DocumentationAnalyticsStreaming media services guide

Content player name

Last update: May 28, 2026

CREATED FOR:

  • Developer

This page covers data collection for the Content player name variable. See Content player name for the corresponding reporting dimension.

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The content player name variable identifies which player rendered the content (for example, HTML5 Player, Brightcove, or Roku Player). It is required for all streaming media implementations and must be set at session start. The value is used in the Content Player Name dimension to compare engagement and quality across players in the same property.

Property
Value
Context data variable
a.media.playerName
XDM collection field
xdm.mediaCollection.sessionDetails.playerName
Audience Manager trait
c_contextdata.a.media.playerName
Required
Yes
Sent with
Session start, session close
Web SDK

Set playerName inside xdm.mediaCollection.sessionDetails when calling sendEvent:

code language-javascript 
alloy("sendEvent", {
  xdm: {
    eventType: "media.sessionStart",
    mediaCollection: {
      sessionDetails: {
        name: "video-123",
        length: 128,
        contentType: "vod",
        playerName: "HTML5 Player",
        channel: "Sports",
        streamType: "video"
      },
      playhead: 0
    }
  }
});
iOS

Set the player name through the tracker configuration when creating the tracker, using MediaConstants.TrackerConfig.PLAYER_NAME. The player name is not part of the media object.

code language-swift 
var config: [String: Any] = [:]
config[MediaConstants.TrackerConfig.PLAYER_NAME] = "HTML5 Player"
config[MediaConstants.TrackerConfig.CHANNEL] = "Sports"

Media.createTrackerWith(config: config) { tracker in
    self.tracker = tracker
}
Android

Set the player name through the tracker configuration when creating the tracker, using MediaConstants.TrackerConfig.PLAYER_NAME. The player name is not part of the media object.

code language-kotlin 
val config = HashMap<String, Any>()
config[MediaConstants.TrackerConfig.PLAYER_NAME] = "HTML5 Player"
config[MediaConstants.TrackerConfig.CHANNEL] = "Sports"

val tracker = Media.createTracker(config)
Roku

Set playerName inside xdm.mediaCollection.sessionDetails when calling createMediaSession:

code language-brightscript 
m.aepSdk.createMediaSession({
    "xdm": {
        "eventType": "media.sessionStart",
        "mediaCollection": {
            "sessionDetails": {
                "name": "video-123",
                "length": 128,
                "contentType": "vod",
                "playerName": "Roku Player",
                "channel": "Sports",
                "streamType": "video"
            },
            "playhead": 0
        }
    }
})
Media Edge API

Call the sessionStart endpoint with playerName inside xdm.mediaCollection.sessionDetails:

code language-json 
{
  "events": [{
    "xdm": {
      "eventType": "media.sessionStart",
      "mediaCollection": {
        "sessionDetails": {
          "name": "video-123",
          "length": 128,
          "contentType": "vod",
          "playerName": "HTML5 Player",
          "channel": "Sports"
        },
        "playhead": 0
      }
    }
  }]
}

Legacy implementation types (Analytics-only)

Media SDK JS 3.x

Set the player name on ADB.MediaConfig before creating the tracker:

code language-javascript 
var mediaConfig = new ADB.MediaConfig();
mediaConfig.trackingServer = "your.tracking.server";
mediaConfig.playerName = "HTML5 Player";
mediaConfig.channel = "Sports";

var tracker = ADB.Media.getInstance(mediaConfig);
Chromecast

Pass the player name as a standard metadata key when calling trackSessionStart:

code language-javascript 
var mediaInfo = ADBMobile.media.createMediaObject("My Video", "video-123", 128,
  ADBMobile.media.StreamType.VOD, ADBMobile.media.MediaType.Video);
var metadata = { "a.media.playerName": "Chromecast Player" };
ADBMobile.media.trackSessionStart(mediaInfo, metadata);
Media Collection API

Include media.playerName in the params object of your sessionStart POST request:

code language-json 
{
  "playerTime": { "playhead": 0, "ts": 1699523820000 },
  "eventType": "sessionStart",
  "params": {
    "media.playerName": "HTML5 Player"
  }
}

See the Media Collection API sessions reference for the full request structure.

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