In accordance with an embodiment, described herein is a system and method for delivery of content based on matching of user profiles with content metadata. The system enables delivery of personalized content, without the overhead of managing segment targeting rules, while providing content publishers or marketers with complete control over such personalization. A recommendation service or application program interface, provided by a computer, cloud computing environment, or other type of computer system, enables receipt and processing of requests, from client devices, for personalized content. A recommendation engine delivers content assets in response to a request from a client device. The recommendation engine determines a content channel and a user identity associated with the request, and then delivers content assets based on rules governing the matching of content asset metadata with the user profile. While content classification evolves over time, so also does the personalization of delivered content.