Defining audience cohorts and alternate content with Program Rules - AWS Elemental MediaTailor
Defining audiencesCreating alternate media

Defining audience cohorts and alternate content with Program Rules

With Program Rules, you can define audience cohorts for a channel and specify alternate media to play for those audiences. You can associate one or more alternate content sources with an audience for a program. After the program ends, the default audience content will play unless you specify further alternate media.

Program Rules are available on STANDARD tier channels with the LINEAR playback mode. MediaTailor channels support alternate media for all VOD sources and live sources.

For an example use, see Using program rules with AWS MediaTailor.

Defining audiences

Define audiences on a channel by typing audience one by one when configuring a MediaTailor channel. You can do this through either the MediaTailor console or the MediaTailor CreateChannel API. Each audience must be between 1 and 32 alphanumeric characters long. If the values provided for the audiences are invalid, then the request fails.

You can only define audiences on STANDARD tier channels with the LINEAR playback mode.

When you need to update the audiences, you can do this using either the MediaTailor console or the MediaTailor UpdateChannel API.

If you are using the ProgramRules feature, make sure that the AudienceMedia defined in CreateProgram or UpdateProgram request contain the existing audience defined in the channel.

Creating alternate media

The following task explains how to define alternate media using the MediaTailor console. For information about how to define alternate media using the MediaTailor API, see CreateProgram in the AWS Elemental MediaTailor API Reference.

To define alternate media on a new program:

  1. Open the MediaTailor console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediatailor/.

  2. In the navigation pane, select Channel assembly > Channels.

  3. Select the channel name to which you want to add alternate media.

  4. Create a program. For more information, see Creating a program within a channel schedule using the MediaTailor console.

  5. Configure alternate media:

    • Select Add in the Audiences box to select the audience for which you are defining alternate media.

    • Select an audience defined on the channel from the Audience menu.

    • Select Add alternate media to begin defining alternate media for the program.

    • MediaTailor creates an Alternate media 1 box. This is the first content that MediaTailor plays as alternate media on the program.

    • Within the Alternate media 1 box:

      • Select a Source Location.

      • Select either a VOD or Live Source Type:

        For VOD

        • Select VOD for the Source Type.

        • (Optional) specify a Clip Range. With VOD Sources, including alternate-media VOD sources, you can specify a portion of a VOD source to play, clipping from the start and/or the end of the source. Specify The start and end offsets are in milliseconds.

        • (Optional) a\Add Ad Breaks. This is done in the same way as when creating programs. For more information, see Creating a program within a channel schedule using the MediaTailor console.

        For Live

        • Select Live for the Source Type.

        • Select a Live source.

        • Enter a Start time in milliseconds of the wal-clock time that this live source should start. The live source will only play within the time frame of the default program it is being defined on. If the start time is prior to the start of the default program, it will not begin until the default program does. If the start time is after the default program ends, MediaTailor will not play the live source.

        • Enter a Duration in milliseconds. The duration must be at least 10 minutes in length.

        • Additional alternate media can be added to this program for the audience by selecting Add alternate media again. This will create another box labeled Alternate media 2. You can specify upp to 5 alternate-media sources per program, per audience.

        • Once you are finished defining alternate media for all desired audiences, select Next and continue creating the program.

          For more information, see Creating a program within a channel schedule using the MediaTailor console.

      Note

      Alternate media only plays in the time frame of the program it is defined on. If all the alternate content overruns the default content, MediaTailor will truncate it. MediaTailor plays alternate media in the order in which it is defined. Live alternate-media start times will always take precedence and will truncate previously scheduled VOD sources or live sources. Any time that is not filled with alternate media for an audience will be filled withe the channel-defined filler slate

    • To define audience media for other audiences, select Add once again next to Audiences. Select the newly created audience, set the audience id and add alternate media as described above. Up to 5 audiences can have alternate media on any one program.