Campaign Setup
Part of Programmatic campaign setup
Setting a campaign schedule across Australian time zones
Translate Australian local campaign hours into platform settings and check flight dates around daylight saving.
State the intended hours in each audience location, then check how Display & Video 360 interprets them. Verify the flight’s start and end dates, schedule days and any daylight saving change before launch. “9 am Australian time” is not a complete scheduling instruction.
Keep the clocks separate
Record the advertiser time zone, the locations whose local hours matter and the reporting time zone. In Display & Video 360, inspect how the time-zone settings apply to the relevant insertion order and line item, and note the default reporting window for that item.
Check whether the intended day and time targeting uses advertiser time, local time or another supported setting for the line-item type. For each type, including YouTube & partners, confirm which time setting applies to that control before using it.
Check that any local-time option applies to the intended line-item type and location setup. Compare the approved schedule with the saved insertion-order and line-item dates, day and time targeting, and geography, as well as campaign-level dates.
Scheduling a Campaign Across Australian Time Zones
- Identify target audience time zonesInclude ACT, NSW, SA, TAS, VIC (observe DST), QLD, NT, WA (do not observe DST).
- Confirm platform time zone settingsCheck Display & Video 360 for advertiser time, local time and reporting time zone configurations.
- Use local-time targeting where possibleSelect ‘local time’ in line item settings for accurate market-specific scheduling.
- Validate saved rules before launchReopen insertion orders and compare scheduled times with handoff instructions using named zones (e.g., AEDT).
Convert the Australian markets
The ACT, NSW, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria begin daylight saving on 4 October 2026; Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not observe it. The 2026 change back is Sunday 5 April, when 03:00 AEDT becomes 02:00 AEST; confirm the applicable transition date for any later flight year that crosses daylight saving.
AEST is UTC+10, and AEDT is one hour ahead at UTC+11. The other offsets used here are ACDT UTC+10:30, ACST UTC+9:30 and AWST UTC+8.
Suppose a hypothetical campaign starts at 09:00 Sydney time on Monday 5 October 2026. Sydney is then on AEDT, so that instant is 08:00 in Brisbane AEST, 08:30 in Adelaide ACDT, 07:30 in Darwin ACST and 06:00 in Perth AWST; the ACT, NSW, Tasmania and Victoria are on AEDT and read 09:00.
Converting one instant does not give every market a 09:00 start. If the brief requires 09:00 in each market, use supported local-time windows or calculate the corresponding advertiser-time windows. Separate line items may be needed where the rules cannot be expressed together.
Key Facts: Australian Time Zones and DST
- States observing DST
- ACT, NSW, SA, TAS, VIC
- States not observing DST
- QLD, NT, WA
- DST Start Date (2026)
- 4 October 2026
Check the saved rule
Use a date, 24-hour time and named zone in the handoff, such as 2026-10-05 09:00 AEDT. For each affected item, compare the approved local window with the saved dates, day and time targeting, geography and reporting cut-off.
After saving, reopen the relevant insertion order and line items before launch. Compare their displayed flight dates and schedule settings with the handoff, and resolve any discrepancy before launch.
Check a date on each side of a daylight saving transition. For the 4 October 2026 change, compare a date before it with one after it, and check the applicable transition date for the flight year if the flight spans another change.
If a local window crosses midnight in the advertiser time zone, verify the applicable platform days as well as the hours.
