Mid-Roll Breaks¶
Mid-roll breaks insert commercial-style breaks within programs, splitting a long movie or episode into segments separated by filler content. This simulates the experience of traditional TV commercial breaks.
Mid-roll breaks are configured per-slot in the Slot Editor and Time Slots editors. Any slot type that supports filler also supports mid-roll breaks.
Prerequisites¶
To use mid-roll breaks, you need:
- A filler list with content (commercials, bumpers, etc.)
- The filler list assigned to a slot with the Mid filler type
When editing a slot in the Slot Editor or Time Slots editor, add a filler list and select "Mid" as one of its types. Once a "Mid" filler is assigned, the mid-roll configuration panel appears.
Break Positioning¶
Mid-roll breaks support three positioning rules that control where breaks are inserted within a program.
Fixed Interval¶
Inserts breaks at regular time intervals throughout the program.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Interval | Time between breaks (e.g., every 30 minutes) |
A 2-hour movie with a 30-minute interval gets breaks at 30m, 60m, and 90m.
Percentage-Based¶
Inserts breaks at specific points expressed as percentages of the program's total duration.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Points | One or more percentage values (1–99%) |
A 2-hour movie with points at 25%, 50%, and 75% gets breaks at 30m, 60m, and 90m.
Initial Delay + Interval¶
Combines an initial delay before the first break with a regular interval for subsequent breaks.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Initial Delay | Time before the first break |
| Interval | Time between subsequent breaks |
A 2-hour movie with a 15-minute initial delay and 30-minute interval gets breaks at 15m, 45m, 75m, and 105m.
Break Duration¶
Break duration can be configured in two modes:
- Fixed: Every break has the same duration (e.g., 3 minutes).
- Range: Each break's duration is randomly chosen between a minimum and maximum value (e.g., 2–5 minutes). This makes breaks feel less mechanical.
Limits and Filters¶
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Max Breaks | Maximum number of breaks per program. 0 = unlimited. | 0 |
| Minimum Program Duration | Programs shorter than this are skipped entirely. | 60 minutes |
| Tail Buffer | Minimum amount of content preserved at the end of the program before the credits. No breaks are inserted within this window. | 0 |
| Program Types | Restrict mid-roll to specific content types (Movies, Episodes, Music Tracks, Music Videos, Other Videos). Empty = all types. | All |
Scheduling Strategy¶
The scheduling strategy controls when filler content is selected for mid-roll breaks.
Eager¶
Filler is selected at schedule generation time. The specific filler programs are embedded directly into the channel lineup.
- The TV guide shows the actual filler titles during breaks.
- Filler selection uses cooldown state from the time the schedule was generated.
Lazy¶
Filler selection is deferred to stream time — the moment a viewer is actually watching the channel. During schedule generation, placeholder "Commercial Break" entries are created.
- The TV guide shows generic "Commercial Break" entries.
- Filler selection uses fresh cooldown state, reducing repeats.
- Filler is drawn from the slot's mid-roll filler lists.
Tip
Use the Lazy strategy if you want the most variety in your filler content. Because filler is picked at playback time, the system has up-to-date knowledge of what has recently played and can avoid repeats more effectively.
Example Configuration¶
To add 3-minute commercial breaks every 30 minutes to movies longer than 1 hour:
- Open a slot in the Slot Editor or Time Slots editor.
- Add a filler list and select the Mid type.
- In the mid-roll configuration panel:
- Break Rule: Fixed Interval, 30 minutes
- Break Duration: Fixed, 3 minutes
- Minimum Program Duration: 60 minutes
- Max Breaks: 0 (unlimited)
- Strategy: Lazy
- Program Types: Movies only