ScreenCloud's digital signage platform gives you robust flexibility and control over assigning both when a piece of content from your Media Library can be set to start displaying while using the media in a playlist, channel, or with the casting feature. You can also set expiration dates for content to stop displaying on your screen(s) the piece of content is being used on automatically upon the set date.

For example, this is useful for scheduling playlists and channels out in advance for events, meetings, or your organization. You can create bulk media channels and playlists, then set individual availability/expiration dates for specific pieces of content. Essentially, you're able to set it and forget it without having to worry about manually swapping out content that's no longer relevant after a certain period of time.

To further optimize content usage, consider scheduling specific content for different operational periods, such as business hours or downtime. This allows targeted messaging like displaying menus during open hours or promotional messages during off-hours. Furthermore, this functionality can be extended to channel-level scheduling, enabling you to control content rotation across multiple screens, ensuring consistency in messaging tailored to operational requirements.

Pro tip: This is also useful while using ScreenCloud's casting feature as you can set a piece of content from your Media Library to begin casting to your screen(s), and set an expiration date/time for the message to end whenever you see fit. For example, this could help your organization in the event of scheduled maintenance or announcements you can cast on any screen for the allotted time you've set up for the piece of content.

To schedule content according to operational periods, such as open and close hours, use ScreenCloud's channel-level scheduling. Add desired content to your channels, configure time windows for each item, and repeat the setup for all channels/screens where applicable.

1. Get started by visiting the "Media Library" and select the piece of content you'd like to set availability and/or expiration dates for.

​2. Click on any piece of content, then select the "Availability" option. From here, switch on the schedule option and you can set up the exact date/time.

3. Once you've successfully scheduled your content, returning to your "Media Library" page will showcase any content you've set availability or expiration dates for with a calendar icon. You can hover over this at any time to review the date range for the piece of media.

Please note, once a piece of content expires this will be noted in your Media Library below any piece of content which has been set with an expiration date that has passed as exampled in the image below.

Within your channel, playlist and media library, this content will also appear greyed out. When content is expired, an option to Clear Expired Content will become available in the Playlist or Channel's settings, which quickly allows you to remove all expired content.