The Rundown Control lets you build and operate a show rundown from your Graphics Package Overlays. You can organize Overlays into Playlists before the broadcast, then trigger them one by one during the show, with full control over content, order, and timing.
Starting from a blank rundown, add, duplicate, rename, and reorder Overlays in just a couple of clicks to prepare all your show’s content beforehand.
Use cases
Managing a live news or sports broadcast where graphics must be triggered in a specific sequence.
Preparing a complete show rundown, lower thirds, titles, scoreboards, before going on-air.
Organizing graphics into multiple Playlists for different show segments.
Triggering graphics via external automation systems (Cuez, Evertz Mediator, ENPS) through the Flowics API.
Operating a broadcast with multiple team members, one person managing content, another triggering graphics.
Prerequisites
You have editor access to a Graphics Package in Viz Flowics.
The Graphics Package is published with Rundown Control selected as the control mode. This is set at publish time and cannot be changed afterward.
The Output is enabled (live) before triggering Overlays during the broadcast.
How it works
The Rundown Control is a separate interface from the Graphics Editor. It presents the Overlays from your package as items in a Playlist. You build the playlist in advance and then trigger each item sequentially during the show.
Each item in the playlist is a copy of an Overlay with its own content. You can use the same Overlay template multiple times, with different data in each instance. The Output always reflects the last Overlay triggered IN.
Key rules to understand
The control mode is set at publish time and cannot be changed. If your package is published as Classic Control, you cannot switch it to Rundown Control. You must duplicate the package and publish the copy as Rundown Control.
Data connectors are independent of the Editor and the Rundown Control. A connector configured in the Editor does not automatically apply to the Rundown, and vice versa. This is by design; it lets you test in the Editor without affecting the live rundown.
One active Overlay per Region at a time. Triggering a second Overlay IN the same Region automatically takes the first one OUT. To show two graphics simultaneously, they must be in separate Regions.
Playlists cannot be copied between packages. You can duplicate Overlays within the same package, but moving playlists to a different package is not currently supported.
API functionality differs between control modes. Rundown Control supports advanced features like playlist API instructions, while Classic Control does not, which may impact its utility in certain scenarios.
Creating a Graphics Package
When designing a Graphics Package for rundowns, think of Overlays as templates that will be duplicated as needed.
Design one Overlay for each layout variation you need. For example: “Lower third 1-liner”, “Lower third 2-lines”, and so on.
Use descriptive names for Overlays and Regions, so they are easy to find and reuse during operation.
You will be able to choose between publishing for the Classic Control or the Rundown Control when you publish a Graphics Package for the first time.
Keep in mind, you cannot switch between Control apps for a given Graphics Package. If you want to use an already published graphic with the new Rundown Control, you will need to duplicate it and republish it. Additionally, Classic Control lacks support for API instructions related to playlists, which can limit its functionality in integrated workflows. For MOS environments, Rundown Control is recommended to ensure compatibility with workflows and API functionalities.
Rundown Control Interface
The interface has 7 defined parts, those are:
1. Playlists Panel
This is the starting point for creating playlists. Playlists can have as many Overlays as needed. Use the buttons on the upper right area to create a new Playlist, or to duplicate or delete the selected one. To rename a Playlist, double-click on its name.
2. Playlist Overlays
Here you can add, duplicate and remove Overlays from the selected Playlist. Change the Overlays order by dragging them. Rename them by clicking on their names.
3. Overlay Preview
This panel is where you can preview the selected Overlay before sending it live. You can also preview the Overlay IN transition.
4. Output Preview
A preview of what’s being displayed at the actual Output URL.
5. Quick Controls
Here you’ll find a birds-eye view of all the Regions of the Graphics Package –grouped by Scene–, and the Overlays that are active on each Region.
Each Region will show the last Overlay that was used on it, and its IN or OUT status, which can be quickly toggled by clicking on it.
Click the Region name to switch between all the Overlays of that Region that are present on any Playlist. If no Overlays for a specific Region were added to any Playlist, it will be shown as empty.
6. Overlay Controls
This panel displays all the selected Overlay’s controllable elements, like Texts, Images, and Lists.
You will see changes made here immediately reflected on the Overlay Preview panel.
Whenever you are editing the values of an Overlay that is currently on-air, the updates won’t be sent live immediately. Use the “Update Output” button at the upper right corner to manually send all those changes live at once.
Some controls show a “Direct Update” badge. Unlike text and image updates, those actions will take place immediately, affecting both Preview and Output if it is currently live.
7. Global Providers Panel
If your Graphics Package is using globally scoped Data Providers, they will be listed here.
Use this panel to control these Global Data Providers and change their settings. This will affect the data shown on every element bound to them.
Main Actions
These are the main actions you will find on the Remote Control interface:
1. Update Button
This button appears when a new version of the Graphics Package has been published. It lets the operator decide when to bring those changes, since some elements may have changed.
2. Enable Live Button
Enabling the Graphics Output will remove the watermark in order to go live. The amount of simultaneously enabled Outputs depends on the Graphics Output Quota and limits.
3. Open Output Button
Opens the Graphics Output in a new tab. You can share the Output URL with your technical team so they can integrate it with your graphics integration system.
4. Playlist Actions
Add, duplicate and remove Playlists to organize your Overlays rundown.
5. Overlay List Actions
Add, duplicate and remove Overlays from the selected Playlist.
6. Overlay IN/OUT Buttons
Use the IN/OUT toggle to show or hide an Overlay on the Output. You can only have one active Overlay at the time on each Region.
