FAQ: Channel Publishing

Schedule for publishing

Why is "Schedule Publishing" button greyed out?
Answer: A few reasons why the Schedule Publishing button may be disabled are:

1. You have incorrectly classified your screensaver or utility app as "Video" in the Properties > Classification dropdown. 
2. You are missing any required fields or information from the Preview and Publish checklist (e.g. Monetization, Channel Store Info, etc)
3. You have not saved deep linking parameters on the Deep Linking page
4. You have not run and passed Static Analysis
5. You have not run and passed Channel Behavior Analysis 

If you have completed Steps 1-3 above, but are still failing Certification Testing, see our article Why do I see errors after I run Certification Testing on my channel?

Why was my scheduled for publishing time cancelled?

Answer: Once you have scheduled your channel for publishing, any metadata changes you make will automatically result in the cancellation of your original publish date. To ensure the changes take effect, you will need to reschedule the modified channel for publishing in the next available time slot.

How do I submit a beta channel for public status?
Answer:

If you have created a beta channel when you intended to create a public channel, please create a new public channel.

You can choose to delete a beta channel under Manage My Channels, using the setting dropdown shown below. 

Can publishing an update for a hotfix be expedited?

Answer: First, you need to make sure that your channel has been successfully scheduled for publishing.
Then, reach out to Partner Success with your channel information including the name and ID or access code and the impact to users for this hotfix. We will review your request as soon as we can with stakeholders and let you know if we can expedite the hotfix.

What is deployment timeline after a release has been submitted for publishing?
Answer: Once your channel is published at the scheduled time, it can take 24 hours to roll out to all active and supported devices. Please see the schedule for channel release below. (This is also in your Developer Dashboard.)

• The scheduling calendar is displayed in Pacific Time Zone (PST)
• The publishing window is open Monday 00:00 am through Thursday at 11:59pm PST (year round including holidays).
• Support from Roku Partner Success is available during PST business hours: Monday through Friday 9 am – 5 pm PST excluding US holidays.
• The earliest release time is on the second business day from the submission date as indicated in the following table:

Channel Metadata updates

How do I update my channel logo?

Answer: Developer Dashboard > Manage My Channels > your channel > Preview and Update > Preview and Publish (dropdown menu) > Channel Store Info > upload new image and Save > Schedule for publishing as you would for a normal channel update.

How do I add a link to our privacy policy for SDK channels?

Answer: Go to the Developer Dashboard, under the Properties page for your SDK channel, you have the option to include a Privacy Policy link.

What is the character limit in the Channel Store description field?

Answer:

Web Description: 1500 characters
Description (which shows up on-device): 289 characters

Channel Names

What if another channel is using the name I want to use for my channel?

Answer: While you are still allowed to utilize the channel name, if you wish to assert ownership rights over it, please refer to our provided legal process outlined here for claiming rights to that specific name.

Is it possible to change the name of a channel after it is live?

Answer: Yes, you can update an existing channel's name in the Developer Dashboard (Manage my Channels > Preview and Update > Channel Store info). 

After changes are saved, you can schedule when you'd like your channel name changes to go live using our publishing scheduler.

Keep in mind, once a channel is created with a name, it remains that name in our backend for the lifetime of the channel. It’s possible to choose a channel name (USA TV) and later change the name (USA Television), but the name USA TV is still claimed in our system and will show the original name in analytic reports.

Is there a limit for the length of a channel name?

Answer: Yes. The character limit for channel name length is 30 characters.