How do I Build a Rotation Playlist?
A rotation playlist is a loop of videos your channel plays whenever there's no live feed, scheduled broadcast or program episode. It's what keeps the channel on air around the clock.
Every channel has a Default Playlist. You can create more and play them at different times of day with time belts. See How do I Use Time Belts?.
Open Playlists
In the channel menu, click Playlist. Broadcasting Clock opens:
- Playlists (left): every playlist, with its total length. The default is marked DEFAULT, and the one playing now is marked ON AIR.
- Time Belts Rules (left): see How do I Use Time Belts?.
- Fallback Playback Mode (left): see Playback Mode.
- The selected playlist (right): its videos in order, with each one's length. The video playing now is marked LIVE.
Click a playlist on the left to show its videos.
Add Videos
- Select the playlist on the left.
- Click Add Media. Add to Playlist opens.
- Search for and choose a video. Only videos that are ready and usable on your channel are listed.
- Click Add to Playlist. Cecula Stream confirms Video added to playlist.
The video is added to the end of the playlist.
Change the Order
Use the up and down arrows next to a video to move it.
Remove a Video
- Click the bin next to the video. Remove Media? opens.
- Choose:
- Remove from Playlist: for a video that isn't playing.
- Remove and Skip (Interrupt Stream): for the video on air. The channel cuts to the next video straight away.
- Remove and Finish Playing: for the video on air. It plays to the end first.
Removing a video from a playlist doesn't delete it from your Media Library.
Create a Playlist
- Next to Playlists, click New. Create Playlist opens.
- Enter a Playlist Name, such as Late Night Chill, and a Description.
- Optionally, give the playlist its own logo sting under Playlist Logo Sting (Stinger Override). See A Different Sting for a Playlist.
- Click Create Playlist. Cecula Stream confirms Rotation playlist created successfully.
A new playlist only plays when a time belt uses it or you make it the default.
Edit, Make Default or Delete
Open the menu next to a playlist:
- Edit details: change its name, description or logo sting, then click Save Changes.
- Make default: play this playlist whenever no time belt is active.
- Delete: confirm Are you sure you want to delete this playlist? All items inside will be removed.
The default playlist can't be deleted. To delete it, make another playlist the default first. Deleting a playlist doesn't delete its videos from your Media Library. Change or delete any time belts that use it before you delete it.
Playback Mode
Fallback Playback Mode applies to every playlist on the channel, and saves as soon as you choose:
| Mode | How videos are picked |
|---|---|
| Sequential Loop | In order (1, 2, 3 …), then from the start again |
| Shuffle / Random | At random. Every video plays once before any video repeats |
How a Playlist Plays
- Which playlist: the playlist of the active time belt, or the default playlist when no belt is active.
- Picking up again: when a scheduled broadcast, episode or live feed ends, the playlist carries on with the videos it hasn't played yet in the current round.
- Logo stings: if you've set one, it plays when the channel switches into a playlist, and after every so many videos. See How do I Use a Logo Sting?.
- Changes: changes are picked up straight away, and the video on air carries on.
- Failed videos: a video that fails to start is skipped. If every video in the playlist fails, or the playlist is empty, viewers see your channel poster or colour bars.
- Deleted parts: a video whose streaming versions were deleted to free space may be skipped. See Delete Media.
Tips
- Make the default playlist long. A short loop repeats quickly, and viewers notice.
- Check the total length shown next to each playlist.
- Use time belts to keep content suitable for the time of day, rather than one playlist for everything.