Glossary A–ZLetter C
Channel
A channel is a fixed programme of content that can run on several screens at the same time, much like a television station.
Screens are assigned to a channel and then show whatever is scheduled in it.
Many management programs use channels to decouple content from screens. A company might run one channel for staff, one for visitors in the lobby and one for the shop floor. Anyone installing a new screen simply chooses the right channel instead of assigning playlists individually. The editorial team maintains the channel without needing to know on which walls it is currently running.
The term is not used consistently. Some programs call the same thing a playlist, programme or presentation, while others use channel to mean a device group. When comparing software, operators should therefore ask exactly how channels, playlists and groups relate to each other. Outside technology, “channel” also refers to a communication route such as email, intranet or screen; in that sense, the screen itself is a channel of internal communication.