“YouTube Live playlist” can mean a playlist you are watching, a destination for viewers when your broadcast ends, or a sequence of clips inside your own live stream. Each has a different control: viewer Autoplay, YouTube Live Redirect, or a playlist in your production software.
If you want the next clip to appear in the live output without ending the broadcast, Autoplay and Live Redirect will not do that. Choose the control that matches where playback is happening, then test the transition from a viewer’s perspective.
First identify what “YouTube Live playlist” means
A normal YouTube playlist is a collection of videos a viewer watches on YouTube. Autoplay can continue playback after a video ends, subject to YouTube’s settings and circumstances. It does not alter the creator’s live programme or tell every viewer what to watch next.
A live broadcast is different. If you want viewers to go to another Premiere or live stream after your current broadcast ends, YouTube’s Live Redirect is the feature to investigate. It is a handoff at the end of a stream, not a queue that advances through several videos while the same broadcast remains live.
A third case is a continuous broadcast made from several video files. In that setup, the creator controls what enters the outgoing programme using production software. For OBS, its VLC Video Source can play multiple media items as a playlist. This is production-side sequencing; YouTube receives the resulting live programme.
The distinction matters when searching for a fix. “Play the next video in a YouTube playlist” usually means viewer Autoplay. “Send viewers somewhere after my live stream ends” points to Live Redirect. “Play multiple videos one after another on an OBS YouTube live stream” calls for a source or playout setup in the production workflow. These approaches are not interchangeable.
Viewer: enable Autoplay for a normal playlist
When you are watching a normal playlist and want another video to begin after the current one, use YouTube’s Autoplay control. On desktop, YouTube’s instructions place the switch at the bottom of the player. Turn it on for the account and device where you are watching; its state may not match across all devices. YouTube documents the setting and its variations in Autoplay videos.
Autoplay is about your playback as a viewer. It does not configure a creator’s live feed, and turning it on does not make the creator’s next clip appear on the stream. If a devotional playlist advances on your phone but a live channel does not change its programme, that can be the expected result: the first is viewer playback and the second is creator output.
Autoplay can also stop under conditions YouTube describes, including account, device, or inactivity circumstances. So it is not a dependable playout controller for a public channel. If you are troubleshooting your own viewing, check the player setting on the device in use, check that the video is actually part of the intended playlist, and confirm that playback has not paused or ended for another reason.
An embedded YouTube player has its own parameters, but these are not a substitute for a live handoff. Google’s YouTube Embedded Players and Player Parameters documentation defines autoplay as starting playback when the player loads. That is different from arranging an end-of-live redirect or controlling a live programme’s sequence.
Creator: use Live Redirect after a broadcast
If the aim is to send people somewhere after your live stream ends, use YouTube Live Redirect rather than trying to build a playlist in the viewer’s player. YouTube describes redirecting viewers to a Premiere or another channel’s live stream. The feature applies to the transition after your broadcast; it does not automatically play an ordered series of videos while your existing broadcast continues.
The practical flow is to prepare the destination first, then configure the redirect in YouTube Studio while setting up or managing the broadcast. The destination must be the Premiere or live stream you intend viewers to see. Check the destination and timing before you end the source stream: selecting the wrong event can send people somewhere other than the programme you meant to promote.
YouTube Help states: “Once your live stream ends, autoplay will move your viewers to the Premiere or live stream of your choice.” The word “autoplay” in that description refers to the handoff from the ended live stream to the selected destination. It is not the same as enabling a viewer’s ordinary Autoplay switch, and it is not a playlist sequencer. See YouTube’s Live Redirect instructions for the current setup details.
This route is most useful when the next destination is a scheduled premiere, a follow-on live programme, or a partner’s live stream. It is not appropriate if you need one broadcast to remain live while clips change underneath it. For that, arrange the sequence in the production setup before going live.
Check Live Redirect eligibility and permissions
Live Redirect has conditions that are easy to miss when you are treating it as a general playlist setting. YouTube Help says the sending creator needs more than 1,000 subscribers and must have no Community Guideline strikes. Those are eligibility conditions for using the feature, not a guarantee that a particular broadcast or destination will be approved in every circumstance.
There is an additional permission requirement when the destination is another channel’s live stream: that channel must grant permission. A Premiere is a different destination type, so do not assume that permission to point viewers at another channel’s live broadcast is automatic. Confirm the intended destination and any required permission with the channel before you schedule the handoff.
If the redirect control is unavailable, check the account and channel’s eligibility in YouTube’s current official help before rebuilding your streaming setup. Subscriber status, strikes, destination type, and permission can determine whether Live Redirect is suitable. Do not assume that a playlist setting, a stream key change, or a third-party encoder can bypass YouTube’s requirements.
The distinction is useful when planning a recurring schedule. A small channel that does not meet the stated subscriber condition cannot treat Live Redirect as its post-stream solution. It can still tell viewers what is next in its description or on-screen slate, or arrange a sequential programme within its own production workflow, but those are separate methods and should not be presented as YouTube Live Redirect.
Creator: use a separate playout setup for sequential video
If you want to play several video files one after another inside one continuous YouTube live stream, build that sequence in your production software. OBS’s VLC Video Source supports multiple media items and playlist loop and shuffle controls. OBS documents the source and its controls in Media Sources; VLC must be installed for the VLC source to work.
