You can set up YouTube Live Redirect in YouTube Studio by editing the source stream, opening Customization, and adding an eligible Premiere or live stream as the destination. The sender eligibility rule comes first: YouTube says the creator sending the redirect must have more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guidelines strikes.
A redirect does not move viewers while the source is still running. YouTube asks you to confirm the redirect when the source stream ends; viewers with autoplay enabled can then move to the destination, while those with autoplay disabled need to click Play.
Check sender eligibility before setup
The first check is whether your channel can send a redirect. YouTube Help lists two conditions: more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guidelines strikes. If either condition is not met, do not expect the redirect controls to be available for sending viewers, even if your channel can livestream normally.
This threshold is specific to Live Redirect. It is not a general requirement for enabling livestreaming on a channel. YouTube has separate rules for live streaming, and meeting those rules does not automatically make a channel eligible to send redirects. If you need to check whether the channel can stream at all, use YouTube’s current live streaming enablement guidance, rather than treating that process as a substitute for the redirect eligibility check.
The rule concerns the sender: the channel whose source stream is ending and whose viewers you intend to send elsewhere. It should not be confused with permissions on the destination channel. A channel may be eligible to send a redirect and still be unable to select a particular destination because that destination’s owner has not allowed it, or because the destination is not currently eligible to appear.
If the channel qualifies, choose a source stream and a destination before you start. A destination can be a Premiere on your channel or another channel’s eligible live stream. For another creator’s stream, confirm the permission arrangement with them in advance; you cannot assume that a public live stream is automatically available as a redirect target.
Open Content, then Live in YouTube Studio
Sign in to YouTube Studio and open Content from the left-hand menu. Choose the Live tab to see live streams and relevant scheduled broadcasts. The exact labels or layout can vary slightly by locale or as Studio changes, so use the current English wording as a guide rather than relying on a fixed screen position.
Find the source live stream — the one whose viewers you want to redirect at its end. Hover over its row and choose Edit. Check the title and scheduled time before continuing, especially if you run several streams with similar names. The redirect belongs to that specific source, not to the channel in general.
This workflow is for setting the destination on the source video in Studio. It is separate from the technical process used to get a stream online. If your 24/7 channel is moving its broadcast from a home computer, for example, solve that continuity question independently; this guide’s steps for moving a 24/7 stream off your PC without going dark cover a different task. Live Redirect is an end-of-stream handoff, not a way to keep the source broadcast alive.
Edit the source live stream
Once you choose Edit, check that you are editing the intended source. Review the scheduled or active event details, then move to the settings for that video. For a scheduled stream, it is useful to prepare the redirect while you still have time to check the destination and tell viewers what to expect.
The redirect is configured on the source event. It does not require you to change the stream key, encoding settings, or playback file. A devotional channel running a long bhajan loop, for example, can set the destination on the scheduled stream that will end, without changing how its video is being sent to YouTube. A local news channel can make the same distinction between broadcast setup and the viewer handoff after that broadcast ends.
This separation matters if you troubleshoot a 24/7 stream. A stream can stop because its playlist ended or its sending process failed; neither problem is fixed by adding a redirect. For a playlist that terminates unexpectedly, see the separate discussion of why a YouTube livestream can stop after a playlist ends. First make sure the source is expected to end at the point where you want viewers to move on.
Open Customization and choose Redirect
In the source event’s editor, open Customization. Look for the Redirect area and choose Add. YouTube’s Live Redirect Help page describes this path: select the source from Content > Live, edit it, then add the redirect under Customization.
If the Redirect area or Add control is missing, pause before changing unrelated settings. Recheck sender eligibility first. Then confirm that you are editing the source item in the Live tab, rather than a different video or a general channel settings page. Interface details can change, but the control belongs to the source event’s customization settings.
Adding a destination does not itself mean that viewers have been moved. You are choosing where viewers may go once the source ends and you confirm the handoff. Until that point, your source broadcast continues on its own terms. Plan the source end and destination start together so the target is ready when the handoff is offered.
Add a Premiere or eligible live stream
After choosing Add, select a destination. YouTube supports a Premiere or a live stream. A Premiere can be useful when you control the destination and want to schedule a video to begin after the source. Another channel’s live stream can suit a collaboration, event continuation, or a handoff to a related channel, but the receiving channel has to permit redirects to its content.
| Destination | What to check before selecting it | When it can fit |
|---|---|---|
| Your Premiere | It is scheduled and available as a destination; prepare it before the source ends. | A planned transition to a recorded programme, performance, or next episode. |
| Another channel’s live stream | The channel has allowed your channel to redirect viewers, and the stream is active or upcoming. | A collaboration, shared event, or continuation on a partner channel. |
For a Premiere, prepare the event first, then return to the source settings and add it. YouTube recommends setting up the Premiere before the live stream and telling viewers that they may need to wait briefly after the source ends while the destination loads. If the source is part of a scheduled sequence, make sure the Premiere is the one you actually intend to send people to, not a similarly named upload.
For another channel’s live stream, ask the recipient to review its redirect permissions before you rely on it. Their stream must also be active or upcoming for it to appear as an eligible destination. The official YouTube guidance for Live Redirect explains the sender workflow and destination choices; the recipient’s permission settings determine whether your search can return that stream.