7. Take all Out button (Quick Control Panel)
Takes out all the Overlays that are visible in the Output.
Workspace Settings Menu
Show Overlays preview: Show or hide the Overlay Preview Panel.
Playlist Panel horizontal scroll: Switch the Playlist panel between vertical and horizontal scrolling layout.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Open the keyboard shortcuts guide.
Open Output: Open the Graphics Output in a new tab.
Open in Graphics Editor: Access the Graphics Editor to edit the Graphics Package. This depends on your user role and permissions.
Shortcuts
Best practices
Build and name your playlist before the broadcast. A well-named, pre-built playlist reduces errors during live operation.
Duplicate the package before making structural changes. The Rundown playlist is tied to the published version — structural edits require re-publishing, which may affect a live rundown.
Check data connector assignments before going live. Verify the Rundown connectors point to the correct data sources — the Editor and Rundown use independent connector configurations.
Use Direct Update controls for content that changes frequently. Controls marked Direct Update apply instantly without requiring an Update Output click.
Set a minimum of 200–300 ms between API trigger calls if using automation. Shorter intervals cause race conditions and missed triggers.
Use Rundown Control in MOS environments. This ensures compatibility with required workflows and API functionalities, making it the preferred choice for modern integrations.
Troubleshooting
Output is laggy or slow
Common causes:
Dynamic List building blocks with very large data ranges.
Multiple Output tabs open simultaneously.
Slow internet connection on the control machine.
How to fix:
Open the Graphics Editor and check any Dynamic List building blocks. If the total item count across all lists in a single Overlay exceeds 500, reduce the data range to the minimum needed.
Close any duplicate Output URL tabs — each open tab renders independently.
Open the Output URL directly in a browser. If it is smooth there but laggy in vMix or Tricaster, the issue is on the broadcast system side.
Run a speed test on the machine — minimum 10 Mbps stable connection recommended.
Data not appearing on-air — graphic goes live empty
Common causes:
Data Provider not synchronized.
Rundown connector pointing to a different source than the Editor.
Missing or blank values in the data source.
How to fix:
In the Rundown Control, find the Data Provider in the Global Providers panel or Overlay Controls and click Synchronize Connector.
Check the connector name in the Overlay Controls panel of the Rundown — it may point to a different data source than the one you configured in the Editor.
Verify the data source has values for all required fields — missing fields (e.g. blank name or ID) will cause those items to appear empty on-air.
If a connector was recently changed, re-publish the package and reload the Rundown Control.
I cannot switch from Classic Control to Rundown Control
This is expected behavior. The control mode cannot be changed after publishing.
Workaround:
Open the Graphics Package in the Editor.
Click the three-dot menu on the package and select Duplicate.
Publish the duplicate and select Rundown Control as the control mode.
Rebuild your playlist in the new package.
Duplicating copies the design but not the playlist content. You will need to recreate the playlist items.
I cannot copy a playlist to another package
Copying playlists between packages is not currently supported. You can duplicate Overlays within the same package using Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V, but the playlist structure itself cannot be moved.
If you manage multiple packages with similar rundowns, contact your Customer Success Manager to request this feature.
Automation system triggering with a lag or wrong data
Common causes:
API calls sent too close together (under 100 ms apart).
Data push arriving after the trigger call.
How to fix:
Test the Output URL directly in a browser and trigger an Overlay manually. If it is fast in the browser but slow via automation, the bottleneck is in the automation system's API call timing.
Set a minimum interval of 200–300 ms between Take Overlay In calls. Apply the delay only to that call — not to the Update Control call, which would cause data to arrive late.
If straps animate on with old content and then update, the data push is arriving after the trigger. Ensure the data update call is sent before the trigger call.
Graphic not returning after a commercial break
Flowics does not have a native auto-restore feature after the commercial plan. The graphic must be re-triggered by your automation system after the break.
Confirm that your automation system sends the trigger call after the commercial ends. Check the automation system logs for the trigger event.
If the trigger is sent but the graphic is not appearing, check whether the Overlay went OUT during the break — it requires an explicit IN call to reappear.
For intermittent cases, check for API race conditions or network instability during the transition (see automation section above).
Preview not loading when inserting graphics via sNews or NCS
The preview is rendered by the NCS integration, not directly by Flowics. If the preview is not loading:
Test the Output URL directly in a browser — if it renders there, Flowics is working correctly.
Check that the graphics package URL configured in your NCS integration is up to date. Re-publishing a package may generate a new URL.
Contact your NCS support team for integration-specific issues — the preview is managed on the NCS side.
When to contact support
Contact the support team if:
The Output URL does not render in a browser (not just in the broadcast system).
A Data Provider shows a persistent error after synchronizing.
An Overlay behavior is inconsistent with what is described in this article.
You need assistance with an API integration that is not responding as expected.
When contacting support, include: your Rundown Control URL, the Graphics Package URL, and a description of the exact steps taken before the issue occurred.
Quick reference — Rundown Control actions
Action | How |
Add Overlay to playlist | Click + in the Playlist Overlays panel |
Duplicate Overlay in playlist | Select item → click Duplicate |
Reorder Overlays | Drag in the Playlist Overlays panel |
Trigger Overlay on-air | Click IN in the Overlay Controls |
Take all Overlays out | Take All Out in the Quick Controls panel |
Update live content | Edit in Overlay Controls → click Update Output |
Instant update | Controls marked Direct Update apply immediately |
Open Output in browser | Click Open Output in the top bar |
Apply package update | Click Update when a new version is published |