Scheduling content by daypart: the right message at the right time
Showing breakfast offers at dinner time wastes your screen. Learn how dayparting works and how to set up a schedule that runs itself.
· 2 min read
The most effective screens show content that fits the moment. A breakfast offer at 8 am, the lunch menu at noon, a happy-hour promotion at 5 pm. That's called dayparting — and once it's set up, it runs by itself.
Why dayparting works
People respond to what's relevant right now. A coffee promotion at 4 pm reaches the afternoon slump; the same promotion at 9 pm is noise. Dayparting also keeps screens fresh: content changes during the day, so regular visitors keep noticing it.
A simple daypart plan
Start with four blocks and refine later:
| Daypart | Time | Example content |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | 07:00 – 11:00 | Breakfast menu, today's agenda, weather |
| Midday | 11:00 – 14:00 | Lunch menu, daily special |
| Afternoon | 14:00 – 17:00 | Coffee and cake, upcoming events |
| Evening | 17:00 – 22:00 | Dinner menu, drinks, social media |
Setting it up in TB-cast
- Create a playlist per daypart — for example Morning, Lunch, Afternoon, Evening.
- Open Schedules and add each playlist with its time range and days of the week.
- Set a default playlist that plays when nothing else is scheduled.
- Use priorities for exceptions, such as a holiday menu on specific dates.
Schedules can even cross midnight (for example 22:00 – 02:00 for a late-night menu), and each screen follows its own time zone.
Tips
- Keep a fallback. Always have default content so a screen never goes blank.
- Use widgets like clock, weather and countdowns to keep content live without manual updates.
- Check the calendar view to spot overlaps before they go live.
- Plan campaigns ahead. Schedule your weekend promotion on Monday and let it disappear automatically.
Emergency override
Need to reach everyone right now — for an evacuation or a sudden closure? An emergency message overrides every schedule on the selected screens and stays until you turn it off.
Want to see it in action? Check out the live demo or start your free trial.