Configure Content Playout Properties: Dayparting, Scheduling, and Playback Properties

Configure Frequency Restrictions

The Frequency Restrictions setting is essentially a validation check for content playback duration. The content becomes invalid if it has reached the defined frequency duration (minute, hourly, or daily).

To configure Frequency Restrictions, follow the instructions below:

1. In the Playout Properties window, select the desired frequency from the Frequency Restrictions drop-down menu:
   
   
   
   • None – No frequency restriction (default).
   • At most – Maximum number of playout loops for selected setting.
     • X times a minute (e.g. 3 times per minute)
     • X times hourly (e.g. 3 times per hour)
     • X times daily (e.g. 3 times per day)
   • Skip loops – Number of playout loops to be skipped before content is included in the playlist.
     • Skip X loop(s) (e.g. Skip 3 loops)
   • Exactly – Content will be played the number of times defined in the setting.
     • X times a minute (e.g. 3 times per minute)
     • X times hourly (e.g. 3 times per hour)
     • X times daily (e.g. 3 times per day)
       Note

       The advanced channel will automatically build another playlist for content with the “Exactly” setting, and always check the “Exactly” playlist every time it finishes playing a content, to see if there is any valid content before checking the default or scheduled playlists, if any. The advanced channel will try its best to ensure content gets played exactly as the defined setting.
       
       
   • Air Time % – Content will be played to a percentage amount of the Media Zone playout duration as defined in the setting.
     Important

     The Air Time % option only works on Appspace App 1.20 and later.
2. Click SAVE once done.

Frequency Restrictions

Listed below are several key scenarios to help you understand how the selected options will impact all the content in a playlist, with the following assumptions set:

• The advanced channel contains one (1) layout with one (1) playlist in the following order:
  
• There is no schedule for the layout or the content unless mentioned otherwise.

Scenario 1

• Frequency Restrictions: None
• Description: Frequency restriction for all content in the playlist is “None”.
• Expected Behavior: Playout should follow and repeat the playlist sequence.
  

Scenario 2

• Frequency Restrictions: At most – X times a minute 
• Description: Frequency restriction for Content A is a maximum of 1 time every minute. No frequency restriction defined for other content.
• Expected Behavior 1: Assuming the duration for each content is 10 secs, the playout will be as below. Content A becomes invalid in loop 2 and therefore is skipped because it was last played less than 1 minute ago.
  
• Expected Behavior 2: Assuming the duration for each content is 15 secs, the playout will be as below. Content A is not played at the 5th minute because the App has not yet reached Content A before the minute is up, due to it playing other content in the playlist.
  

Scenario 3

• Frequency Restrictions: At most – X times hourly
• Description: Frequency restriction for Content B is maximum 1 time every hour. No frequency restriction defined for other content.
• Expected Behavior 1: Assuming the duration for each content is 10 minutes, the playout will be as below. Content B becomes invalid in loop 2 and therefore is skipped because it was last played 50minutes ago. At loop 3, Content B is valid again because it was last played 1hour 30minutes ago.
  
• Expected Behavior 2: Assuming the duration for each content is 30 minutes, the playout will be as below. Content B is included in every playback loop but is only played once every 2.5 hours.
  

Scenario 4

• Frequency Restrictions: Exactly – X times hourly
• Description: Frequency restrictions for Content E is exactly 3 times every hour. No frequency restriction defined for other content.
• Expected Behavior: Assuming the duration for each content is 5 minutes, the playout will be as below. The green font refers to content in the “Exactly” playlist. The advanced channel will always check the “Exactly” playlist every time it finishes playing a content. Content E should be played every 20 minutes. Content E is invalid if the last playback was less than 20 minutes ago. The advanced channel will pick a valid content from the default playlist as the next content.
  

Scenario 5

• Frequency Restrictions: Skip loop – Skip X loop(s)
• Description: Frequency restrictions for Content D is skip 2 playback loops. No frequency restriction defined for other content.
• Expected Behavior: Assuming the duration for each content is 30 minutes, the playout will be as below. Content D is skipped at every 2 playback loops.
  

Scenario 6

• Frequency Restrictions: A combination of Frequency Restriction settings. Two playlists will be created in the Media Zone as follows, with a duration for each content at 10 minutes:
  • Default playlist
    
  • “Exactly” playlist
    
• Description:
  • Content A has no frequency restriction.
  • Frequency restriction for Content B is maximum 8 times every day. 8 times per day = once every 3 hours.
  • Frequency restrictions for Content C is to skip 3 playback loops.
  • Frequency restrictions for Content D is exactly 2 times every hour. 2 times per hour = once every 30 minutes.
  • Frequency restrictions for Content E is exactly 6 times every day. 6 times per day = once every 4 hours
• Expected Behavior: Assuming the duration for each content is 10 minutes, the playout will be as below. The green font refers to content in the “Exactly” playlist. The advanced will always check the “Exactly” playlist every time it finishes playing a content. Since only Content A has no frequency restriction, it will be played again when there are no other valid content available.
  

