What Is Channel Branding?

Last Updated:March 11, 2026

How To Cablecast Automation crawl bug channel branding

Overview

Channel branding lets you show on-air elements that brand your station during scheduled programming. Cablecast supports three branding elements: a Crawl, a Bug Graphic, and Bug Text. The Crawl displays scrolling text on screen. The Bug Graphic is a static image, such as a station or channel logo, that appears in a corner of the screen. Bug Text is a short on-screen label, such as "Live" or "Replay," that can be set at the channel level or changed for each show.

Channel Branding controls how these elements look and where they appear. Crawl and bug text content is set in other areas of Cablecast, not here.

In most cases, channel branding is set up during commissioning. Your server may already have baseline element placement and a branding resolution configured, either from the factory or by Cablecast Support. You can use the Channel Branding editor to review and adjust these settings at any time.

Note: Channel Branding is not where crawls are set up for Cablecast CG. CG crawl content is managed within Cablecast CG.

Accessing Channel Branding

To open the Channel Branding editor, navigate to Settings > System Settings > Channels. Select the channel you want to configure, then select Branding > Branding.

Note: There are two menu levels named Branding. The first opens the branding submenu. The second opens the branding editor.

The branding editor shows a canvas preview of your branding elements. The checkerboard pattern means the background is clear. Use the White background toggle to preview how elements will appear over video content. Select Checked to return to the transparent view.

Channel Branding editor canvas showing a yellow 'LIVE!' bug text label in the upper left and a crawl bar with weather text along the bottom.

Branding Settings

Select Settings in the toolbar to open the Branding Settings dialog. This controls global branding behavior for the channel.

Channel Branding editor toolbar with a red arrow pointing to the Settings button.

Channel Size and Crawl Speed

Set Channel Size to match your channel's output format (for example, 1080i). Set Crawl Speed to control how quickly crawl text moves across the screen. The default is Normal.

Programming Control

These checkboxes control when channel branding is suppressed:

Disable Channel Branding During Filler Programming --- Turns off all branding elements when filler content is playing.
Disable Channel Branding During CG Exempt Programming --- Turns off all branding elements for shows marked as CG Exempt.

Enabled Blocks

Use these checkboxes to enable or disable individual branding elements:

Crawl Enabled - Turns the crawl on or off.
Crawl Background - Displays a background block behind crawl text. Leave this off unless a crawl background graphic is configured.
Bug - Displays the Bug Graphic. Leave this off unless a graphic has been uploaded.
Bug Text - Displays the Bug Text label.

Note: Bug and Crawl Background are off by default. Turning them on before the content is set up can cause display problems.

Select Done to close the dialog, then select Save in the toolbar to apply your changes.

Configuring Branding Blocks

The Blocks panel lets you select and set up each branding element. Use the Blocks dropdown to switch between bug-text, crawl-text, and bug. Each block has its own set of property panels for appearance and placement.

Bug Text

Bug Text displays a short on-screen label such as "Live" or "Replay." The default text is set at the channel level here, but it can be changed for each show in the Show Record or on a run-by-run basis in the schedule.

Select bug-text from the Blocks dropdown to access its property panels. Available options include Options (bug-text), Size and Position, Text, Font, Text Alignment, and styling panels including Text Gradient, Text Outline, Text Shadow, Block Outline, Block Shadow, Block Gradient, and Block Reflection. Drag the block on the canvas to reposition it.

Bug-text block selected in the branding editor with the Size and Position panel expanded, showing the LIVE! label selected on the canvas with a dashed outline.

Crawl Text

The crawl displays scrolling text on screen. The Channel Branding editor controls how the crawl looks and where it appears. Crawl content is set at the show level or in the Crawl Schedule.

Select crawl-text from the Blocks dropdown. The Options (crawl-text) panel includes Block Background Color, Opacity of block background, and Crawl Offset (in pixels). The Text and Font panels control text styling.

Tip: Test the crawl on the channel output using a variety of monitors. Some monitors may cut off the crawl if it is too close to the edge of the screen. If that happens, adjust the Crawl Offset. A starting point of 20 px is recommended. Adjust from there until the crawl displays correctly on your monitors.

