Aggregation FAST Channel Deliverables

The contents of this article pertain only to dotstudioPRO Aggregation clients: clients who deliver FAST channels through an Aggregation/Distribution agreement. The information can be adopted by Enterprise/development teams, however Enterprise clients should develop a content plan/workflow with their DSP representative directly as their pipeline may differ.

This article outlines the delivery requirements for  FAST Channel Aggregation through dotstudioPRO. If you are delivering titles for video on demand, our VOD Specifications document can be found here.

If you have any questions about our tech specs or the DSP dashboard, or if you are concerned that your title will be unable to fulfill the minimum requirements, please reach out to your dotstudioPRO Client Representative.

Overview

Fast channels are considered to be any extant or ready-made linear channels to be used for distribution to video on demand platforms. The below specifications outline the preferred specifications for deliverables to dotstudioPRO. If you are unable to conform to/secure any of the below criteria, please reach out to your dotstudioPRO client services rep; the linear space changes quickly and many aspects are negotiable and yet to be fully standardized.

A complete FAST Channel Delivery Package Includes:

• 1x Promotional Deck
• 1x HLS Stream with SCTE-35 ad markers
• 1x Electric Program Guide (EPG)
• 5x Image Files
• Content Specifications Adherence

 

Promotional Deck

A promotional deck is required to pitch your channel(s) to our partner platforms. The deck must be a professional looking full colour document, complete with creative branding, including images and logos, and must be no shorter than 2 pages per channel.

Promotional Deck Contents:

• Overview of channel (genres/style/branding)
• Content highlights (2-5 high key titles/series that would attract audiences)
• Social media reach
• Total content hours available
• Refresh rate of the content

Promotional Deck Tech Specs:

• Format: PDF
• Color Space: RGB
• File Size: Less than 10MB

 

HLS Specifications

Channels must be delivered as an M3U8 top-level manifest; the HLS must use segmented transport streams in an appropriate bitrate ladder. All manifests and .ts segments must be served over HTTPS.

Recommended Bitrate Ladder

Name	Width	Height	kbps
FHD	1920	1080	5000
HD	1280	720	2900
SD (720)	720	404	1200
SD (640)	640	360	900
Mobile (512)	512	288	700
216p (high)	384	216	440
216p (low)	384	216	230

Streams must include appropriate SCTE-35 ad markers to denote the start and end of ad breaks.

Upon delivery to dotstudioPRO, each channel will be tested against Apple's HLS Media Stream Validator. All streams must pass validation to be accepted by dotstudioPRO.

HLS Technical Specs:

Criteria	Requirements
HTTPS Serving	Both the M3U8 and TS files must be served over HTTPS.
Top Level Manifest	Required.
Transport Stream	Segmented TS only. Single file byte range (TS/MP4) are not supported.
SCTE-35 Markers	Required.
DRM	DRM is discouraged.
Video Specifications	H.264, main profile at 23.976, 25, or 29.97 frames per second. Stream must be progressive scan.
Audio Specifications	AAC-LC, 16bit @ 40khz, 2-channel stereo
Loudness	All content should include relative loudness. ATSC A/85 OR EBU R-128 are recommended.
Closed Captions	If provided, must be embedded into the stream.
Segment Duration	6 seconds
Renditions (bitrate ladder)	A minimum of 6 renditions including resolutions of 1920x1080, 1280x720, and 640x360 is required. See below for recommended minimum bitrate ladder.
Deletion Window	minimum 2 minutes (recommended)
Hot/Warm Backup	Recommended, but not required.
SSAI	Streams should be provided clean, without client owned SSAI but with SCTE-35 markers. If SSAI is available, please discuss with your DSP client services rep.
CDN	Origin URL is preferred, however if CDN URL is provided, both the Origin and CDN must be CORS compliant.

 

EPG Specifications

An electronic program guide must be supplied alongside the live stream. Ideally, channel owners will have the ability to provide multiple, platform-specific, EPG's, since many platforms use unique specifications for their EPG requirements.

When this is not possible, the below EPG specifications can serve as a generic catch-all.

Programming Criteria:

Criteria	Requirements
EPG Format	XMLTV
Days Forward	7 days
Days Back	1 day
Minimum Program Duration	15 minutes

EPG Format:

Element	Description	Attributes	Attribute Description
Programme <programme>	Parent element. Used to contain each unique programme item. A programme element must be present for each title/programming block.	Programme Channel channel="ID"	Attribute of "Programme" element. Denotes the channel ID.
		Programme Start Time start="time +zone"	Denotes the programme start time. Format: YYYYMMDDHHMMSS +TZ
		Programme Stop Time stop="time +zone"	Denotes the programme end time. Format: YYYYMMDDHHMMSS +TZ
Title <title>	Child of Programme element.Denotes the title of a given programme.	Language lang="code"	Denotes the language of the programme. Format: ISO-639-1 2 digit language code.
Description <desc>	Child of Programme element.Denotes the synopsis/description of a given programme. Maximum of 125 characters.	Language lang="code"	Denotes the language of the description. Format: ISO-639-1 2 digit language code.
Category <category>	Child of Programme element. Denotes the genres for a given programme. Separate Category tags should be used for each genre.	Language lang="code"	Denotes the language of the category value. Format: ISO-639-1 2 digit language code.
Series Title <series title>	Child of Programme element. Denotes the series title for an episodic program. Optional element. Only required for episodic.	Language lang="code"	Denotes the language of the series title value. Format: ISO-639-1 2 digit language code.
Season Number <season number>	Child of Programme element. Denotes the season number for an episodic program. Value should be an integer. Optional element. Only required for episodic.
Episode Number <season number>	Child of Programme element. Denotes the episode number for an episodic program. Value should be an integer. Optional element. Only required for episodic.
Duration <duration>	Child of Programme element. Denotes the programme duration. Value should be total duration in seconds expressed as an integer.
Rating <rating>	Child of Programme element. Denotes the programme content rating. Value must be one of: G, PG, PG-13, R, TV-Y7, TV-Y, TV-PG, TV-14, TV-MA
Subtitle <sub-title>	Child of Programme element. Denotes the embedded subtitle track for a given program. If multiple tracks are available, separate elements should be used. Optional element.	Language lang="code"	Denotes the language of the subtitles. Format: ISO-639-1 2 digit language code.