Choose with timing in mind. A scheduled Premiere gives you a destination you can prepare and announce, but you must coordinate its start with the source’s end. A partner’s stream may already be under way or scheduled to begin, but you depend on that channel’s permission and event availability. In either case, tell viewers what is happening before the source ends. Autoplay is not universal: people who have disabled autoplay need to click Play to continue.
Confirm the redirect when the source ends
When you end the source live stream, YouTube displays a confirmation about redirecting viewers to the selected destination. Confirm it there. This is a distinct step from saving the destination earlier, and it is the point at which the handoff is authorised. Do not tell viewers they will be sent automatically before you have reached and confirmed that prompt.
After confirmation, YouTube describes autoplay moving viewers to the selected Premiere or live stream. Viewers who have autoplay disabled must choose Play themselves. The TeamYouTube explanation of Live Redirect and autoplay behaviour makes that limitation explicit. A redirect is therefore a way to offer a next destination, not a guarantee that every viewer will arrive there.
Give viewers a clear expectation before you stop the source. For example, say that the current broadcast is ending and that the next programme is on the linked Premiere, then allow a moment for the transition. If you are moving a bhajan audience to a longer stream on a second channel, explain where the continuation is and that some viewers may need to press Play. That simple notice is more useful than promising a seamless transfer.
If the handoff is central to a scheduled event, have a person available to watch the end and confirm the prompt. This is particularly useful when the source is managed as an always-on loop and the planned end is unusual. A file-based 24/7 broadcast can be run without keeping your computer switched on using StreamNeo, which removes the specific problem of a home computer needing to stay awake; it does not change YouTube’s redirect eligibility, destination permissions, or end-of-source confirmation.
Resolve missing redirect controls or destinations
If you cannot find Redirect or Add, return to the eligibility check: the sending creator needs more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guidelines strikes, according to YouTube Help. Also verify that you opened Content > Live, selected the correct source row, chose Edit, and entered Customization. These checks address the documented workflow without assuming that a live-streaming capability makes redirect controls available.
If your intended destination does not appear, determine which side of the setup is responsible. For another channel’s stream, the recipient must permit your channel to redirect viewers to its content. The recipient can review the relevant choices in YouTube Studio > Settings > Community. YouTube documents options for channels it subscribes to, all channels, or specific channels approved manually. The subscribed-channel option depends on public subscriptions, and the all-channels setting cannot be combined with the subscribed-channel or manual-list setting. The manual list can include up to 100 channels, as described on YouTube’s Help page; treat that as a setting limit, not a performance measure.
The receiving channel’s specific-channel list can be combined with the subscribed-channel permission, but the all-channels choice is mutually exclusive with those alternatives. Ask the recipient to check which setting is active rather than asking them to enable every option. They should choose the permission model that matches how they want other creators to redirect to their content.
The destination also needs to meet the availability conditions. Another channel’s stream must be active or upcoming, and an upcoming Premiere can be selected. A regular video that is neither a Premiere nor a live stream is not the destination described by this workflow. If a partner’s stream is not active or upcoming yet, wait until its status changes and check again; if permission is absent, the recipient needs to grant it first.
If you are redirecting from a Premiere rather than a live stream, the documented path is still to edit the Premiere in the Live tab, open Customization, and add the destination. In either case, test the planned sequence in advance where possible: prepare the destination, check permissions, and make sure the people managing the source know that confirmation happens when the source ends.
Make the handoff understandable to viewers
The Studio setting handles the destination selection, but it does not explain the transition to your audience. Tell viewers before ending the source where the next programme is, whether it is a Premiere or another channel’s stream, and that autoplay may be off for some people. A short spoken notice or a message in the stream description can reduce confusion without suggesting every viewer will be taken there automatically.
For a channel with a regular schedule, use consistent naming and timing. If a morning prayer stream ends and a recorded satsang Premiere follows, use language that distinguishes the current source from the upcoming destination. If a local news loop hands off to a partner’s live coverage, name the partner channel and make sure the event is actually ready. These are operational details, but they matter because the redirect only becomes actionable at the source’s end.
The same discipline applies to long-running channels. A redirect does not repair an accidental outage, extend a source that has ended, or make an otherwise unsuitable destination available. If a music stream relies on repeated material, make sure the content and rights questions are handled separately from this setting; the discussion of repeated plays and reused content on live channels is a separate consideration. Keeping those questions distinct helps you troubleshoot the right problem instead of expecting one Studio control to solve several unrelated ones.
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FAQ
Can any YouTube channel use Live Redirect?
No. YouTube says the creator sending a redirect needs more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guidelines strikes. This is separate from the requirements for enabling livestreaming in general.
Does the redirect send viewers before my source ends?
No. You set the destination in advance, but YouTube asks you to confirm the redirect when the source stream ends. Viewers with autoplay enabled can then move to the destination; those with autoplay disabled must click Play.
Why can’t I find another channel’s stream?
The receiving channel must allow redirects to its content, and the stream needs to be active or upcoming. An upcoming Premiere is another supported destination; a standard video is not described as a redirect destination in this workflow.
Can I redirect from a Premiere as well as a live stream?
Yes. YouTube documents editing the Premiere in the Live tab and adding a Premiere or another channel’s live stream under Customization. Prepare the destination and make sure its permissions and timing are in order before the source ends.