---
title: "How to Create an Official Show Preview"
canonical: "https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/584417283/How%20to%20Create%20an%20Official%20Show%20Preview"
format: markdown
---
> Macro (toc)
## Overview
The official show preview is the video that displays when someone comes to your show page. It is a short clip that gives the user an idea of your show’s content. After viewing the preview, the user may click the X in the upper right corner to close the show page and return to the previous screen, or they can click *Watch Now* to watch the first or latest full-length asset from the show (depending on show's ascending/descending logic. See the [Watch Now button section](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/584417283/How+to+Create+an+Official+Show+Preview#Program-the--Watch-Now--button) for more on ascending/descending).
## How it works
The Show preview element is comprised of two sections: the *Watch Now* button on the left side and the preview video that plays on the right side.
- The video that displays is powered by the **[Featured Video Content ID](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/5343796/Shows#Featured-Preview-Content-ID)** in the *Miscellaneous *section of the* Additional Data* tab at the Show level. This ID is the PBS Content ID that is copied from the *Core Data* tab of the published asset you are using for your preview video.
- The *Watch Now* button pulls the first or latest video of the show (using the video's "Encore Date") depending on ascending/descending logic.
- You must use the same show for the video preview and the *Watch Now* button.
## Example
*Click play on the video below to see an example of a show preview. *
## How to add a preview to your Show page
This section shows you how to add a video preview to your Show page. In this example, we are using *All Creatures Great and Small*. We will begin by adding the video component then go through the steps involved in programming the *Watch Now *button.
### Adding the video
- Open the [Media Manager console](https://media.console.pbs.org/) and open the **show that holds the preview** you want to use.
- Click the **season that holds the preview asset **(Figure 1).
Figure 1
- Click the **preview asset** to open it (Figure 2).
> 📝 Select a video that is **less than 3 minutes** to avoid a pre-roll ad appearing. If you need an exception to this guideline, please [submit a support ticket](https://digitalsupport.pbs.org/support/tickets/new).
Figure 2
- In the Core Data tab, **copy the *****PBS Content ID*** (Figure 3).
Figure 3
- Go back to the** main show page** and click the **Additional Data tab** (Figure 4).
Figure 4
- Scroll to the ***Miscellaneous*** section and in the *Featured Preview Content ID *textbox, paste the ***PBS Content ID*** that you copied in Figure 3 (Figure 5.1).
- If this field is left blank, the show's Background image from Media Manager displays. If the show does not have a Background image, the mezzanine 16:9 image of the full-length asset that the *[Watch Now](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/584417283/How+to+Create+an+Official+Show+Preview#Program-the--Watch-Now--button)*[ button](https://docs.pbs.org/space/MM/584417283/How+to+Create+an+Official+Show+Preview#Program-the--Watch-Now--button) goes to is used.
- When finished, click **Save **(Figure 5.2).
Figure 5
Once saved, the video asset details display the information related to the trailer. This is the official preview of the show.
### Program the *Watch Now* button
The other part of creating a Show Preview is programming the blue ***Watch Now*** button that displays on the left side of the preview video. The *Watch Now* button **automatically pulls in the latest episode from a show (not Specials currently) **and, when clicked, this button directs the user to an episode that is determined by the *Descending Episode Order* toggle in the Core Data tab of the Show.
Here’s how it works.
- Viewing the same show that you used for your video preview in the steps right before this, click the **Core Data tab **(Figure 1).
- **You must use the same show for both the video preview and the *****Watch Now *****button.**
Figure 1
- The *Descending Episode Order* toggle is switched to ON by default (Figure 2.1).
- **Descending **- Episodes are displayed from most recent to oldest. ***This is selected by default.***
- **Ascending **- Episodes are displayed from oldest to most recent.
View examples of ascending and descending order
| **Descending** | **Ascending** |
| --- | --- |
|  |  |
- If you switch the toggle, remember to click **Save **to save your changes (Figure 2.2).
> 📝 In this example, we are leaving the toggle in the **OFF **position so that the oldest episodes of the show display first.
Figure 2
Because we left the toggle in the OFF position, the user will be directed to the oldest episode of your show that is available. Let’s see what this looks like in this *All Creatures Great and Small *example.
- Click the** Seasons tab** and open the **first season** of the show (Figure 3).
Figure 3
- After opening the earliest season, click the **first episode** in that season (Figure 4).
Figure 4
- Click the **Full Length episode** (Figure 5).
Figure 5
- Click the **Preview tab **(Figure 6).
Figure 6
It is the same video to which the *Watch Now* button clicks through (Figure 7).
Figure 7
