories will automatically adjust and move a position back. Lower numbers appear higher in the Catalog (position 1 is at the top).
Viewer Experience with Categories
Categories create the primary navigation structure for your viewers across all platforms. Here's how categories appear to your audience:
On the Website
Categories appear as horizontal rows (by default) on the Catalog page
Each category has its own dedicated page accessible via a direct URL
Category descriptions appear on individual category pages
Featured categories can display as a prominent banner at the top of the catalog
🔗 Learn more about the Featured Category
Categories automatically appear as one of the default filters in the Catalog Filters, allowing viewers to quickly narrow down content by category
🔗 Learn more about the Catalog Filters
You can also choose to display categories in a vertical thumbnail view
🔗 Learn more about Vertical Thumbnails
On Mobile Apps
Categories appear as scrollable sections on the app catalog
Category thumbnails help viewers quickly identify content themes
Viewers can tap a category name to see all content within that category
On TV Apps
Categories create the main navigation structure
Viewers can browse through categories using remote controls
Featured categories may have special visual treatment depending on the platform
💡 TIP: Viewers can also search for content across all categories using the search function available on all platforms.
Best Practices for Organizing Categories
Keep it simple
Limit the number of top-level categories to avoid overwhelming users
Be consistent
Use a consistent naming convention for categories
Think like your users
Organize categories based on how your audience searches for content
Highlight popular content
Place popular categories higher in the order
Update regularly
Review and refine your category structure as your content library grows
Use clear thumbnails
Choose visually distinct thumbnails for each category
Consider featured categories
Use the Featured Category option to highlight special content
FAQs
Can content belong to multiple categories?
Can content belong to multiple categories?
Yes, videos, collections, and live events can be assigned to multiple categories.
Do categories appear the same way across all platforms?
Do categories appear the same way across all platforms?
There may be slight differences in how categories display across web, mobile, and TV apps. For example, Featured Category Images and Videos are not available in mobile apps. They will only appear on the web and within TV apps.
Can I create subcategories in Uscreen?
Can I create subcategories in Uscreen?
No, Uscreen does not support subcategories. Instead, use a combination of categories and collections to create a hierarchical content structure.
How many categories should I have?
How many categories should I have?
There's no strict limit, but it's best to keep your category structure simple and intuitive. Most successful Uscreen sites have between 5-15 main categories.
What happens to the content if I delete a category?
What happens to the content if I delete a category?
The content remains in your store but must be assigned to at least one other category to appear in your catalog.