To redirect viewers from one YouTube live stream to another, open YouTube Studio > Content > Live, select the source stream, choose Edit > Customization > Redirect > Add, and select an eligible Premiere or livestream. The handoff happens after the source stream ends; it is not an immediate midstream switch.
Before setting it up, check that your channel can send redirects and that the destination channel permits yours. If the destination does not appear in the selector, either check those requirements or confirm that the destination is the kind of YouTube event Live Redirect supports.
Understand YouTube Live Redirect
Live Redirect is a YouTube feature configured on the source stream. It tells YouTube which Premiere or another channel’s livestream to offer as the next viewing destination when your current livestream ends. It does not move viewers while the source is still broadcasting, and it is not a general redirect to an arbitrary website or another streaming platform.
YouTube’s Live Redirect instructions describe a handoff at the end of the source stream. Viewers with autoplay enabled may be moved to the selected destination automatically. Viewers who have autoplay turned off may need to press play, so do not promise that everyone will arrive without taking action.
That timing matters when you are planning a devotional programme, a local news bulletin, or a scheduled collaboration. If one broadcast closes at the end of a bhajan session and a Premiere is due to start next, viewers need a clear explanation of what to wait for and where they are going. Live Redirect is a handoff between YouTube viewing events, not a replacement for explaining the schedule.
You can choose your own eligible Premiere or another channel’s livestream, provided the recipient channel permits your channel to redirect to it. The distinction is useful: your Premiere gives you control over the follow-on event, while another channel’s live stream depends on that channel’s settings and the event being selectable. YouTube does not document this as a way to route a viewer to any URL you choose.
There is also a format limitation to account for before you build the schedule around a redirect. YouTube’s live-stream feature comparison lists Live Redirect for horizontal live streams and not for vertical live feeds. If your plan depends on the feature, check the latest comparison before choosing a vertical format.
Check sender eligibility
YouTube Help says a channel needs more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guidelines strikes to send a Live Redirect. These are sender requirements, not a general statement that every channel can use the feature. YouTube’s rules can change, so check the current Live Redirect eligibility guidance in Studio or Help if the controls described below are missing.
Do not confuse the ability to send a redirect with the ability to receive one. TeamYouTube has said channels of any size can receive redirects, while the sending channel must meet YouTube’s sender criteria. A smaller partner channel might therefore be a valid destination even though it cannot send viewers onward itself.
The strike requirement is also easy to misread. Check the status of the channel that will send viewers, rather than assuming eligibility based on the recipient’s history or on the source stream’s previous performance. If your channel is ineligible, there is no setting on the destination side that can make your sender account eligible.
If you run a channel for a temple, shop, school, or local station, confirm that you are working in the intended YouTube account before checking. A person managing several channels can easily open the right Studio interface under the wrong channel identity. Verify the channel name and account first, then check eligibility and configure the source event.
Confirm the recipient channel permits redirects
For a redirect to another channel’s content, the recipient must allow your channel to send viewers to it. YouTube describes recipient controls that can allow channels the recipient subscribes to, allow all channels, or approve selected channels manually. The recipient controls this permission in its own YouTube Studio; you cannot switch it on from your source channel.
YouTube says the subscribed-channel permission is the default unless the recipient keeps its subscriptions private. That default can explain why a destination is visible to one sender but not another. If your channel is not among the recipient’s subscriptions, or those subscriptions are private, do not assume the default gives you access. Ask the recipient to confirm or change the permission that applies to your channel.
The recipient can also add specific channels to a manual allowlist. YouTube’s Help documentation says that list can contain up to 100 channels. The recipient can instead allow all channels, but YouTube does not let that broad setting be combined with the subscribed-channel or manual-list options. Since settings and limits can change, the recipient should use the current permission instructions in YouTube Help when reviewing its Studio controls.
A practical request is specific: send the recipient your channel name or channel URL, the planned source event, and the approximate time you expect to end it. Ask them to check whether your channel is permitted to redirect to the intended Premiere or livestream. This avoids a last-minute search for a destination that the sender account cannot select.
If you are redirecting to your own Premiere, the separate-channel permission check is not the issue. You still need to ensure the event is created and available to select. For a joint programme, confirm which channel owns the destination event and ask that channel to check its permission settings before the day of the broadcast.
Open Content and the Live tab in YouTube Studio
Use the channel that will send viewers. In YouTube Studio, open Content and select the Live tab. Find the source livestream in the list, then open its editing controls. The route for the redirect is YouTube Studio > Content > Live > source stream > Edit > Customization > Redirect > Add.
The exact layout can shift as Studio changes, but the important distinction is that you edit the source livestream, not the destination event. Live Redirect is attached to the stream that is ending. If you have more than one scheduled broadcast, check the title and timing of the source before opening its settings; changing the wrong event will not set up the handoff you intend.
If the source has already ended, you may not be able to prepare its redirect in time for that handoff. Set it up while editing the upcoming or active source event, and save the changes before ending the broadcast. For a channel that repeatedly runs scheduled programming, put the check in the run sheet alongside the source title, destination link, start time, and the person responsible for ending the stream.
This step is about a YouTube Studio setting, not encoding or a special streaming application. If you are also diagnosing a broadcast that drops unexpectedly, keep that separate from the redirect setup. A YouTube connection-timeout checklist for an Indian broadband line addresses stream stability; Live Redirect only determines what YouTube does once the source stream ends.