Crawl-text block selected in the branding editor with the Options panel expanded, showing Block Background Color, Opacity at 65%, and Crawl Offset set to 80 px.

Bug Graphic

The Bug Graphic displays a static image---typically a station or channel logo---overlaid on programming. To upload a bug graphic, select Upload in the toolbar. Bug graphics are uploaded directly in the Channel Branding editor and are not managed through the Assets section of Cablecast.

Select bug from the Blocks dropdown to configure the graphic. The Picture panel lets you select the uploaded image, toggle Maintain aspect ratio, and adjust opacity. Additional panels include Block Outline, Block Shadow, Block Gradient, and Block Reflection. Drag the block on the canvas to reposition it.

Bug graphic block selected in the branding editor with the Picture panel expanded, showing Cablecast_Logomark.png selected with Maintain aspect ratio checked and opacity at 85%. The logomark appears selected in the upper right of the canvas.

Setting Crawl and Bug Text Content

Crawl text and Bug Text content are not entered in the Channel Branding editor. There are several places where this content can be set.

Show Record (DSK Tab)

Bug Text and crawl content can both be set in the DSK tab of a Show Record. Open the Show Record, then select the DSK tab. The following fields are available:

Disable Channel Branding during this show --- Turn this on to hide all channel branding while this show airs.
Bug Text - Enter the text to show in the bug while this show airs (for example, "Live" or "Replay").
Crawl Text - Enter the crawl text to run while this show airs.
Crawl Length - Set how long the crawl runs. Use the format HH:MM:SS.

Settings in the DSK tab apply to all future scheduled runs of that show.

DSK tab of a Show Record showing the Disable Channel Branding toggle off, Bug Text empty, Crawl Text containing 'This program is available on PEGMEDIA.ORG', and Crawl Length set to 00:55:59.

Schedule (CG Settings)

Bug Text and crawl content can also be set on each schedule run using the CG settings. This lets you make changes to a single run without changing the Show Record.

Cablecast schedule view with a red arrow pointing to the DSK button in the Actions column of a scheduled show.

DSK Settings panel for a schedule run showing Bug Text with Override Show toggled off, Crawl Duration overriding the show record with 00:30:00, and Crawl Text overriding the show record with custom text.

Crawl Schedule

The Crawl Schedule lets you run crawl text on a channel during a set time period. Crawls added here run over scheduled programming at the same time as any show-level crawls. They will not run over Cablecast CG. This is useful for general announcements and emergency information. To access the Crawl Schedule, go to Schedule in the left navigation, then select the Crawls tab at the top of the schedule view.

Cablecast schedule view with a red arrow pointing to the Crawls tab at the top of the schedule.

Crawl Schedule view with a red arrow pointing to the Create New Crawl button.

New Crawl Event form with Start set to 6:00:00 PM, Length set to 01:00:00, and Crawl Text containing sample announcement text.

Crawl Schedule view showing a newly created crawl event starting at 6:00:00 PM, running for one hour, ending at 7:00:00 PM.

Note: Crawls, bugs, and bug text cannot be triggered manually. They display based on the schedule and show-level settings described above.

Tip: If copying crawl text from a third-party website, paste it into a plain text editor first to remove any Unicode characters before entering it in Cablecast. Unicode characters can prevent a crawl from running.

Squeeze Backs

Squeeze Backs show filler content in a smaller zone on screen next to a CG channel layout, instead of filling the full screen. This creates a clean transition between scheduled programming and filler content such as PSAs and promos.

Note: Squeeze Backs are only available on VIO servers.

To configure Squeeze Backs, navigate to Settings > System Settings > Channels, select the channel, then select Branding > Squeeze Backs.

Check Enable Squeeze Backs to turn on the feature. Use the Channel dropdown to select the CG channel design to display during the squeeze back. Use the Block dropdown to select the layout zone where filler content will appear. Available zones are Lower Feed, Main Information & Video, and Sidebar. The canvas preview updates to show how the layout will appear on air. Select Save when finished.

Channel Squeeze Backs configuration page with Enable Squeeze Backs checked, Channel set to YourCity TV, and Block set to Corporate Cityscape - Video, with a layout preview showing the video zone highlighted in green.