Dayparting: schedule different content by time of day, day of week and date
Quick answer: DigitalSignage.com schedules content with campaigns in SignStudio: a campaign is a playlist plus schedule rules (a date range, days of the week, a time-of-day window and exception dates) plus the screens it targets, and the DigitalSignage.com SignPlayer switches between campaigns on its own clock, even offline. Dayparting is one campaign per daypart, breakfast until 10:30, lunch until 16:00, dinner until close, with a low-priority default campaign underneath so the screen is never blank. Priorities decide what wins when campaigns overlap, and our documentation states that scheduling and dayparting are included on every plan, including the free one.
Last updated October 22, 2026. Sources: SignStudio scheduling, content scheduling guide, scheduling and remote management FAQ and the menu board setup guide on this site.
The pieces
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Scene | One designed layout, for example the breakfast menu |
| Playlist | An ordered list of scenes and media with a duration per item; each item can also carry its own validity dates |
| Campaign | A playlist, plus schedule rules, plus target screens or groups |
| Schedule rule | Date range, days of the week, time of day, exceptions, recurrence |
| Daypart | A time-of-day segment with its own campaign |
| Priority | What wins when two campaigns are valid at once: Emergency, High, Normal, Low, Default |
The player evaluates the rules against its own clock, so each screen's time zone must be right; see set the time zone and keep the clock right on signage players.
Set up dayparting
- Build one scene per daypart, or reuse a scene with a Google Sheet so only the data changes.
- Go to Campaigns, Playlists, New Playlist, name it for the daypart, add the scenes and media, and set the duration per item (7 to 15 seconds for images; a loop of 3 to 5 minutes where people pass by).
- Create a campaign: name it, pick its priority (Normal for a daypart), choose the playlist, then set the schedule rules: the date range (or Always), the days of the week, and the time window.
- Assign the target: a screen, a screen group such as Menu Boards, or all screens. Review and activate.
- Repeat for each daypart so the windows meet without gaps.
- Create one more campaign with the Default or Low priority, an evergreen playlist, every day, all day, no end date, assigned to every screen. It fills any gap.
- Open the calendar view, which shows campaigns by day, week or month and is color-coded by priority, and check the day for overlaps and holes.
- Publish, then take a screenshot from the Screens dashboard at the first switch time to confirm it happened.
Our documentation does not say whether a single time window may cross midnight. For an overnight daypart, create two rules, for example 21:00 to 23:59 and 00:00 to 06:00, or ask support at support@digitalsignage.com, live chat at https://chat.digitalsignage.com/ or +1-877-344-7446.
Worked example: a restaurant menu board
| Campaign | Days | Time | Priority | Playlist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Every day | 06:00 to 10:30 | Normal | Breakfast menu, coffee promotion |
| Lunch | Every day | 10:30 to 16:00 | Normal | Lunch menu, daily special |
| Happy hour | Monday to Friday | 16:00 to 18:00 | High | Drinks specials |
| Dinner | Every day | 16:00 to 21:00 | Normal | Dinner menu |
| Late night | Friday and Saturday | 21:00 to 23:59 | Normal | Late menu |
| Closed | Every day | 23:59 to 06:00 as two rules | Low | Opening hours, tomorrow's special |
| Always on | Every day | All day | Default | Logo, hours, phone |
Happy hour at High priority interrupts Dinner from 16:00 to 18:00 on weekdays without anyone editing the dinner campaign. The menu board setup guide uses the same 10:30 and 16:00 boundaries.
Worked example: an office lobby
| Campaign | Days | Time | Priority | Playlist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Monday to Friday | 07:00 to 09:00 | Normal | Welcome, commute news, weather |
| Working day | Monday to Friday | 09:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00 | Normal | Company news, meetings, KPIs |
| Lunch | Monday to Friday | 12:00 to 13:00 | Normal | Cafeteria menu, light content |
| After hours | Monday to Friday | 17:00 to 07:00 as two rules | Low | Safety, contact details |
| Weekend | Saturday and Sunday | All day | Low | Minimal loop, or let the display's off timer turn the panel off |
| Always on | Every day | All day | Default | Logo and time |
Scheduling content does not switch the panel off; the display's own timer, HDMI-CEC or the player's power schedule does that, as the screens on and off guide explains.
Worked example: weekend promotions and holiday dates
| Campaign | Dates | Days | Time | Priority | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekend promotion | March 1 to March 31 | Saturday and Sunday | 10:00 to 18:00 | High | Interrupts the normal loop on weekends only, ends by itself |
| Holiday season | December 20 to December 26 | Every day | All day | High | Replaces the normal loop; set Normal instead to share time with it |
| Christmas Day closed | December 25 | Every day | All day | High, above the season campaign if needed | A specific date beats a range at the same priority, since the more specific schedule wins |
| Blackout | Election day | That date | All day | Exception on the political campaign | An exception date removes a campaign for that day |
| Taco Tuesday | No end date | Tuesday | 11:00 to 21:00 | Normal | Recurring weekly rule |
| First Monday town hall | No end date | First Monday of each month | 09:00 to 10:00 | High | Recurring monthly rule |
Single items can also carry their own validity dates inside a playlist, so one slide in a long-running loop can expire on a date without editing the whole playlist.
