How to Stream Pre-Recorded Video as a 24/7 Live Broadcast
Turn videos you already have into an always-on live channel. Here's how pre-recorded 24/7 streaming works — and how to set one up in minutes, no OBS or PC required.
Streaming pre-recorded video as a live broadcast means taking finished videos — a music mix, a set of gameplay VODs, recorded lessons — and playing them out to a live platform continuously, around the clock. To viewers it looks and behaves like a normal live stream, complete with live chat and real-time viewer counts. Behind the scenes, you're not sitting at a desk with a camera; a cloud service is looping your files for you.
This is the fastest way to keep a channel active 24/7 without burning out. With StreamHouse you upload the videos you already have, arrange them into a playlist, connect your platform with a stream key, and press Start — the broadcast then runs on its own, even after you close your laptop.
Key takeaways
- Pre-recorded live streaming loops finished videos to a platform 24/7 — it still shows as "live."
- It runs in the cloud, so no OBS, no dedicated PC, and nothing to keep switched on at home.
- Videos are encoded ahead of time, which keeps the bitrate steady and avoids dropped frames.
- You can swap or reorder videos mid-broadcast without ever taking the stream offline.
What "pre-recorded live streaming" actually means
A live streaming platform like YouTube, Twitch, Kick, Rumble or Facebook doesn't care whether the video reaching it was captured a second ago or a year ago — it only sees an incoming RTMP feed. Pre-recorded live streaming (sometimes called "simulated live" or a "rerun") sends your existing video files as that feed. The platform treats it as a genuine live event, so you keep live chat, notifications and the discoverability boost that live content gets.
The key difference from uploading a normal video is continuity: instead of a viewer pressing play on a static file, everyone watches the same moment together, and when one video ends the next begins automatically. Loop the playlist and the channel never goes dark.
What you need to get started
The barrier to entry is low. You need three things:
- Video files — MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio is ideal. Most exports from any editor already match this.
- A channel on a streaming platform — YouTube, Twitch, Kick, Rumble, Facebook, or anywhere that accepts a custom RTMP feed.
- A stream key — a short code from that platform's dashboard that tells it where the feed belongs.
Notably, you do not need OBS, a capture card, a powerful computer, or a server you have to maintain. The encoding and the 24/7 uptime are handled in the cloud.
Step by step: from upload to a 24/7 broadcast
- Create an account and open your media library.
- Upload your videos. They're prepared for streaming automatically — there's no manual encoding step.
- Build a playlist by adding videos in the order you want them to play.
- Connect your platform by pasting in its stream key (or connecting your channel directly).
- Press Start. Your playlist begins broadcasting and loops from the top when it reaches the end.
Most creators with videos already rendered go live in under ten minutes. For a full walkthrough, see the getting-started guide.
Choosing videos and the right playlist length
Because a 24/7 stream repeats, playlist length matters. A single 10-minute clip on loop gets obvious fast; a few hours of varied content feels far more like a real channel. As a rule of thumb, aim for at least two to four hours of material before you loop, and more if you can. Longer, more varied playlists keep average watch time up and give returning viewers something fresh.
You can keep adding to the playlist over time — the stream doesn't need to stop for you to grow it.
Keeping the stream stable around the clock
The reason pre-recorded streaming is so reliable is that the heavy lifting — encoding — happens in advance. There's no real-time transcoding to choke on, so playback stays smooth and the bitrate stays steady. StreamHouse targets 99.9% uptime and automatically restarts a broadcast if the network or a platform hiccups, so a brief blip doesn't end your stream. All output is watermark-free, even on the free plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is pre-recorded 24/7 streaming allowed?
Yes, on content you own or are licensed to use, and within each platform's terms. YouTube, for example, permits looping pre-recorded videos as long as you follow its Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.
Do I need to keep my computer on?
No. The broadcast runs in the cloud. Once you press Start you can close your laptop or shut it down entirely and the stream keeps going.
Can I change the videos while I'm live?
Yes. You can add, remove or reorder clips without stopping the broadcast — changes apply to the next queued video, so viewers never see a black screen.
What quality can I stream at?
Up to 1080p at 30 FPS depending on your plan, at a bitrate matched to the platform's recommendations. Every plan is watermark-free.
