Set up Recommendations


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To access these features, ask your JWP representative to enable Recommendations.

Recommendations automates the generation of a playlist based on the currently-watched video and provides you options to customize the appearance and behavior of that playlist. To set up Recommendations, you only need to create a recommendations playlist and then associate the playlist with a player.


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Recommendations section

Use the following sections to set up JW Recommendations from your JW Player dashboard.


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If you are a developer or have developer resources, you can also set up Recommendations with our API.



Associate Recommendations with a player

To start recommending content to your viewers, you must associate a recommendations playlist with a player:

  1. Create a Recommendations playlist.
  2. From the Players page, select an existing player. The player builder page appears. If you have clicked Create Web Player to create a new player, the player builder page will also appear.
  3. On the Configuration tab, expand the Recommendations section. The Recommendations options are displayed.
  4. Click the toggle to turn ON the Recommendations features.
  5. (Optional) From the Recommendations Playlist dropdown menu, select a playlist. If you do not have additional playlists listed or prefer not to choose a playlist, the Default Recommendations Feed will be used. NOTE: A recommendations playlist can be associated with multiple players.
  6. (Optional) From the Auto-advance to next video after dropdown menu, choose when to autoplay the next video.
  7. (Optional) Click the Custom Text checkbox and enter a message. Read the following Countdown Overlay section to learn more about this message.
  8. (Optional) Update the Display Title.
  9. Select the Display Mode.
  10. Click Save.

You have enabled Recommendations for all videos that are played within your selected player.



Customize the Recommendations experience

You can customize some of the default features of the recommendations experience:


Countdown Overlay

The countdown overlay only appears if you select After 5 seconds, After 10 seconds, After 20 seconds, or After 30 seconds from the Auto-advance to next video after dropdown menu. A white line traces the border of the next video to play as part of the countdown.


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The countdown overlay looks like the overlay display mode option. However, only the countdown overlay has a countdown and customizable message.


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Recommendations countdown overlay


Above the title and description of the next video to play, the countdown message displays. The default message is Next up in X. X represents the number of seconds remaining in the countdown. When you click Display Custom Text, you can customize this message.

You can use the following macros in your custom message. We suggest using ___title_ will play in xx seconds.

MacroDescription
xxUse this macro as a placeholder to dynamically populate the remaining time, in seconds, before the next video begins to play.
__title__Use this macro as a placeholder to dynamically populate the title of the next video.


Display Title

The default display title for the Recommendations icon and countdown overlay is More Videos.

Depending on the selected Display Mode, this text appears in the locations listed in the following table.

Display ModeLocations
Shelf
  • Next to the Recommendations icon above the control bar
  • Title of the countdown overlay
External Shelf
  • Above the horizontal bar of thumbnails beneath the player
  • Title of the countdown overlay
Overlay
  • Tooltip that appears when a viewer hovers over the Recommendations icon in the control bar
  • Title of the countdown overlay

Use the following steps to customize this title:

  1. In the Display Title textbox, click the X to remove the default display title.
  2. Enter a title in the textbox to replace the default title.


Display Mode

The Display Mode determines how the recommended videos will be displayed to your viewers.

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Display ModeDescription
ShelfAdds a horizontal bar of thumbnails above the control bar that allows viewers to browse recommended videos during the playback experience and when playback is paused.

The shelf appears when a viewer clicks the recommendation icon located above the control bar during playback or pauses playback.
External ShelfAdds a persistent horizontal bar of thumbnails beneath the player that allows viewers to browse recommended videos during the playback experience
OverlayAdds a recommendations icon to the control bar.

The overlay appears when a viewer clicks the recommendations icon in the control bar. The overlay takes over the player and pauses playback. We recommend using one of the other display options that does not stop the video if a viewer explores the recommended videos.