How to Stream Pre-Recorded Video as Live

Every livestream is just a video signal arriving at a platform in real time — the platform doesn't care whether that signal comes from a camera or from a file you rendered last week. That's the entire trick behind premieres, reruns, and 24/7 stations: pre-recorded video, broadcast as live. Here's how it works, the three ways to do it, and the rules that keep it clean.

Why broadcast a recording as live?

• Live placement, produced quality. A livestream surfaces in "live now" search and recommendations and gets a live chat — while the content itself is edited, color-graded, and polished in advance instead of improvised live.
• Time-shifting. Record when it suits you; broadcast at your audience's peak hour — or in a timezone you're asleep for.
• Rerun value. Sessions, tutorials, and events get a second life as scheduled broadcasts instead of sitting in an archive.
• The always-on channel. Loop the broadcast and you have a station that's live whenever someone scrolls past — the format we cover across YouTube, Twitch, and Kick.

How it works technically (30 seconds)

Platforms accept live video through an ingest URL plus your secret stream key, usually over RTMP. An encoder reads a source — camera or file — encodes it, and pushes it to that endpoint continuously. To broadcast pre-recorded video, the encoder simply reads your file instead of a camera. The platform receives a normal live feed; viewers see a normal live stream. Everything else is a question of where that encoder runs.

The three ways to do it

1. OBS on your computer (free, manual)

Add your video as a media source in OBS, enable looping if you want it, and start streaming. Fine for a one-off premiere you're present for. For anything long-running, the weaknesses stack up: your machine must stay on and awake, your upload line carries the whole broadcast, and a crash at 4 am ends the stream silently. The full cost breakdown is in the no-OBS guide.

2. ffmpeg on a rented server (technical, DIY)

A VPS looping your file into the ingest URL works and is beloved by sysadmins. You take on Linux setup, encoder flags, watchdog scripts, storage, and updates — a fun weekend if that's your thing, a part-time job if it isn't.

3. Hosted streaming (upload once, broadcast from the cloud)

The purpose-built route: upload your videos to streamrunnr, arrange them (single video or looping playlist), paste the platform's stream key, and the broadcast runs from hosted infrastructure — monitored, with automatic recovery attempts and email alerts, and with your computer off.

The hosted setup, step by step

1. 1Grab the stream key from your platform
   YouTube Studio (Create → Go live), Twitch Creator Dashboard (Settings → Stream), Kick creator settings — every platform hands you an ingest URL and a key. Keep the key secret.
2. 2Upload your finished video(s)
   MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, or M4V — conversion to stream-ready quality is automatic.
3. 3Decide the shape of the broadcast
   One video, played once, at a scheduled time — a premiere. Or a playlist with loop enabled — a 24/7 station. Same mechanics, different setting.
4. 4Connect and go live (or schedule it)
   Choose the destination (YouTube, Twitch, or any RTMP endpoint), paste the key, pick 1080p/4K at 30/60 fps, and start now or at a scheduled date and time.

The rules that keep it clean

• Rights first. Broadcasting multiplies exposure — everything you push live must be yours or licensed for streaming. The copyright-strike guide covers this in depth.
• Present it honestly. Reruns and stations are welcome formats; faking a "live performance" that's actually a recording erodes trust and can violate platform rules on misleading content.
• Check labeling rules per platform. Some platforms have specific expectations for marking rebroadcasts — read the current guidelines of the platform you stream to.

Frequently asked questions