Sample EPG:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<tv date="2023-02-06" source-info-name="SourceProvider">
    <channel id="1234">
        <display-name lang="en">DSP-Sample-Channel-Display</display-name>
    </channel>
    <programme channel="1234" start="20230206152350 +0000" stop="20230206155154 +0000">
        <title lang="en">Star Wars</title>
        <desc lang="en">A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...</desc>
        <category lang="en">Science Fiction</category>
        <category lang="en">Fantasy</category>
        <duration>1324367</duration>
        <rating>PG</rating>
        <sub-title lang="en">English CC</sub-title>
        <sub-title lang="fr">French SDH</sub-title>
    </programme>
    <programme channel="1234" start="20230206155154 +0000" stop="20230206161959 +0000">
        <title lang="en">Welcome to the Hellmouth</title>
        <desc lang="en">When teen vampire slayer Buffy tries to start a new life at Sunnydale High, she discovers that the school sits atop a demonic dimensional portal.</desc>
        <category lang="en">Horror</category>
        <category lang="en">Fantasy</category>
        <category lang="en">Drama</category>
        <series title>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</series title>
        <season number>1</season number>
        <episode number>2</episode number>
        <duration>1324634</duration>
        <rating>TV-PG</rating>
        <sub-title lang="en">English CC</sub-title>
    </programme>

 

Artwork Specifications

Promotional and functional artwork is required for platform delivery. Since each platform uses images differently, additional assets could be required on an ad-hoc basis. All artwork should use professional, and consistent branding imagery as it could be used to represent the channel to both potential buyers and end users.

Name	Description	Sizes	Type	Example
Thumbnail Art	Used on card based interfaces to promote the channel. Generally useful for marketing. Working from a larger (4K) source is usually helpful.	1920x1080	JPG
Portrait Art	Used on card based interfaces for mobile to promote the channel. Generally useful for marketing. Working from a larger (2000x3000) source is usually helpful.	600x900	JPG
Channel Logo (black)	Used in EPG and list interfaces that have a light background. Logo background should be transparent.	300x120	PNG
Channel Logo (white)	Used in EPG and list interfaces that have a dark background. Logo background should be transparent.	300x120	PNG
Channel Logo (colour)	Used in EPG and list interfaces. Logo background should be transparent.	300x120	PNG

 

Content Specifications

Many platforms have rules surrounding the types of programming that are acceptable; there are also rules surrounding how content is actually programmed. Ideally, all channels submitted to dotstudioPRO are able to follow the below guidelines. Ensuring these rules are followed will maximize channel placement.

Programming Rules

Minimum Content Requirements

A library of at least 150 hours of unique content, with a refresh rate of a minimum of 50 hours of new content per quarter. These requirements can be waived if content is especially novel or niche.

Backup Programming

The playout must include backup programming in case ads fail to populate. Backup programming can be defined as short films, promos for channel programming, or a channel slate that denotes the remaining time until the next programme. Backup programming cannot include promos for external channels or advertisements for any products or services.

The assets outlined in the below table are not required but are recommended as a starting point for new channels that are generating backup programming:

Name	Description	Quantity	Content Notes
Gap Fillers	Content used to fill runtime between timeslots.	Twenty or more clips with durations ranging between 1 and 15 minutes.	Short films, best of compilations, trailers, and episode clips work well here.
Advertising Placeholders	Content that runs in lieu of ads in case of missing ad inventory.	Five+ clips with durations including: 15s/30s/45s/1m/2m	Short montages, episode promos, and short trailers work best here.
Station Logo	Can be used to plug very short gaps instead	One long clip (5 mins) works well and can be adjusted within Veset.	Video should loop ideally.

Dead Air

Dead air (silence/black) is not permitted, and the stream must broadcast 24-hours a day, 7 days a week without downtime. A branded slate may be used to fill short gaps between programmes. The slate should occupy no more than 2 minutes per hour, and no more than 20 minutes per day.

Content Rules

Nudity and Sensitive Subjects

The channel must be free of nudity. Programmes containing suggestive themes, violence, or depictions of drug use should be avoided, and may be subject to programme scheduling limitations. The majority of content must have a content rating of PG or lower.

URLs and Calls to Action

Programming must not include URL's or calls to action. This applies to all programmes, slates, and promos scheduled into the playout.

Ad Break Rules

Ads Per Hour	10-15 minutes
Ad Pod Duration	2-3 minutes
Max Ad Pod	3 minutes
Min Ad Pod	30 seconds

Natural Breaks

Ad breaks should occur during natural scene changes, and not mid-dialogue or action.

Video Quality

Scan Types

Source video should be progressive scan and not interlaced. Programmes containing ghosting/interpolation/duplicate frames should be avoided.

Window Boxing

The stream should use the full 16:9 resolution whenever possible. Letter-boxing and pillar-boxing is acceptable for individual programmes. Window-boxing should be avoided.

Commercial Blacks

Programmes should contain no more than 1 second of black at head/tail. 

Contact Us

If you own a FAST Channel and would like to discuss distribution, contact our acquisitions team directly here.

Updated February 21, 2023 15:31