How overlaps are resolved
| Priority | Level | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency | Highest | Overrides everything, immediately; used by the emergency alert |
| High | 80 | Overrides Normal and Low |
| Normal | 50 | Standard campaigns and dayparts |
| Low | 20 | Fills gaps |
| Default | 10 | Plays when nothing else is valid |
When several campaigns are valid at the same moment: the highest priority wins; at equal priority the more specific schedule wins (a time window over all day, a date over a range); after that, the most recently modified. If no campaign is valid at all, the player keeps showing its last cached content, which is why the Default campaign exists.
Offline, time zones and plans
- Offline. The schedule and the content are cached on the player, so daypart switches happen during an internet outage. What you lose offline is pushing changes and live data.
- Time zones. Rules run on the player's local time, so a 07:00 campaign starts at 07:00 in each city. A wrong device time zone or a blocked NTP port is the usual reason a menu switches at the wrong hour; the time zone guide covers the settings per platform.
- Plans. Our documentation states that scheduling and dayparting are included on every plan, including the free one, which covers 3 screens forever with about 90 percent of the feature set; the menu board guide lists the full scene and animation template set among Plus+ additions. If a scheduling option you expect is missing from your free account, ask support.
- Changes reach screens within seconds to a few minutes after publishing; Refresh Content on the dashboard pushes one immediately.
Mistakes the documentation warns about
| Mistake | Prevention |
|---|---|
| No end date on a promotion | Give every promotion a date range; let items carry validity dates |
| Overlapping campaigns at the same priority | Use High for interruptions, Normal for dayparts, Low and Default for fallback |
| No default content | One evergreen Default campaign on every screen |
| Wrong player time zone | Set the device zone to the screen's location and allow NTP |
| Gaps between dayparts | Make windows meet, then check the calendar view |
| Orphan screens | Audit campaign assignments when screens are added or moved |
Frequently asked questions
Dayparting: how do I schedule different content by time of day, day of week and date?
In SignStudio, build a playlist per daypart, then a campaign per daypart with schedule rules: a date range or Always, the days of the week and a time window, assigned to a screen or a screen group. Add a Default-priority evergreen campaign for gaps. The player switches on its own clock, even offline; priorities decide what wins when campaigns overlap.
How do I set up breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that switch by themselves?
Three campaigns on the same screen: breakfast 06:00 to 10:30, lunch 10:30 to 16:00, dinner 16:00 to close, each with its own playlist at Normal priority, plus a Default campaign for gaps. A High-priority happy hour campaign from 16:00 to 18:00 on weekdays interrupts dinner without editing it.
Can I schedule content for weekends only or for one day of the week?
Yes. Schedule rules include days of the week, so a campaign can run Saturday and Sunday only, or every Tuesday from 11:00 to 21:00, combined with a time window and a date range. Content outside its rules simply does not play.
How do I schedule holiday content in advance?
Give the holiday campaign a date range, for example December 20 to 26, or a specific date, and a High priority if it should replace the normal loop rather than share time with it. Exception dates remove a campaign for a day, and recurring rules cover weekly and monthly events. The player switches on the start date and back afterwards.
What plays when two campaigns overlap?
The higher priority: Emergency over High (80) over Normal (50) over Low (20) over Default (10). At equal priority the more specific schedule wins, then the most recently modified. If nothing is valid, the player keeps showing its last cached content, so keep a Default campaign on every screen.
Does dayparting keep working if the internet goes down?
Yes. The schedule and the content are cached on the player, so daypart switches happen during an outage. Live data such as a Google Sheet or a web page pauses or shows its last value until the connection returns, and new changes wait until then.
Is scheduling and dayparting included on the free plan?
Our documentation states that scheduling and dayparting are included on every plan, including the free plan, which covers 3 screens forever with no credit card, no ads and no watermark. The full scene and animation template set is listed as a Plus+ addition. If an option is missing from your account, ask support.
Related guides
- Set the time zone and keep the clock right on signage players (NTP)
- Scheduling and playlists
- Digital signage content scheduling
- Scheduling and remote management FAQ
- Digital menu boards with SignStudio
- Turn screens on and off on a schedule
Try it on your own screens, free
DigitalSignage.com, which publishes this guide, runs a permanent free plan: the first 3 screens are free forever (no credit card, no ads, no watermark, no time limit), then from $3 per screen per month on Plus+. Once an account has 4 or more screens, every screen is billed, so 10 screens cost $360 a year; Enterprise is priced per screen in the public price calculator. The free DigitalSignage.com SignPlayer runs on Windows, Mac, Android and Android TV, Chrome OS, Raspberry Pi, iPad or any modern web browser, so the hardware you already own usually works. Start free · 2026 pricing · How 11 vendors compare on price
Maintained by MediaSignage Inc., operator of DigitalSignage.com since 2006. Product behavior on this page comes from our own SignStudio and SignPlayer documentation; where we do not document a step, this page says so instead of guessing. Last reviewed October 22, 2026.