Message format – Emergency Alert System (EAS)

Overview

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national warning system in the United States designed to allow authorised officials to broadcast emergency alerts and warning messages to the public via TV and radio.

OpenTV Platform is integrated with EAS.

Message format

Example payload of an EAS alert received by a client:

{
  "data": 
	{
    	"name": "tune", 
		"easStartTime": 1753087648, 
		"easDuration": 60, 
		"easEndTime": 1753087748, 
		"easType": "RMT", 
		"easEventType": "STATIC", 
		"easChannel": "GLOBAL_61854", 
		"easFips": "913121", 
		"easDescription": "A broadcast or cable system has issued a REQUIRED MONTHLY TEST...", 
		"referenceType": "EAS_UPDATE"
	}, 
	"content_available": true, 
	"priority": "high"
}

The message is delivered as stringified JSON, and is shown here as regular JSON for readability.

When delivered to the client, the above example JSON will be stringified as follows:

JSON

"{\"data\":{\"name\":\"tune\",\"easStartTime\":1753087648,\"easDuration\":60,\"easEndTime\":1753087748,\"easType\":\"RMT\",\"easEventType\":\"STATIC\",\"easChannel\":\"GLOBAL_61854\",\"easFips\":\"913121\",\"easDescription\":\"A broadcast or cable system has issued a REQUIRED MONTHLY TEST...\",\"referenceType\":\"EAS_UPDATE\"},\"content_available\":true,\"priority\":\"high\"}"

The client should:

1. Present the warning/alert message from the easDescription field.

2. If easEventType is START LIVE, it should switch to the channel specified in the easChannel field.

See Handling Emergency Alert System alerts for more details.