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Create a FAST channel
- 16 Aug 2023
- 6 Minutes to read
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Create a FAST channel
- Updated on 16 Aug 2023
- 6 Minutes to read
- Contributors
- Print
- DarkLight
- PDF
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A new content format akin to linear TV, Free Ad Supported TV (Fast) takes under its wings, the linear viewers that want content curated for them. The screenshot above illustrates a "Free" model Fast Channel.
It is easy to set up and format a Fast channel. See how.
Setting up a Fast channel
- From the Content module, click Fast Channel > Add Fast Channel.
- Select a method to curate the content, either Programatically or Manual, and click Create.
- On the new Fast Channel detail page, provide the title, description, images, tags, categories, monetization plan, and the permalink (permanent link) for your Fast channel.
- Select Template: ViewLift now supports EPG on Video Template Page. Select Video Page to adapt a Fast channel into the trays of other formats, such as a Live Videos tray. By doing so, you need not create a separate EPG page. Simply add the channel permalink to your Live Videos tray.
Adding Videos and Ads
After the basic setup is done, it's time for you to add videos and configure ads. Open the Channel Settings section.
Prerequisites
To play ads (either using VOD content or using the Ad Tag Server URL), make sure it meets the following prerequisites:
- Same rendition: All videos and ads must have the same rendition. This means that they must be encoded in the same way and have the same quality.
- Same resolution: All videos and ads must have the same resolution.
- Same order: The videos and ads manifest files must be in the same order, and the resolutions must be in the same order. This means that they must be encoded in the same way and have the same quality.
For example, if the first video in the manifest file is encoded in 720p, then the first ad in the manifest file must also be encoded in 720p. If the second video in the manifest file is encoded in 1080p, then the second ad in the manifest file must also be encoded in 1080p.
Tools support both Prerolls and Midrolls.
| Screen elements | Description |
|---|---|
| Global Ad Settings |
- Do you want preroll ads before each program? Enable this toggle to load a preroll ad, and then input the Ad Tag URL in the Ad Tag Server URL field to the right. Our platform currently only supports Google and Spotx Ad tags for client-side ads. - Do you want to randomize the order? Plays videos in random order after the number of hours you set in the field below. See the Ads Randomizer section below for more info. - Enter the time (in hours) when the order will reset. Example: Enter 24 to randomize every day. TO ENABLE MIDROLLS GLOBALLY - Do you want to add Randomizer Ads? Plays midroll ads in random order, as the feature name implies. Leaving the toggle off will have the ads play out in the order you've uploaded them. - Enter the time (in seconds) when the Ads will start showing on the video. Specify the ad insertion time interval. 300 seconds or 5 mins by default. The platform will then display ads at the designated intervals throughout the programs on your Fast channel. - Select Randomizer Ads. In the Select Randomizer Ads box to the right, upload your ad files. Ideal if you want to serve ads directly from the Tools CMS and not use a separate ad server. Note - You cannot delete or add videos once the Tools Platform executes your build on AWS. You can, however, modify the metadata, like Title and Description. - (Limitations) Ads are non-skippable and impression data are currently under implementation. - A single video in a Fast channel cannot have more than 50 ads. If you set a 1-minute offset and a length of a video in the channel is 1 hour, it will result in an error and you cannot build the channel. Be mindful while creating midroll slots as reduced ads guarantee steady viewership. |
| Ad Tag Server URL | URL for the Ad Tag Server. |
| Default Video Slate URL | If the Ad Tag fails to load or you prefer not to use Ad Tag URLs, you can upload a slate video in Tools. In such cases, the system will automatically use the default video slate as the fallback option. However, you can choose only one ad for preroll. |
Select Randomizer Ads | (As midrolls only) Select your ads by using the Ads Randomizer file picker. |
Drag and Drop Content | Use the search box below to search for content that you'd like to add to the channel. Drag and drop the content into the Programs section on the right. To include series and episodes, click the + icon on the series content. Use your mouse or trackpad to drag contents to rearrange positions in the navigation pane. You can add as many hours of content -- there is no time limit for a channel. |
Note
Ads are optional. You can also stream a channel without them.
Once you're happy with the settings and verified that there are no errors in the playlist, proceed to click Build to add the channel to your AWS server. An M3U8 file is generated. The M3U8 file is a playlist file that contains information about the available renditions and the URLs where the video chunks for each rendition can be found. The video player will read the M3U8 file and use it to fetch the video chunks in the correct order.
Click Publish > Start to go live.
Clicking the Start/Stop button again stops a stream and viewers will get a 404 error.
Next step
Once the build is processed, copy the EPG URL in the Renditions and Mezz, and drop it into the EPG module settings on the fast channel landing page. To know how to create a Fast channel landing page and add the EPG URL, see this article.
Can I run a preroll and a midroll on the videos I want?
You can run pre-roll and mid-rolls on videos of your choice. These ads will not be set through Google Ad Manager (GAM). Instead, ViewLift will use an ad VOD that is uploaded to ViewLift Tools. The ad will play like a regular VOD.
How to play a preroll slate from Tools
Pick the ad VOD using the Default Video Slate URL field, and enable the Do you want preroll ads before this program? toggle on the videos on which you want to run the selected slate as preroll.
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Play a slate as a midroll
Click the desired video from the Order and Configure Programs section, upload the desired ad from the file picker, and set the specific time when you want the ad to play. Keep in mind that this will override any global ad settings you may have configured in the section above.
You can run as many ads as you want using the MIDROLL AD option. Simply set a specific time when you want the ads to play inside a program.
FAQs - Fast Channel
Q. The build process is encountering errors, and the system indicates that there are specific issues. How can I see the specific details of what's causing the error?
A. Debug issues by enabling "Show programs with errors" under the Search tab. This reveals a list of erroneous videos. Hover over the information icon on each video to identify the specific issue, as illustrated in the screenshot below.
Ads implementation summary
| Ad type | Managed via | Ad frequency | Ad targeting parameters | SCTE marker? |
| Preroll | - Ad Tag URLs via GAM - Ads ingested as VOD objects | One or more ads can be configured to play before a video playback | Geo restriction: N/A User demographics: N/A | N/A |
| Midroll | Ads are ingested as VOD objects | You can play up to 50 ad VODs as midroll on a single video. | Geo restriction:N/A User demographics: N/A | Tools-managed midroll ads do not support SCTE markers. Instead, you can play ads as VOD objects using Ad Randomizer under Global Settings or configure ads on individual videos using the Insert New Midroll Ad option. |
| Midroll with SCTE | Google Ad Manager and ads stitched via Media Tailor using SCTE markers | Configurable | SCTE-35 Geo restriction: Using Zip Code for Live games | Commonly used for live broadcasting. |
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