Edit the source stream and add a destination
Open the source stream’s Edit view, go to Customization, locate Redirect, and choose Add. Search for the eligible destination or select it from the available choices. The documented destination types are a Premiere or another channel’s livestream; select the event viewers should reach after the source ends.
Before saving, check the destination title and channel carefully. Similar event names, recurring daily streams, or a channel with several upcoming programmes can make it easy to select the wrong one. For a scheduled Premiere, create and prepare it before the source broadcast. YouTube recommends setting up the Premiere first, so it is already available when you configure the source.
A Premiere is useful when you want a planned follow-on event under your control. Another channel’s livestream is appropriate for a collaboration or a handoff to a partner, but it requires that channel’s permission and a selectable event. Neither choice guarantees that every viewer will arrive: autoplay behaviour and viewer actions still matter.
Save the source stream’s changes and check the selected destination again before going live. If the channel operates a long-running music or ambience stream, this setting does not resolve rights questions about the source material or the destination programme. Check your own use of recordings and permissions separately; a guide to Punjabi music claims and recording rights covers a different but important part of preparing a music broadcast.
For creators planning a continuous schedule, do not treat a redirect as a way to make one broadcast run indefinitely. It is a transition from a source event to a chosen YouTube destination after the source ends. You still need to operate each event on its own terms and make the programme handoff clear to viewers.
End the source stream and confirm the redirect
When it is time to finish, end the source livestream in YouTube Studio or through the controls you normally use to stop the broadcast. YouTube’s end-of-stream flow shows a confirmation that viewers will be redirected. Read that confirmation and check that it names the intended destination before completing the end action.
After the source ends, viewers are sent to the selected destination according to their playback settings. Those with autoplay off may have to click play. YouTube’s Live Redirect help page explains the feature, while TeamYouTube’s announcement and viewer guidance notes that autoplay affects whether viewers move without a click.
Tell viewers what will happen before you end. For example, a host might say, “We are ending this stream now. Please wait briefly for your screen to reload; if the next programme does not open, tap play.” YouTube recommends asking viewers to wait a few seconds after the source ends while their screens reload. The wording should fit your audience and the destination event, but a short instruction prevents people from assuming the broadcast has simply failed.
If the destination is a Premiere, use its live chat as well. YouTube recommends a pinned message on the Premiere watch page that directs viewers to the stream. This can help late arrivals understand why they are seeing a waiting screen and where the programme is going next.
Do not use the source end button as a test while a real audience is watching unless you are ready to close the broadcast. For a low-risk rehearsal, test the workflow with an appropriately prepared event and a small internal audience, or walk through the Studio controls without ending the live source. A check of the destination selection and permission before airtime is safer than discovering the mistake during the handoff.
Troubleshoot a missing destination
If the destination does not appear under Redirect > Add, work through the likely causes in order. First check the sender channel: it must meet YouTube’s current requirements to send. Then confirm that the recipient permits your channel. These two checks are distinct; a recipient may allow a channel that is not eligible to send, and an eligible sender may still lack the recipient’s permission.
Next, confirm the event type and format. The documented destinations are a Premiere or a livestream on another channel. An arbitrary web address is not a supported destination in the instructions. YouTube’s feature comparison also says Live Redirect is unavailable for vertical live feeds, so a vertical format may not offer the control even when the account and permission checks are satisfied.
Check that the event actually exists and is the intended one. A Premiere that has not been set up, a destination stream that is not available to select, or an event under a different channel identity can all send you back to the permission question unnecessarily. Ask the recipient to confirm the event is prepared and to verify the sender’s permission from its own Studio settings.
If you are managing multiple channels, switch deliberately to the sending account and repeat the check. A common practical mistake is to inspect the recipient’s Studio while expecting to see the source configuration, or to edit a source event belonging to a different channel. The source-side selector and recipient-side permission are controlled in separate places.
Finally, recheck YouTube’s current Help page if the menu labels or requirements do not match this article. Platform controls can change. Do not assume that a missing option proves a channel is permanently excluded, and do not plan the handoff around a setting until you can see the selected destination saved on the correct source event.
For a 24/7 channel, also distinguish a planned redirect from continuity engineering. YouTube ends the source event before the audience reaches the destination, so viewers will see a transition rather than one unbroken stream. If your wider problem is preventing a prerecorded broadcast from stopping unexpectedly, the separate guide to a continuous stream ending after 12 hours may help with that operational issue; it does not change Live Redirect eligibility or permissions.
If managing a long-running prerecorded source is itself the part that keeps you tied to a computer, StreamNeo can take the uploaded video and run it as a YouTube live stream with your computer switched off, leaving Live Redirect as a separate setting to configure in Studio for the eventual handoff.
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FAQ
Does Live Redirect switch viewers before my source stream ends?
No. YouTube sends viewers to the selected destination after the source livestream ends. It is not an immediate switch while the source is still live.
Why can’t I see another channel’s livestream in the destination list?
The sender needs to meet YouTube’s eligibility requirements, and the recipient needs to permit your channel to redirect to its content. Check both sides, then confirm that the destination is an eligible Premiere or livestream and that you are editing the correct source channel.
Can a channel with fewer than 1,000 subscribers receive a redirect?
YouTube distinguishes sending from receiving: its sender requirement is more than 1,000 subscribers with no Community Guidelines strikes, while TeamYouTube has said channels of any size may receive a redirect. Check current YouTube Help if the controls available to either channel differ.
Will every viewer move automatically?
No. The handoff occurs after the source ends, but viewers who have autoplay turned off may need to press play. Tell viewers to wait briefly for the screen to reload and explain what to do if the destination does not open.