You can set a YouTube Live Redirect on a scheduled source stream before it begins. You do it by editing that stream in YouTube Studio and choosing a Premiere or an eligible channel’s live stream as the destination; viewers are redirected when the source stream ends, not when it starts.
Before you rely on the handoff, check both sides: your channel must meet YouTube’s sender eligibility requirements, and another channel must permit your redirect if you are sending viewers to its live stream. A missing destination can be a timing or permission issue, rather than a problem with the scheduled source.
Schedule the source stream first
Start by creating the live stream that will send viewers to the destination. In YouTube Studio, select Create, then Go Live to open Live Control Room. Select Manage, then choose Schedule stream. You can create a new stream or reuse settings from an earlier one, then set its details and privacy as needed. YouTube’s guide to creating a live stream with an encoder describes this scheduling path.
Scheduling creates the source event; it does not itself configure a redirect. Think of the scheduled stream as the broadcast viewers will watch first and the destination as the next viewing page YouTube can offer after the source broadcast is over. You will set that destination in the source stream’s own settings in the next step.
A scheduled event can appear as upcoming, and viewers may be able to select Notify me to receive a reminder. That can help people find the source broadcast, but a reminder is not a redirect and does not change when the handoff happens. If you run a continuing channel as well as individual events, distinguish a scheduled broadcast from an always-on setup; the practical differences are covered in YouTube Stations and what always-on means for loop streamers.
Before you schedule, settle which stream is the source and what you expect viewers to see afterwards. For example, a devotional channel might run a scheduled evening bhajan broadcast and then direct people to a prepared Premiere. A local news channel might prefer to direct viewers to another channel’s live coverage. The second case depends on that other channel’s permission, so it is worth contacting its owner before the event rather than discovering a restriction during setup.
Open the scheduled stream in YouTube Studio
Once the source is scheduled, return to YouTube Studio and open Content, then the Live tab. Find the scheduled source stream, hover over it, and select Edit. Confirm that you have opened the intended event: if the channel has several upcoming broadcasts, a redirect on the wrong source will not produce the handoff you planned.
The redirect controls belong to the scheduled source’s settings, not to the general settings for your channel and not to the destination’s page. That distinction matters when you have a weekly schedule or reuse stream settings. Reusing details can save setup time, but do not assume that it carries the correct redirect choice forward; open the event and verify its destination explicitly.
If you manage streams for more than one channel, check the account and channel shown in Studio before editing. A stream may be visible in the wrong context, or the intended source may not be in the selected channel’s Live content list. You need access to edit the source stream. If another person manages the destination, ask them to verify their permission settings separately; being able to edit your source does not grant permission to redirect to someone else’s stream.
At this stage, there is no need to start the encoder or go live just to add the redirect. The useful point of scheduling first is that you can prepare the event’s settings before viewers arrive. If your stream is a video loop rather than a one-off programme, make sure the broadcast plan itself is stable too; the guide to keeping a Hindi devotional video playlist live on YouTube covers the separate question of keeping the source content running.
Add a destination under Customization and Redirect
With the scheduled source open for editing, select Customization. Find Redirect and choose Add. You can select a Premiere or search for another channel’s live stream, subject to availability and the destination channel’s settings. Save the configuration if YouTube prompts you to do so. YouTube’s Live Redirect instructions give the current interface steps.
A Premiere is a useful destination when you want the handoff to lead to a prepared video event. Set up the Premiere first, then return to the source stream to choose it. YouTube recommends preparing the Premiere before the live stream; doing so gives you a known destination to check in advance. A Premiere is not the same as another channel’s live broadcast, so do not look for it only in the search results for live streams.
A different channel’s live stream suits a live handoff, but its creator decides whether your channel may redirect viewers there. The destination should also be active or upcoming when you look for it. A channel’s old broadcast or an arbitrary live stream is not necessarily selectable. If you cannot select the planned target, check the permission and timing conditions before changing your source settings.
| Destination | Useful when | Checks before the event |
|---|---|---|
| Premiere | You want viewers to move to a prepared video event | Create the Premiere first and confirm that it is selectable from the source stream’s Redirect setting |
| Another channel’s live stream | You want viewers to continue with a live broadcast on a different channel | Ask that channel to permit redirects from your channel, and confirm the stream is active or upcoming |
The choice is about the kind of next viewing experience you are arranging, not a promise about audience size or performance. A Premiere may be easier to coordinate if you control its setup. A cross-channel live handoff can be appropriate for a joint event, but it adds a permission check outside your own channel. If viewers need context, you can tell them in the source stream’s description or chat where the broadcast will lead; do not suggest that the redirect happens before the source ends.
Check your channel’s eligibility before the event
YouTube requires the channel sending viewers to meet its eligibility rules for Live Redirect. The current Help page says the sending channel needs more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guidelines strikes. Check YouTube’s live redirect guidance before the event in case the requirements or Studio interface have changed. Do not treat the ability to schedule a source stream as evidence that your channel qualifies to send a redirect.
This is a sender-side check. A destination can be set up correctly and still not be available to you if your channel does not meet the sender requirements. Conversely, meeting sender requirements does not make every destination selectable. For another channel’s live stream, recipient permission and the destination’s timing also matter.
If your channel is close to a threshold or a strike has recently changed, verify the status in the account you will use to broadcast rather than relying on an old note or a different channel’s eligibility. A small team may have a brand account and a personal account open in separate browser profiles; make sure the source stream and eligibility check refer to the same channel. Eligibility is determined by YouTube, not by the fact that the stream is scheduled or that a destination can be found in a search.
