Understanding Automated Game Plans and Playlists
Automated game plans control when graphics appear during your broadcasts by organizing content into playlists that run at specific moments. Instead of manually showing each graphic, you configure sequences that trigger automatically based on match timing or events.
What is an Automated Game Plan
An automated game plan is a complete configuration that defines which graphics display throughout a broadcast from pre-game through post-match. It contains multiple playlists — each playlist is a sequence of graphics and advertisements that play at a specific time or in response to match events.
When you assign an automated game plan to a competition, all matches in that competition follow the same graphic presentation rules. The system handles timing and triggering automatically while you focus on other aspects of the broadcast.
Game Plan Structure
Every game plan is divided into three main sections:
* Pre-Game: Runs before the match starts, typically showing team lineups, match previews, countdown timers, and sponsor content
* Live Gameplay: Active during the match, responding to events like goals, cards, substitutions, and time intervals
* Post-Game: Triggers when the match ends, displaying final scores, match summaries, and closing sponsor graphics
Each section contains one or more playlists. A playlist is an ordered sequence of items that display one after another or loop continuously depending on configuration.
How Playlists Work
A playlist contains a timeline of items — graphics, advertisements, or both — with specific start times and durations. When the playlist triggers, items display in sequence according to their configured timing.
Pre-game playlists typically loop their content until the match begins. For example, a pre-game playlist might show team lineups for 10 seconds, followed by sponsor ads for 5 seconds, then repeat until kickoff.
Live gameplay playlists respond to match events. When a goal is scored, the goal-triggered playlist fires immediately, displaying a goal animation followed by an updated scoreboard. Event-triggered playlists override time-based content to ensure important moments display instantly.
Post-game playlists usually play through once after the match ends, showing final statistics and sponsor content before the broadcast concludes.
Playlist Items and Timing
Each item in a playlist has three key properties:
* Start Time (Offset): When the item begins within the playlist sequence, expressed in mm:ss format
* Duration: How long the item displays before moving to the next item
* Content: The graphic or advertisement to display
Items can display sequentially — one after another — or overlap if their timing is configured that way. The timeline view in the game plan editor shows exactly when each item appears relative to others in the sequence.
Time-Based vs Event-Based Triggers
Playlists trigger in two ways:
Time-based triggers activate at scheduled moments. Pre-game playlists trigger when the stream starts. In-match interval playlists can trigger every N minutes during live gameplay. Post-game playlists trigger when the match is marked as finished.
Event-based triggers respond to match events logged during the game. When a goal is scored, the goal-triggered playlist fires. When a substitution occurs, the substitution playlist activates. Event triggers ensure graphics display at the exact moment something important happens, regardless of timing.
Priority System
When multiple events occur simultaneously — for example, a goal and a card within seconds of each other — the priority system determines which graphic displays first. Each event type has a configurable priority level.
Higher-priority events interrupt lower-priority content. Goals typically have the highest priority, ensuring goal graphics always display immediately. Lower-priority events like routine substitutions wait until higher-priority graphics finish.
Adding Items to Playlists
To add a graphic or advertisement to a playlist:
1. Open the relevant playlist in your game plan editor
2. Click Add Item to Sequence at the bottom of the playlist timeline
3. Select the item type — graphic or advertisement
4. Configure the start time offset and duration
5. Select the specific content to display
The item appears on the timeline. You can adjust timing by dragging items or editing their offset and duration values directly.
Looping Behavior
Pre-game playlists typically loop continuously until the match starts. To configure looping, enable the loop setting for that playlist. The sequence plays through completely, then restarts from the beginning, repeating until the triggering condition ends.
Live gameplay playlists triggered by events usually play once per event occurrence. Post-game playlists typically play through once and stop.
Connections to Other Sections
Automated game plans pull content from multiple areas of LIGR Live:
* Graphics configured in FUSE become available as items to add to playlists
* Ad sets created in the Ads section can be assigned to ad slots within playlists
* Match events logged via the LiveScore app or external data feeds trigger event-based playlists
* Competition settings determine which game plan applies to matches
When you assign a game plan to a competition, all matches under that competition automatically use the configured playlists and triggers.
Testing Game Plans
Use the game plan preview function to verify playlist timing and sequencing before applying to live matches. The preview simulates match events and time progression, allowing you to see exactly when each graphic appears and how transitions flow.
Testing reveals timing conflicts, overlapping graphics, and sequencing issues before they appear during a live broadcast. Make adjustments in the editor, then preview again until the presentation flows smoothly.