In OBS, add a VLC Video Source to the scene that will be sent to YouTube, then add the files in the order you want them played. For a sequence that advances through the list once, leave both loop and shuffle off. Loop repeats the playlist; shuffle changes the order. Check the source behaviour and file list in a private or otherwise low-risk test before making it the main programme.
A playlist in the source is not the same thing as a YouTube playlist page. OBS is composing the video that goes out as the live broadcast. Viewers see the broadcast, not individual files as separately selectable items in a YouTube playlist. When the last item ends with loop off, plan what the scene should show next; do not assume that YouTube will automatically start another file or redirect viewers.
For a long-running channel, test more than the first transition. Confirm that each file opens, the order is correct, the picture and sound behave as expected, and the intended scene remains on air when the playlist finishes. If the list is meant to repeat, enable the loop setting deliberately and verify the restart. If it is meant to run once, decide whether the stream should end, switch scenes, or wait on a holding slate after the final item.
OBS’s VLC source is a production-side choice, which means it depends on the computer and software setup controlling the broadcast. A playlist does not remove the need to keep that setup running and to check that the stream remains live. If a cloud-based playlist stream is showing an offline screen, the cause may be the broadcast path rather than the order of the files; use this offline-screen troubleshooting guide to separate those problems.
If you are deciding between a local OBS setup and a hosted workflow, compare the actual control you need rather than the label “playlist”. This guide to scheduling a YouTube playlist by day and time addresses timed scheduling, while continuous prerecorded-video playback on YouTube Live focuses on keeping a sequence running. They address related production questions, but neither changes what viewer Autoplay or Live Redirect means.
Test the intended viewer handoff
Test the path that viewers will actually follow, not just the setting that looks right in Studio or OBS. For a normal playlist, watch the player through the end of a video on the device where Autoplay should apply. Check that the player advances to the expected next item and note whether the account or device setting behaves differently elsewhere.
For Live Redirect, set up a destination that you control or have permission to use, and verify that the correct Premiere or live stream is selected. Then check the handoff in a planned test or an appropriate scheduled broadcast. The key question is whether the ended stream takes viewers to the intended destination, not whether clips change within the outgoing live picture.
For an OBS sequence, monitor the live output as each file ends. Confirm the next clip begins in order and that audio is not unintentionally missing or doubled at the boundary. Watch what happens after the final item as well. A source can progress correctly but still leave a blank scene, a frozen frame, or an unexpected end state if you have not decided what should follow.
A useful test plan records three things: the starting point, the expected transition, and the fallback. For instance, a local news loop might start with the current bulletin, move to the next recorded segment, and show a holding slate after the last scheduled item. For a post-broadcast handoff, the fallback might be a pinned message with the next programme’s link if redirect is unavailable. Do not confuse a manual fallback with an automatic feature; make the distinction clear to your audience.
If your broadcast is intended to run continuously, review the wider operating plan too: who checks the output, what happens when a source file fails, and how you know the stream has dropped. The OBS property-tour workflow offers another example of thinking through a continuous programme, though your own content and scene design may differ.
Choose the right control for the outcome
Start with the point where you need playback to change. If only your own player should continue to another item, adjust viewer Autoplay. If your broadcast has ended and you want viewers directed to one next event, check Live Redirect eligibility and configure the destination. If the public live output should contain multiple clips in sequence without ending, create that sequence in the production setup.
| What you want to happen | Control point | Suitable approach | Check before relying on it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continue watching a normal playlist | YouTube player | Enable Autoplay | Settings can vary by device or account, and playback may stop in some circumstances. |
| Move viewers after your live stream ends | YouTube Studio | Live Redirect to a Premiere or live stream | The sending creator needs more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guideline strikes; another channel’s live stream requires its permission. |
| Play several clips inside one continuing broadcast | Production software | OBS VLC Video Source playlist | VLC must be installed; confirm file order, loop and shuffle settings, and the end-of-list behaviour. |
There is no single “YouTube Live playlist” switch that handles all three outcomes. If a tutorial says simply to turn on Autoplay, check whether it is describing a viewer watching a normal playlist or a creator’s live programme. If it suggests Live Redirect for a continuous rotation, it is describing the wrong feature for that job.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Does YouTube Autoplay change what appears on my live stream?
No. Autoplay is a viewer playback control for continuing to another video after the current one ends. To sequence clips inside your broadcast, set up the sequence in production software; to move viewers after a live stream ends, check Live Redirect.
Can Live Redirect automatically rotate through my playlist?
No. Live Redirect is for directing viewers from an ended live stream to a selected Premiere or live stream. It is not an automatic playlist sequencer and does not advance through clips inside a continuing broadcast.
What are the requirements for Live Redirect?
YouTube Help states that the sending creator needs more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guideline strikes. Redirecting viewers to another channel’s live stream also requires that channel’s permission; check YouTube’s current official guidance for the details that apply to your channel.
How do I play videos one after another in OBS?
Use OBS’s VLC Video Source, add the media files in the intended order, and keep shuffle and loop off if you want a one-pass sequence. VLC must be installed, and you should test the last item’s behaviour as well as the transitions between files.