Holding cards
Holding cards are the full-frame visuals broadcast in place of the programme: before the start, during breaks, in the event of an incident, and after closing. They make sure that a viewer who arrives early, returns from a break or stays connected after the end always sees a controlled image rather than a black screen or an empty set.
Principle — an empty feed reads as a dead feed. The viewer closes the tab, or comments. Holding cards are the only answer to that risk.
Specifications
Brand identity, composition and element placement are entirely up to you. Only these technical constraints affect broadcast:
- 1920 × 1080 px, JPG or PNG, one file per message
- A second set at 1080 × 1920 px if a vertical output is planned
- 100 px safe margin, message text at 60 px minimum — most of the audience is on mobile
- Animated versions accepted: MP4 H.264, 10 to 20 seconds, seamless loop
In practice, a fixed block (programme title, hashtag, logos, URL) plus a variable message block is enough to generate the whole series from a single template.
Hard-coded times — a card reading "at 2:30pm" becomes wrong the moment the programme slips. Either supply one version per time slot, or favour wording without a time, which covers every case.
Priority levels
Required — without it, there is a point in the broadcast where we have nothing to show. Recommended — the broadcast holds up without it, but the experience degrades. Optional — editorial comfort, to be weighed against the design budget.
Card list
Before the programme
| Card | Level | Sample copy |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-start holding | Required | "Programme starts at 9:00am" |
| Starting shortly | Recommended | "The programme begins in a few moments" |
| Countdown | Optional | Timer — avoid if the actual start time is uncertain |
During the programme
| Card | Level | Sample copy |
|---|---|---|
| Resuming shortly | Required | "The programme resumes in a few moments" |
| Break with time | Recommended | "Programme resumes at 2:30pm" |
| Technical incident | Recommended | "We are experiencing a technical issue. The programme will resume shortly." |
| Session or chapter | Optional | Title of the panel or session |
| Call for questions | Optional | "Post your questions in the comments" |
After the programme
| Card | Level | Sample copy |
|---|---|---|
| Closing | Required | "The programme has ended. Thank you for watching." |
| End of day (multi-day events) | Recommended | "End of today's programme. Replays available from tomorrow." |
| Replay | Recommended | "The replay will be available on this page." |
| Credits | Optional | Music, production, mandatory notices |
| Postponement or cancellation | Optional | To be approved in advance, never improvised on air |
The viable minimum is three cards: pre-start, resuming, closing. They cover the three moments when the programme is unavailable. Everything else is comfort.
Music
Holding cards must carry an audio bed: a silent card is indistinguishable from a fault.
- Royalty-free music is mandatory. A track under a standard commercial licence will be blocked or have its audio stripped on social platform replays, which fingerprint music automatically. The live broadcast may get through; the replay will not — and the replay carries most of the views. Keep the licence documentation in the event folder.
- Loop of 3 minutes minimum, clean seam, level 8 to 10 dB below the programme.
- A separate, more neutral track for incident cards.
Language versions and naming
For multilingual events, the full series is duplicated per language, incident cards included — they are the ones people forget to translate, and the ones that appear at the worst possible moment.
Prefix file names by phase, so the right file is easy to find under pressure:
00_holding_0900 · 20_break_1430 · 50_incident · 90_closing
Delivery checklist
- All three required cards supplied
- 1920 × 1080 px, text legible on mobile — plus the 1080 × 1920 set if a vertical output is planned
- One file per time slot where times are hard-coded
- Royalty-free music supplied with its licence, plus a neutral track for incidents
- Series duplicated per language
- Files delivered no later than D-3