--- title: "Programs in Collections - What Plays Where" slug: "programs-in-collections-what-plays-where" updated: 2026-10-02T19:04:08Z published: 2026-10-02T19:04:08Z canonical: "support.skykit.com/programs-in-collections-what-plays-where" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.skykit.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Programs in Collections - What Plays Where > A reference for which content plays in single-zone and multi-zone Collection entries, what each program warning means, and how to fix it. This is available to Manager and Administrator roles. ## **The Short Version** Whether a Program plays in a Collection depends on **how many zones the Collection entry has**. - **Single-zone entry (one pane):** Anything plays, including Programs. - **Multi-zone entry (two or more panes):** Multi-zone programs don't play, and neither do Playlists that contain multi-zone Programs. This is because the player can't display a multi-zone Program inside a multi-zone layout. > **Not seeing Programs?** > > Programs are a legacy feature not available in accounts created after May 2026. If you do not have access to Programs, you will not see any of these warnings. ## **What Plays Where** | What you add to the zone | Single-Zone Collection Entry | Multi-Zone Collection Entry | | --- | --- | --- | | **Content item** (image, video, web page, etc.) | Plays | Plays | | **Playlist without multi-zone Programs** | Plays | Plays | | **Playlist with multi-zone Programs** | Plays | General warning shows in Beam. Will not play. | | **Program with only single zone entries** | Plays | General warning shows in Beam. Will play. | | **Program with multi-zone entries** | Plays | General warning shows in Beam. Will not play. | | **Playlist that contains a Program with only single zone entries** | Plays | General warning shows in Beam. Will play. | > **Note:** > > In multi-zone entries, Beam warns about **every** Program, including single-zone Programs. A Program can have up to 80 segments with different layouts, so Beam treats all Programs as unsupported in multi-zone entries rather than checking each segment. The simplest fix is to use a Playlist instead. ## **Warnings You'll See** #### When you choose a Program for a multi-zone entry: Programs still appear in the content picker, labeled with the following warning: > *Multi-zone Programs aren’t supported in multi-zone layouts and will not play.* If you add a Program to your multi-zone Collection layout, you will see the warning: > *Multi-zone Programs cannot be used in multi-zone Collection entries. If this Program contains any multi-zone segments, it will not play.* ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Screenshot 2026-10-02 at 1.41.16 PM.png) #### When you choose a Playlist that contains a Program: Playlists containing Programs still appear in the content picker, labeled with the following warning: > *Contains Programs. Multi-zone Programs are not supported in multi-zone layouts and will not play.* If you add a Playlist containing Programs to your multi-zone Collection layout, you will see this warning: > *Playlists containing multi-zone Programs cannot be used in multi-zone Collection entries. This content will not play if it contains multi-zone Programs.* The warning includes a link that **opens the Playlist directly**, so you can remove the Program and come back. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Screenshot 2026-10-02 at 1.40.51 PM.png) #### Inside the Playlist: If a Playlist contains a Program, the Playlist editor also shows a warning: > *Multi-zone Programs cannot play inside a multi-zone Collection layout. This Program may not play inside a Collection.* ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/Screenshot 2026-10-02 at 1.40.31 PM.png) #### When a Playlist changes later: If you add a Program to a Playlist that's already used in a multi-zone entry, the warning appears the next time the Collection is opened or published. ## **What Happens on Your Displays** - **Some zones can't play:** The other zones play normally. The zone that can't play shows a **blue exclamation point**, the same icon you see when content has been deleted. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/86c4dfb2-4202-4f4a-97e1-d24441ae8c90/Images/Documentation/screen-1790967820375-1790967819208.png) - **No zones can play:** The player **skips that entry** and moves on to the next one. --- ## **Step 1: Find the Zone With the Warning** 1. Navigate to **Collections** in the main menu 2. Open the Collection 3. Look for entries and zones showing a warning ## **Step 2: Choose How to Fix It** #### Option A: Replace the Program with a Playlist (recommended) 1. Create a Playlist with the same content as the Program 2. Click the zone showing the warning 3. Replace the Program with your new Playlist 4. Click **Publish** #### Option B: Remove the Program from the Playlist 1. Click the link in the warning to open the Playlist 2. Remove the Program from the Playlist 3. Click **Save** 4. Return to the Collection and click **Publish** #### Option C: Move the Program to a single-zone entry 1. Click **Add Entry** 2. Choose a **single-pane** layout 3. Add the Program to the zone 4. Remove the Program from the multi-zone entry 5. Click **Publish** > **Tip:** > > Anything a single-zone Program does, a Playlist can also do, and Playlists support play rules. For new content, use Playlists instead of Programs. ## **Related articles** - [Why Isn't My Collection Content Playing?](https://support.skykit.com/docs/why-isnt-my-collection-content-playing) Skykit Beam > Collections > Collections & Layouts - [Moving From Programs to Collections](https://support.skykit.com/docs/moving-from-programs-to-collections) Skykit Beam > Collections > Collections & Layouts - [Classic and New Collections](https://support.skykit.com/docs/classic-and-new-collections) Skykit Beam > Collections > Collections & Layouts