Scenario 7

• Frequency Restrictions: Air Time 50%.
• Description: Frequency restriction for Content A is 50% of air time. No frequency restriction defined for other content.
• Expected Behavior: Assuming the duration for each content is 10 seconds, Display time = 10s/50% = play once every 20s.
  
  
  So if the Media Zone playlist is scheduled to play for a total duration of 24 hours, Content A will be playing for a total time of:
  = Total duration/Display time x Duration for Content A
  = 86400s/20s x 10s
  = 12 hours/day
  = 50% of air time per day.

Scenario 8

• Frequency Restrictions: Air Time 10%.
• Description: Frequency restriction for Content A is 10% of air time. No frequency restriction defined for other content.
• Expected Behavior: Assuming the duration for each content is 10 seconds,
  Display time = 10s/10% = play once every 100s.
  

Note: Content A is skipped in Loop 3 because it was played in Loop 2 less than 100 seconds ago.

• So if the Media Zone playlist is scheduled to play for a total duration of 24 hours, Content A will be playing for a total time of:
  = Total duration/Display time x Duration for Content A
  = 86400s/100s x 10s
  = 8640s
  = 2.4 hours/day
  = 10% of air time per day.

Scenario 9

• Frequency Restrictions: A combination of Frequency Restriction settings. Two contents with different Air Time percentages, one at 40% of air time, another at 20% of air time.
• Description
  • Frequency restriction for Content A is 40% of air time.
  • Frequency restriction for Content B is 20% of air time.
  • No frequency restriction defined for other content.
• Expected Behavior: Assuming the duration for each content is 10 seconds,
  
  • Display time for Content A with 10s duration = 10S/40% = play once every 25s.
  • Display time for Content B with 10s duration = 10S/20% = play once every 50s
  • For Content A:
    • Theoretically, if the Media Zone playlist is scheduled to play for a total duration of 24 hours, Content A will play for a total time of:
      = Total duration/Display time x Duration for Content A

      = 86400s/25s x 10s
      = 9.6 hours/day
      = 40% of air time per day.

    • But due to the playout duration of other content in the playlist, Content A plays every 30s instead of 25s. Therefore, Content A will play for a total time of only:
      = 86400s/30s x 10s
      = 8 hours/day
      = 33.33% of air time per day.
  • For Content B:

    • Theoretically, if the Media Zone is scheduled to play for a total duration of 24 hours, Content B will play for a total time of: 
      = Total duration/Display time x Duration for Content B
      = 86400s/50s x 10s
      = 4.8 hours/day
      = 20% of air time per day.

    • Due to the playout duration of other content in the playlist, Content B plays every 60s instead of 50s. Therefore, Content B will play for a total time of only:
      = 86400s/60s x 10s
      = 4 hours/day
      = 16.67% of air time per day.

1. In the Playout Properties window, click the Setup Dayparting button.
   
2. In the Edit Daypart Schedule window, select the time slot duration. Each time slot duration can be set to a minimum of 1 minute or a maximum of 1 hour.
   
3. Click on the desired time blocks to highlight and select the time slots, for a specific day, or an entire week.
   
4. Click Apply, and click SAVE once done.
   
   

Configure Tag Rules

The Tag Rules functions by cross-referencing tags as a way to automatically allocate specific or localized content to targeted devices via tag rules within the channel to matching device tags. This allows organizations to manage a single or main playlist that is published to devices in all locations, while still being able to control the content that is displayed in these locations, allowing for specific or localized content to be displayed.

Prerequisites

1. In the Playout Properties windows, select the desired tag rules from the Tag Rules drop-down menu:
   
   
   
   • None (default)
   • Device must match all content tags – Allows content to be displayed, only when all content tags match all the device tags.
   • Device must match at least one content tag – Allows content to be displayed, as long as any content tag matches the device tags
   • Define custom tag rules – Allows content to be displayed, based on a collection of tag rules that may include multiple operations, such as “include” and “exclude” operations.
     
     
     
     1. If the Define custom tag rules option is selected, click the CREATE RULE button to begin creating your tag rules. 
     2. Select the tag rule type from the Rule drop-down menu:
        • Include 
        • Exclude
     3. Enter the relevant tags that should be included or excluded depending on the Rule type in the Tags field.
     4. Select the tag rule condition from the Requires drop-down menu:
        • All – Requires all content tags to match all device tags.
        • At least one – Requires any content tag to match a device tag.
     5. If you would like to save the custom tag rules to be used for other content, enter the Tag Rule Template name and click Save.
   • Selecting a Tag Rule Template from the RECENT TAGS section:
     
     
     
     1. If you would like to edit or view the Tag Rules within the template, click the Tag Rule Template name link.
        • You may view existing tag rules from the left side panel.
        • You may edit the Tag Rule template, the same way as creating the Tag Rule Template. 
        • You may delete the Tag Rule template, by clicking the Tag Rule Template name, and clicking Delete Template.
2. Click SAVE once done.