Playlist-based advertising is used by organisations on Rive themes. Ads are controlled through Automated Game Plan playlists — you define exactly when and where ads appear by adding ad slots to playlists. Each playlist fires at a specific moment during the broadcast, such as pregame, halftime, or in-game intervals, and any ad slots within that playlist display at the configured time.

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An ad slot defines the placement, size, position on screen, timing, and which team the placement belongs to. Once a slot is configured in a playlist, you assign an ad set to fill it.

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[SCREENSHOT: an Automated Game Plan playlist timeline showing a configured ad slot item]

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Ad slots are items you add to playlists within your Automated Game Plan. When the playlist fires during a broadcast, the ad slot displays according to the settings you configured. Each ad slot includes the following properties:

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• Ad Slot Name: A descriptive name for reference.

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• Ad Sizes: One or more sizes this slot accepts (Small, Medium, Large, XLarge, Square, Long, Banner, or Custom).

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• Ad slot for: Whether this slot belongs to the Home team, Away team, or is a general competition placement.

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• Team type: Home, Away, or Neutral context.

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• Start Time (Offset): When within the playlist this ad should begin, in mm:ss format.

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• Duration: How long the ad displays (leave blank to show indefinitely until the next item in the sequence).

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• Ad Position: Placement on the 1920×1080 canvas using Grid Snap or Manual positioning.

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Playlist-based advertising supports two ad types:

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In-graphic ads are embedded within a broadcast graphic — for example, a sponsor banner integrated into a scoreboard or lower third. These are constrained to the ad areas defined within the graphic itself.

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Detached ads are standalone ad overlays that sit independently on top of your broadcast at any position and size you define. These are not tied to a specific graphic and can appear anywhere on screen.

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To add an ad slot, follow these steps in order.

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1. Navigate to the Automations tab and open the relevant Automated Game Plan.

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2. Open the playlist where you want the ad to appear, for example a halftime or pregame playlist.

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3. Click Add Item to Sequence at the bottom of the playlist timeline.

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4. Select Add Advertisement from the menu. The Configure Ad Slot modal will open.

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5. Fill in the Ad Slot Name, then select the Ad Sizes this slot will accept.

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6. Select the Ad slot for option (Home team, Away team, or competition placement) and the Team type (Home, Away, or Neutral).

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7. Set the Start Time (Offset) in mm:ss format, and set the Duration, leaving it blank if you want the ad to show indefinitely until the next item.

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8. Set the Ad Position by dragging the position marker on the 1920×1080 canvas.

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9. Click Add Ad Slot to save it to the playlist timeline.

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10. Finally, assign an ad set to the slot by selecting one from your organisation's library or delegating it to the home or away club.

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[SCREENSHOT: the Configure Ad Slot modal with the Ad Sizes, Team type, Start Time, Duration, and Ad Position fields visible]

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For ads that appear during live gameplay rather than breaks, configure your ad slots in the In Game (Live) tab of your Automated Game Plan. These work the same way but fire in response to match events or time triggers during active play.

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Ad slots will only display if the overlay assigned to your match has ads enabled. To enable ads, first go to the Matches tab, find your match, and expand it. Then click the three-dot menu next to the overlay and select Settings. Confirm the Ad Type is set to Brands, since this is required for your own sponsor ads to appear, then toggle Enable Ads to on and save.

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If Enable Ads is off or Ad Type is not set to Brands, no sponsor ads will display on that overlay regardless of how your playlists are configured.

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Instead of assigning a specific ad set to a slot yourself, you can delegate the slot to the home or away club. The club then manages their own sponsor content through the Club Portal and their uploaded ad set displays automatically for their matches.

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To delegate a slot, select Home Club or Away Club instead of a specific ad set when assigning to the slot in your playlist. The club must have an ad set uploaded and assigned in their Club Portal for the slot to display. If they haven't uploaded one, the slot will be empty during the broadcast.

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Ads not appearing on output

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If ads aren't appearing, check the following in order. First, confirm the feature type: the match overlay must be using Graphics + Brands, since if Ad Type is set to Graphics only or Free, your ad sets will not display; check the overlay settings in the Matches tab. Second, check the Enable Ads toggle in the overlay settings, which must be on even if the ad type is set to Brands. Third, confirm the ad slot configuration: the ad slot must exist in the correct playlist in your Automated Game Plan, and the game plan must be assigned to the correct competition. Finally, check for the green dot on the ad set, since all seven image sizes must be uploaded before an ad set can display.

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Ad set not available when assigning to a slot

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The ad set may be assigned to a different club. Ad sets assigned to clubs are locked to that club until unassigned. Go to Ads > Ad Sets, find the ad set, check the Assign to Club field, remove the existing assignment if needed, and save.

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Delegated slot is empty during broadcast

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The club has not uploaded an ad set to their Club Portal or has not assigned it to the delegated slot. Contact the club to confirm their ad set is uploaded and assigned.

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