The Fill Segments allows the fill segments within the current schedule using assets defined by the operator and contractual fillers defined within orders (or approved proposals). To use this tool, follow the procedure described below:
Note:
The calculation of occupied space of segments considers only those events with a duration equal to or greater than the one set in "Etere Configuration > Settings > Air Sales > Scheduling Rules" in the "Min. duration of events considered in space calculations" parameter. Events lasting less than this value will be ignored.
1. Fillers List
The Fillers List allows you to view and add/remove the fillers used to fill the schedule of the selected day.
• Filler type: These fillers, automatically inserted in the list, comprise all those order lines available for the selected day (scheduling validity and number of runs) specified as a Filler Type.
• Add to fillers list: These fillers, automatically inserted in the list, comprise all the order lines specified to be added.
• Custom fillers: These fillers are those manually selected by the user. Custom filters can be inserted by pressing the Add button and choose one of the following functions:
➢Add asset form: Use it to manually insert common assets into the Fillers List, searching and selecting them from Etere's assets database; multi-selection is possible by choosing all desired assets and double-clicking while holding the Ctrl key. Before insertion, the application will prompt the timeframe for the selected assets in the Fillers list.
➢Add commercials scheduled on this day. Use it to insert assets (of a particular type) that automatically belong to order lines scheduled for the day in question; scheduled order lines can be inserted in two different ways:
•Single assets: It will add a unique distinct filler to the list for assets linked to an order line scheduled in the day. For instance, if six order lines linked to the same asset are scheduled on the same day, that asset will be inserted only once.
•All order lines: It will add one different filler to the list for each order line scheduled in the day. For instance, if six order lines are linked to the same asset planned on the same day, that asset will be inserted six times (one for each order line).
Custom filters can be easily removed from the list by selecting the filler and clicking the remove button.
NB: Only those assets associated with an order line will be inserted when inserting custom fillers (either by single asset or order lines). Otherwise, they will be ignored.
2. Integration List
The Integration List tab permits the definition of a list of assets of a particular type (e.g. commercials, trailers, etc) that will be used to fill the remaining segment spaces. This method uses only one filler by segment (the one with the maximum possible duration concerning the segment's empty space).
•Add integration fillers: Use it to select the type(s) of the assets that will be inserted into the Integration List; the application will automatically insert all assets which are valid for the day in question, match the selected type(s), last more than one frame, and can be scheduled in the current station.
When added, integration fillers are inserted with a '998' priority at the end of the segment (even if 'bottom' events are scheduled in it).
To remove an integration filler(s) from the list, select the filler(s) and click the remove button.
3. No Contact List
The "No Content List" section allows the creation of up to 10 custom-filling lists composed of either repository assets or scheduled events.
Material type - Customer filler
Description: Repository assets and Contractual events (which filler type is "none") scheduled on the selected day.
Selection: Manual
Available functions
The No Content List can be managed through the following functions:
Refresh - Reload all information displayed in the list.
Add - Fillers can be manually added using the following buttons:
Media Library - Manually search and insert assets from the Media Library.
NB: Hold the <Ctrl> key while selecting assets and double-click on them for multi-selection.
Commercial already scheduled on this day - Automatically insert assets (filtered by type) from order lines scheduled on the selected day. Assets from scheduled order lines can be inserted in two different ways:
•Single assets: Add one filler for assets linked to multiple order lines scheduled on the same day.
E.g. if six order lines linked to the same asset have been scheduled on the same day, that asset will be inserted only once.
•All order lines: Add one separate filler for every order line scheduled on the same day.
If six order lines linked to the same asset have been scheduled on the same day, the asset will be inserted six times (one per order line).
NB: Only assets correctly associated with an order line are inserted; incongruent ones are ignored.
Remove - Remove the selected filler from the list.
Custom filters can also be removed by right-clicking on them and choosing "Remove".
Dates - Shows the current open date, the day to which fillers will be applied.
Force Priority - Give fillers a fixed priority (between 4 and 996). This option is useful, for example, to make fillers fall in after paid events scheduled with a lower priority (e.g. 600).
4. White/Black List
The "White/Black List" section allows the creation of a list of fillers composed of the following material types:
Material type - BL/WL spot
Description: Contractual events are placed in the selected day's White and Black lists.
Selection: Manual
Available functions
The White/Black List can be managed through the following functions:
Refresh - Reload all information displayed in the list.
Add - Fillers can be manually added using the following buttons:
Add spot from the Black list - Manually select a contractual event from the blacklist of the selected day.
Add spot from the White list - Manually select a contractual event from the white list of the selected day.
Add spot from B&W list - Manually select a contractual event from the black-and-white lists of the selected day.
While adding fillers, you can define the maximum number of runs to use in a day by clicking on the related column.
(this value can be changed after in the main window, just by clicking the same column):
Note: Choose "All" to fill segments using all runs in the BL/WL for the spot (see "remaining" column). The "max runs" number will decrease (until zero) as the spot will be scheduled in the day.
NB: When inserting a spot into the schedule, you can insert the spot to the Top/Tail or the Top/Middle/Tail.
Remove - Remove the selected filler from the list.
White list and Black list fillers can also be removed by right-clicking on them and choosing "Remove".
Dates - Shows the current open date, the day to which fillers will be applied.
Force Priority - Give fillers a fixed priority (between 4 and 996). This option is useful, for example, to make fillers fall in after paid events scheduled with a lower priority (e.g. 600).
NB: By default, integration fillers are inserted with a '998' priority (i.e. at the end of segments, after "bottom" events).
5. Filling
5.1 Once the list to be used has been populated (i.e. the fillers list or the integration list), under the Filling tab, it defines the insertion criteria for filling the schedules of a specific timeframe. Available filling criteria include:
•Minimum free space: Enter the 'minimum number of free space' (in seconds) a segment must fulfil for filling.
•Period: Specify the date range and the ad insertion network where the schedules are intended to be filled.
•Fill up to Indicate if segments would be filled up to their average or maximum duration.
•Don't use more than one filler per segment: If enabled, only one filler will be used to fill a segment; this filler duration is the closest (minor or equal) to the segment empty space; otherwise (if not enabled), fillers will be inserted (according to their position) filling the segment up to its possible maximum duration.
•Filling by: Select asset duration if intended to fill segments using the fillers with the nearest time to the empty segment space, or select rotation to serve segments on a rotating basis (i.e. repeating a sequence of fillers across the segments).
NB: If the list used for filling is the Integration List, the values set in the options fields (i.e. 'don't use more than one filler per segment' and 'filling by') will be ignored because such list is inserted into the schedule once per segment and based on its asset duration.
5.2 When all criteria have been defined, click the 'Search' button to list all segments matching these criteria (i.e. period, minimum free space, etc).
5.3 Select the segments the application will fill; all segments are selected by default.
5.4 Click on the button related to the list intended to be used for filling segments. Please note that selected segments will be filled using only those fillers whose type is supported by the segment; for example, 'PROMO' fillers won't be used for filling segments which only support 'COMMERCIAL' events.
5.5 All inserted fillers will be highlighted within the Strategic Editor's schedule with a proper icon that indicates the 'filling nature' of the event:
6. Delete
The Delete tab displays all fillers scheduled within a specific time range and the segment on which they have been placed:
Select the filler events to be deleted and press the delete button to remove them from their respective schedules.
7. Log
Under the Log section, it displays all operations performed during the LAST filling process:
The open button stored the log file (i.e. traffic.FillSegments.log) containing all filling operations performed by the current Etere PC.