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If YouTube has ended your live broadcast, treat recovery as a new-stream setup: create or schedule a stream in YouTube Studio, reconnect your automated playout service with the correct stream URL and key, and start its output. Confirm the incoming preview before going live. Reconnecting to the old event is not guaranteed to reopen it.
First, distinguish a dropped feed from an ended broadcast
If the playout service has stopped sending video but the YouTube event is still active, restoring the service’s output may bring the feed back. If YouTube has marked the broadcast ended, use a new or scheduled stream instead of assuming the previous event can be reopened. YouTube’s encoder workflow ends a stream when content stops being sent, and its scheduled-stream workflow includes an explicit End Stream action. The precise recovery behavior of an automated playout service depends on that service; YouTube’s public instructions do not specify its job controls or retry policy.
Restart the broadcast in YouTube Studio
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Open YouTube Studio and enter the Live Control Room. Create a new stream or schedule one. If the prior stream’s metadata and settings still fit, choose Reuse settings where available.
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Check the new stream’s stream URL and stream key in Live Control Room. A stream key is the credential that lets an encoder send its feed to YouTube. Update the automated playout service if it is using an old or incorrect key.
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In the playout service, select the relevant job or output and start sending the video to YouTube. The exact button names and job states vary by service.
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Return to Live Control Room and wait for the incoming preview. Check that video and audio appear as expected before proceeding.
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For a scheduled stream, click Go live when the preview is ready, unless your configured auto-start workflow handles the start action. For an encoder stream with auto-start enabled, starting the encoder can start the YouTube stream.
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Confirm that YouTube shows the broadcast as live and that viewers can access its watch page. Once the event has ended on YouTube, stop the encoder output as well.
YouTube’s documented encoder workflow uses a stream URL and key, and scheduled streams have a preview and Go live step. See YouTube’s encoder setup instructions and its live streaming tips.
Choose the right start behavior
| Workflow | What starts the stream | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder auto-start | Starting output from the encoder can start the YouTube stream when auto-start is enabled. | Check the auto-start setting and confirm the preview and live status. |
| Scheduled stream | Start the encoder output, wait for the preview, then click Go live in the documented workflow. | Confirm the correct scheduled event is selected and the preview is ready before approval. |
YouTube says its auto-start and auto-stop settings let you start or stop streaming from the encoder. Reusing stream settings also copies those selections, so check them rather than assuming the new event has the behavior you want. Details are in YouTube’s live stream settings guide.
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Troubleshoot when the new stream will not start
No preview appears
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Check that the playout service is actively sending output to the new event, not the ended one.
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Verify that its stream key matches the key shown in Live Control Room. YouTube recommends checking the key there and pasting the correct one into the encoder: troubleshoot a YouTube live stream.
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Confirm that the service is using the expected stream URL as well as the key.
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The encoder reports a connection error
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If you are connecting over RTMPS, check that the configured URL is the RTMPS URL and that the encoder supports RTMPS. YouTube recommends RTMPS; see its RTMPS setup guidance.
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If the URL and key are correct but the output still fails, consult the automated playout provider’s documentation or support. YouTube’s general guidance cannot identify a vendor-specific retry control or job state.
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The preview appears, but the broadcast is not live
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Check whether the event is scheduled and still waiting for you to click Go live.
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If you expect encoder-driven starting, confirm that auto-start is enabled for this stream. Starting the encoder alone does not replace the manual scheduled-stream approval step in YouTube’s documented workflow.
What happens to the ended broadcast?
YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. An archive is a recording of the previous event; it is not evidence that reconnecting to that event will make it live again. Create a new or scheduled stream for the next broadcast, and check that its preview and live status are correct.
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