Plan to do this check before the day of the event. If the channel is not eligible, you can still tell viewers where to go in an ordinary message, but do not promise an automatic YouTube redirect. For a one-time event, an accurate manual instruction is better than announcing a handoff that YouTube will not carry out. If you have a recurring stream, decide how you will communicate a fallback without implying that the redirect setting overrides eligibility.
Confirm the recipient permits redirects
When the destination is another channel’s live stream, its creator controls who can redirect viewers to its content. The destination channel may allow channels it subscribes to, allow all channels, or allow only specific approved channels. If it uses an approved-channel list, YouTube’s current guidance allows up to 100 channels on that list. Ask the recipient to confirm the setting that applies to your channel; a general agreement to collaborate is not the same as a configured permission.
The recipient can manage these controls in YouTube Studio. They might permit all channels, limit redirects to channels they subscribe to, or select specific channels. Those options affect whether your source’s destination picker can offer their stream. If the recipient uses a specific list, they need to add the exact channel that will send viewers, not merely a similarly named channel or a different account owned by the same team.
For a collaboration, agree on the channel identity and timing with the recipient in advance. Send them the name or link of the sending channel, ask them to check their redirect permissions, and confirm which live event is the destination. This avoids a common mismatch: the source is prepared under one channel, while the recipient has authorised another. If either party operates several channels, make the account names explicit in your event notes.
A Premiere has a different preparation path from a live stream on another channel. YouTube’s instructions allow a Premiere as a destination, and the Premiere should be established before you configure the source. The recipient-permission check described here applies to another channel’s live stream; do not assume the same picker behaviour or timing for a Premiere. For general playlist or loop planning on the source side, keeping a YouTube lofi stream playing when a track ends addresses continuity within a stream, which is separate from a redirect between viewing destinations.
Understand when the redirect takes effect
The redirect is an end-of-stream action. You configure it before the source broadcast, but viewers are sent to the selected destination when the source stream ends. It does not move them at the scheduled start time, and it does not replace the source broadcast while it is still running. That timing is the central detail to include when you explain the plan to viewers or a co-host.
When the source ends, YouTube displays a confirmation that viewers will be redirected. Viewers should allow a few seconds for their screens to reload to the Premiere or destination. Tell them this in advance, especially if you are closing with spoken instructions or a pinned message, so a brief transition is not mistaken for a broken stream.
If the source ends unexpectedly, the intended handoff still concerns the ending of that source stream, not its scheduled start. Do not describe the feature as a way to take viewers away at a precise point while the source is still live. If you need an earlier transition, you would have to end the source broadcast yourself at the planned point; the redirect itself is not a timed switch embedded in the scheduled start time.
YouTube also recommends practical signposting around the transition. For a Premiere destination, you can pin a live chat message on the Premiere watch page that directs viewers to the live stream, and allow other streamers to redirect to that destination if appropriate. These are coordination measures, not prerequisites for configuring the source redirect. Check the YouTube guidance on managing live stream settings for its Premiere preparation recommendations.
Troubleshoot a missing target stream
If the destination picker is empty or does not show the stream you expected, work through the conditions rather than repeatedly searching. First establish the destination type: are you looking for a Premiere or for another channel’s live stream? A past broadcast is not equivalent to an active or upcoming destination. The picker is not a catalogue of every channel or every video that has ever been live.
For a cross-channel live stream, ask the recipient to verify that its redirect permission includes your sending channel. If the permission is limited to subscribed or specifically approved channels, an unapproved sender will not see the target as available. Confirm the recipient checked the channel that owns the intended destination, rather than another channel in the same organisation. TeamYouTube’s Live Redirect announcement also explains that destination visibility depends on the recipient’s permission and whether its stream or Premiere is active or upcoming.
Then check sender eligibility: the sending channel must meet YouTube’s subscriber and Community Guidelines conditions. Verify that you are editing the intended source stream in the intended account, and refresh the Studio page after the recipient confirms a permission change. The destination may also be unavailable because it is neither active nor upcoming at the time you search. A search result’s absence alone does not tell you which condition failed, so check each side with the relevant channel owner.
If your chosen destination is a Premiere, confirm that the Premiere has been set up and is visible as an upcoming event before returning to the source’s Redirect setting. If the event is still being prepared, it may not yet be a usable selection. For an always-on source, avoid confusing the stream’s ability to keep playing with a redirect: looping the same content and handing viewers to another destination are different tasks. The guide to streaming Sanskrit mantras 24/7 on YouTube covers the former, while this workflow handles the latter.
If the target remains unavailable after you and the recipient have checked eligibility, permission, account identity and destination timing, consult YouTube Help for the current interface and requirements. Do not promise viewers an automatic move until the destination is actually selected and saved on the correct scheduled source. You can still give them a direct viewing link as a fallback, but make clear that this is a manual route rather than a configured redirect.
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FAQ
Can I set the redirect before my live stream starts?
Yes. Schedule the source stream, open it in YouTube Studio, and add the destination under Customization and Redirect before the broadcast begins. The setting is made in advance, but the handoff occurs when the source stream ends.
Does the redirect happen as soon as the scheduled stream starts?
No. The scheduled start time is not the handoff trigger. Viewers move to the selected destination when the source broadcast ends, and they may need a few seconds for the viewing page to reload.
Why can’t I see another channel’s live stream as a destination?
The destination may not be active or upcoming, or its creator may not have permitted your sending channel to redirect viewers there. Also check that your sending channel meets YouTube’s eligibility rules and that you are editing the right source stream and account.
Can I redirect viewers to any YouTube live stream?
No. A destination must be an eligible type, such as a Premiere or another channel’s live stream, and another channel’s stream is subject to that channel’s permission. The picker is not a way to select any channel or an old broadcast.