I'm helping a company set up several TVs in a waiting area that should continuously play videos. They already use Google Workspace, but their current setup doesn't appear to include an organization-wide ad-free video subscription. Is there a suitable business or enterprise solution that can be deployed to all the TVs? Ideally, it should avoid ads and prevent the displays from unexpectedly showing inappropriate or unrelated content.
4 Answers
For a managed installation, look at digital-signage platforms such as Screenly or similar products. They can distribute scheduled images and videos to multiple displays and provide centralized control. A self-hosted media server such as Jellyfin is another option if the company owns or properly licenses all the content.
The simplest option is to download or license a carefully selected collection of videos and play them locally from a USB drive or a small media server. That avoids ads, internet outages, recommendations, and unexpected changes. Make sure the company has permission to use the content publicly; Creative Commons or properly licensed stock footage can help.
A local folder or media server also makes it easy to replace individual videos without changing every TV.
Some business accounts can subscribe to the ad-free service directly from the account rather than through the organization’s administrator console, but that still doesn’t solve the curation and public-performance issues. I’d treat that as a possible source for controlled viewing, not as an unattended lobby-signage system.
I wouldn’t let an algorithm choose random public videos for a customer-facing screen. Even with an ad-free subscription, recommendations or autoplay could eventually surface something inappropriate, political, or just painfully boring. Build a curated playlist instead.
Exactly. The main risk isn’t only ads—it’s losing control over what customers see.
If the videos come from a public streaming service, check its business and public-display terms first. A consumer subscription may not grant permission to show that content in a lobby.