Glossary A–ZLetter P
Priority
Priority determines which content takes precedence when several items or schedules apply to the same screen at the same time.
The item with higher priority prevails, while the others step back or play less often.
In screen networks, several layers often overlap: a base programme that always runs, a promotion with a limited run, an advertising campaign and, in an emergency, an emergency message. Priority puts these layers in order. An emergency message is at the top and interrupts everything, a promotion displaces the base programme for its duration, and the base programme fills the remaining time. Some systems use fixed levels, others an order of schedules.
Operators should know their software's rules precisely. Does the higher-priority item interrupt immediately, or does it wait until the current item ends? Does it displace the other completely, or do the two alternate? If too many items are marked as high priority, priority loses its effect. An order of importance also pays off in terms of content: what should be seen first at the entrance belongs in first place.