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Moving From Programs to Collections

  • Updated on Oct 2, 2026
  • Published on Sep 30, 2026
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Why Collections & Layouts?

Collections & Layouts makes it easier to build multi-zone screens than Programs, and content will play more reliably on an improved rendering engine. Your Programs will continue to work as they did before, but we recommend transitioning from creating Programs to using Collections & Layouts.

What's New

With Collections & Layouts, you build each screen visually and choose what goes in each zone:

  • A single piece of content, like a logo, image, video or weather widget

  • A Playlist, when you want content to rotate in that zone

That's the big difference from Programs. In a Program, each zone holds one item, so rotating content means building a new segment for every item. In a Collection, you drop a Playlist into the zone and you're done.

You also get:

  • A visual editor in portrait or landscape

  • Play rules on layouts, playlists and individual items

  • Lead zones, so your main content finishes before the screen moves on

  • Smoother playback from a newer playback engine

Example:

One customer had a four-zone screen with 100 rotating videos. As a program, that took 292 panes set up by hand. As a collection, it became 3 zones with single content items and 1 zone with a playlist, and their players stopped crashing.

Your Programs Still Work

Nothing is being taken away. Your Programs keep playing on your displays, and you can keep editing them. We recommend Collections & Layouts for anything new you build.

Recreate a Program as a Collection

  1. Open the program in one browser tab so you can refer to it

  2. In a second tab, navigate to Collections and click the + Collection button

  3. Click Add Entry, choose an orientation, and choose the layout that matches your program's zones

  4. Click the + icon in each zone and add:

    1. The same content item, if that zone shows one thing, like a logo or header

    2. A playlist, if that zone rotates content

  5. Click Publish

Note:

If a zone has a playlist, open the zone's Settings, toggle Lead Zone to Enabled and click Update. This keeps the layout on screen until the whole Playlist has played. The Crown icon shows which zone is the lead zone.

Switch Your Displays

  1. Check the Collection on a test display or in Live View

  2. Navigate to Displays, select the display and click Change

  3. Click the Media dropdown menu, select Collection, and choose your new collection

Keep the old Program until the new Collection has been running correctly for a few days.

Not Ready to Rebuild? Use Your Program in a Collection

Add a single-zone entry to a new collection and put your existing program in it. The program plays normally, so you can move your displays to collections now and rebuild the program later.

⚠️ Important:

Programs can only be used in single-zone entries. See Programs in Collections: What Plays Where.

Tips for Success

  • Start with one display group, not everything at once

  • Copy entries to reuse a layout, then swap in new content

  • Name things clearly, for example "Lobby – Main (Collection)"

  • Avoid three or more videos playing at once. Use images or GIFs in secondary zones.

  • Set play rules at one level only, either on the entry or on the playlist

Need Help?

Your Skykit team can help you plan the move, especially if you have a lot of programs. Contact support@skykit.com or your Customer Success Manager.

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