This article explains how to use countdown categories to highlight top content on your OTT mobile app, TV app, or website. With this feature, you can apply 1-10 rankings using a custom overlay on category row thumbnails to drive engagement to featured content.
In this article:
- What are countdown categories?
- How to configure countdown categories
- How to upload your own custom overlays
- How do countdown categories appear in apps?
What are countdown categories?
You can use countdown category rows for web, mobile, and TV apps, displaying thumbnails with a numbered overlay (1-10) to highlight their order within the category. Countdown categories enhance content discovery by visually emphasizing the order of content within a category, potentially creating a sense of urgency or excitement for viewers.
You can use this feature to highlight your top ten trending videos, videos by region, or videos within a specific genre.
How to configure countdown categories
Follow these steps to set up a countdown category at the Category Row level:
- Open your OTT admin and navigate to your category.
- Select Discovery from the left-hand panel.
- Scroll down to Overlay configuration and select Countdown.
- Select Save in the upper right corner to apply your changes.
- The first 10 assets in your category will now show a numbered overlay placed atop the thumbnail corresponding to their position in the category row. To upload your own designs, see the section below.
How to upload your own custom overlays
Your site comes pre-loaded with numbered Countdown overlays for the 16:9, 2:3, and 1:1 aspect ratios. You can also upload your own overlays to replace the defaults. Follow these steps to upload your own numbers for Countdown rows:
- Open your OTT admin and navigate to the Content section of your Site Settings.
- Navigate to Overlay configuration to find the area where you can upload Countdown overlay assets.
- Select the plus sign + icon within each overlay position and choose the file from your device that corresponds to the numbered order.
If you wish to upload your own overlays, ensure they meet these specifications:
- Your overlays must be transparent .png files.
- You will have the option to upload files for each aspect ratio. With that in mind, your overlay files’ aspect ratios should match the category appearance aspect ratio you will use for that category row:
- 1:1 overlay
- 16:9 overlay
- 2:3 overlay
- You will have the option to upload files for each aspect ratio. With that in mind, your overlay files’ aspect ratios should match the category appearance aspect ratio you will use for that category row:
How do countdown categories appear in apps?
Categories marked as Countdown rows will display the countdown overlay on web, mobile, and TV apps. Your site will come preloaded with a standard countdown style overlay, but you can design and upload your own overlays as detailed in the section above.