VIZIO Creative Guidelines > WatchFree+ > Content Specs - Content Standards & QC Requirements
The following documentation provides guidance on acceptance criteria for content delivered to VIZIO for inclusion in WatchFree+ On Demand (AVOD) and O&O Curated Channels.
For all specification or delivery questions please contact Content Operations at contentoperations@vizio.com.
| Content |
|---|
Content may not contain any material that:
- Includes hate speech
- Encourages conduct that violates any applicable law or promotes illegal products, services, or activities
- Infringes upon or misappropriates intellectual property rights, personal rights, or proprietary rights of a third party
- Is illegal, defamatory, discriminatory, profane, threatening, harassing, or invasive of another’s privacy or right of publicity
- Contains adult content or explicit, sexual, obscene, or excessively violent images
- Promotes or displays excessive violence; or contains obscene or violent images
Content licensors are required to conspicuously identify any content made available to VIZIO that is or contains content created by artificial intelligence models.
| Video |
|---|
- No commercial blacks
- No network logos/bugs that persist onscreen throughout program
- No burned in promotions or CTAs including:
- Website URLs
- Product listings
- "Sponsored by…”
- "Presented by…”
- Watermarks
- QR Codes
- Calls-to-action such as phone numbers, YouTube links, social media handles
- Foreign Language Films (for English market use)
- Must have burn-in subtitles for non-English dialogue scenes
- Spanish “dubbed” content (for Spanish market use)
- Must be localized with Spanish dialogue track (no burn-in subtitles)
| Audio |
|---|
- Audio formatting
- Channel configuration must be a 5.1 (channel grouped into single track) or 2.0 track
- No M&E (Music & Effects) or additional audio tracks/stems
- No single mono
- BS1770-1/2/3 standard for audio loudness
- Audio anomalies not allowed:
- Dialogue lip-sync off
- Pop/peaking artifacts
- Missing dialogue or music/sfx
- Out-of-phase audio
| In-Stream Advertising - Ad Breaks |
|---|
- Cue point timecodes are required for all content in accordance with the AVOD and O&O Delivery Specifications
- Ad breaks must be placed between scenes. Avoid putting ad breaks in the middle of a scene or dialogue
- All cue points must be delivered as seconds, not SMPTE timecode
- Ad break frequency:
- Program length of less than 60 minutes - two ad breaks for first 30 minutes; one ad break for each additional 15 minutes
- Program length of 60 minutes or more- four ad breaks per hour; one ad break for each additional 15 minutes
- VIZIO may, at any time or from time to time in its sole discretion, add, delete, or modify ad breaks
- VIZIO will exclusively manage and control ad pod duration in its sole discretion
| Content |
|---|
Content may not contain any material that:
- Includes hate speech
- Encourages conduct that violates any applicable law or promotes illegal products, services, or activities
- Infringes upon or misappropriates intellectual property rights, personal rights, or proprietary rights of a third party
- Is illegal, defamatory, discriminatory, profane, threatening, harassing, or invasive of another’s privacy or right of publicity
- Contains adult content or explicit, sexual, obscene, or excessively violent images
- Promotes or displays excessive violence; or contains obscene or violent images
Content licensors are required to conspicuously identify any content made available to VIZIO that is or contains content created by artificial intelligence models.
| Channel Rating |
|---|
As part of VIZIO’s channel onboarding process, content licensors are required to designate a general channel rating for each channel from the options below. This rating will only be used absent program level ratings to facilitate parental controls.
- Family Friendly: content that is appropriate for all audiences; typically rated G, PG, TV-G, or TV-PG
- Teen: content that is inappropriate for children under age 13 but is suitable for teenagers between the ages of 13-18; typically rated PG-13, TV-14
- Adult: content that is inappropriate for anyone under age 18; all other ratings, including R, TV-MA
Programming should be rated based on consideration of the following factors:
- Whether programming contains violence, nudity, sexual activity, adult language, suggestive dialogue, or depictions of smoking, alcohol, or drug use
- Whether the overall themes or elements of programming would be unsuitable for children or teens
For more detailed guidance, VIZIO refers content licensors to the ratings standards of the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board and the ratings rules of the Classification and Ratings Administration.
| Graphics and Promos |
|---|
- QR codes are prohibited
- Burned in video ads are prohibited
| In-Content Advertising |
|---|
- Approved formats are limited to static or animated overlays, L-band squeeze backs, picture-in-picture, and Aston bands
- Duration of each ad:
- Minimum: 5 seconds
- Maximum: 15 seconds
- Frequency: Max of two ads per 30 minute increment of content; each unique ad creative is limited to one run per program (i.e., the same ad creative must not run twice in one program)
- Animations must be at a frame rate of 24-30 FPS
- Graphics must be clearly marked as an advertisement via disclaimer
- All ad creative must comply with the VIZIO Ad Guidelines
- In-content ad must not:
- Play out over an in-stream ad break
- Play out over scheduled in-stream lower 3rd graphics or text
- Play out over intense dialogue/action scenes
- Play out over COPPA content
- Run during sponsorship of the channel
- Interfere with closed captioning or subtitles
| In-Stream Advertising - Ad Load |
|---|
- Content licensor will cooperate with the implementation and enforcement of VIZIO’s standards and preferences regarding ad pod placement, frequency, and duration
- Ad breaks must be placed between scenes. Avoid putting ad breaks in the middle of a scene or dialogue
- Program length of 30 minutes or less - minimum of two ad breaks
- Program length of 60 minutes or more - minimum of four ad breaks
- Ad pod duration must be in increments of 30 seconds
- Ad pod duration should not exceed 3 minutes
- Ad pods within kid-directed content will include ad bumpers before and after the ads play
- Minimum five seconds per video bumper
- One bumper must inform viewers that the show is pausing for a commercial (Ex: “We’ll be right back”
- One bumper must inform viewers of the return to the regular video