This article explains how to configure avail suppression, ad prefetch schedules, and ad query parameter passthrough for SSAI destinations in Playout 2.0.
Important: You must have an active SSAI destination configured in Playout 2.0 before completing any of the steps below.
Overview
Playout 2.0 provides three complementary ad configuration capabilities for live channel workflows:
- Avail suppression — blocks ad insertion based on a query parameter condition evaluated against the destination URL.
- Ad prefetch schedules — instructs Playout Scheduler to request ads from the ADS ahead of upcoming breaks to improve fill rates.
- Ad query parameter passthrough — forwards targeting data to the ADS via key-value pairs configured on the SSAI destination URL.
Each capability is configured independently on your SSAI or HLS destination. The steps below walk through each in sequence.
Step 1: Enable and Configure Avail Suppression
- Navigate to your Playout 2.0 dashboard and open the SSAI destination you want to configure.
- Locate the Avail Suppression section and toggle the feature on.
- Enter a value in the Ad Suppression Trigger Key field. This is the query parameter key that Playout 2.0 evaluates in the destination URL.
- Enter a value in the Ad Suppression Trigger Value field. Ad insertion is suppressed when the destination URL contains a parameter matching this key-value pair.
Note: Avail suppression applies only when the predefined query parameter is present in the destination URL and matches the configured condition. Avails that do not meet the condition are unaffected.
[Screenshot: Avail Suppression toggle, Trigger Key field, and Trigger Value field in SSAI destination settings]
Step 2: Configure Ad Prefetch Schedules
- Open the HLS Destination details for the channel you want to configure.
- Click the Ad Prefetch toggle to enable ad prefetching. Once enabled, Playout Scheduler proactively fetches ads from the ADS ahead of upcoming ad breaks.
- Set the Prefetch Retrieval Time to control how far in advance Playout 2.0 requests ads from the ADS before a scheduled break.
Note: Ad prefetching helps maximize fill rates in live workflows that use SCTE-35 signaling, where ad request and transcoding timeouts can occur.
Important: Align your prefetch retrieval time with your avail suppression configuration to avoid prefetching ads for breaks that will be suppressed.
[Screenshot: Ad Prefetch toggle and Prefetch Retrieval Time field in HLS Destination settings]
Step 3: Set Up Ad Query Parameter Passthrough
- In your SSAI destination settings, locate the destination URL configuration.
- Add your ad targeting key-value pairs to the destination URL query parameters. Playout 2.0 evaluates these parameters on each ad request and forwards them to the ADS.
- Confirm that any parameters used for avail suppression triggering are included consistently so suppression logic evaluates correctly.
- Save your destination settings.
Note: Query parameters configured on the destination URL are forwarded to the ADS on each ad request. Verify with your ADS provider which targeting keys are supported.
[Screenshot: Destination URL query parameter configuration in SSAI destination settings]
Step 4: Verify Your Ad Configuration
Start or preview a live stream on the configured channel. Trigger an ad break during a non-suppressed window to confirm insertion, then trigger a break during a suppression window to confirm it is blocked. Review your ADS logs to verify that targeting parameters are being received as expected.
Note: If ads are not suppressing as expected, confirm the trigger key and value in your destination URL exactly match the values configured in the Avail Suppression settings.
See Also
- Ad Suppression Configuration — detailed reference on suppression trigger keys, values, and scheduling options.
- Prefetching Ads — full details on prefetch retrieval time settings and SCTE-35 workflow requirements.
- SSAI Destination Setup — instructions for creating and managing SSAI destinations in Playout 2.0.