Insert ad breaks into scheduled programming from an ad server tag, either for every channel at once or with different settings per channel.
How ad breaks work
When ads are enabled, the channel inserts a break into scheduled programming at your chosen interval. At each break, ads are requested from your VAST or VMAP tag URL, converted to the channel's format, and played, up to your chosen number per break. Regular programming then continues.
Ads are inserted into the broadcast itself, so every viewer sees them, including viewers watching in VLC, IPTV apps, on Roku, and on simulcast platforms. Ads aren't inserted during live broadcasts.
Global ad settings
Click Ad Settings in the left sidebar. These settings apply to every channel that hasn't turned on its own override.
- Tick Enable ads globally.
- Paste your VAST / VMAP tag URL.
- Set Ad break every (minutes) and Ads per break.
- Click Test tag to check the tag, then Save.
Per-channel override
While a channel uses the global settings, its Ads tab shows INHERITED and a summary of those settings. To give a channel its own settings:
- Open the channel's Ads tab.
- Tick Override global ad settings for this channel.
- Tick or untick Enable ads on this channel, then fill in the tag and timing.
- Click Save. The badge changes to ENABLED or DISABLED.
For example, you can run ads on most channels but keep one ad-free, or use a different ad network for one channel. To go back to the global settings, untick the override.
Settings explained
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| VAST / VMAP tag URL | The ad server URL that returns your ads. If you don't have one yet, the form links to a free VAST URL generator. |
| Tag type | Auto-detect works for almost every tag. Choose VAST or VMAP only if auto-detection gets it wrong. |
| Ad break every (minutes) | 1–1440 minutes of programming between breaks. |
| Ads per break | 1–10. The maximum number of ads in a break. A break can be shorter if the ad server returns fewer ads. |
Testing a tag
Test tag fetches the tag once and lists the ads it returns, with their titles, durations, and media URLs. You'll see one of three results:
- A table of ads: the tag works.
- "Tag resolved but returned no playable ads": the URL is valid, but the ad server had nothing to serve at that moment. This is common with geo-targeted or low-fill ad networks. Try again later, or check your ad network's settings.
- "Tag test failed": the URL is unreachable or isn't valid VAST/VMAP. Check that you copied all of it.
