Auto-Start and Auto-Stop: Stream Only When You Need To
Your stream can now auto-start before a calendar block begins and auto-stop after the last block ends. Run a windowed schedule: like a weekly show, without manually starting and stopping.
What's New
Streams can now auto-start before a calendar block begins and auto-stop after the last block ends.
If your show only happens Tuesday at 7pm, your stream only runs Tuesday at 7pm. No manual start. No manual stop. No remembering.
Why It Matters
Until now, most streams either ran 24/7 or had to be started manually for each show. Both have downsides.
24/7 streams that only have content for two hours a week waste resources during the gaps and feel "off" when the fallback plays into the void.
Manually started streams rely on you remembering. Forget once and your audience finds an empty stream.
Auto-start and auto-stop solve both. Your stream is "live" when you're scheduled to be live, and "off" when you're not. Like a TV station that signs off at midnight.
How It Works
For any Scheduled Stream, open the Calendar settings and configure:
Auto-Start lead time: start the stream this many minutes before the first calendar block (e.g., 5 minutes early so the stream is warm and ready)
Auto-Stop trail time: stop the stream this many minutes after the last block ends (e.g., 1 minute later for a clean sign-off)
Gap tolerance: short gaps between blocks (e.g., < 10 minutes) keep the stream alive with fallback content; longer gaps trigger an auto-stop
Save the settings. The stream now manages its own lifecycle.
Example: A Weekly Show
Imagine you run a weekly Tuesday-night interview show, 7pm–8pm. With auto-start and auto-stop:
6:55pm Tuesday: stream auto-starts, fallback playlist warms up
7:00pm Tuesday: your interview block begins
8:00pm Tuesday: your interview ends
8:01pm Tuesday: stream auto-stops
All other times: stream is offline
Your audience visits Tuesday at 7pm. They see the show. After 8pm, they see the channel is offline (or whatever post-roll you configure). The rest of the week, you're not paying for stream resources you don't use.
Example: Multiple Blocks With Tolerable Gaps
Imagine a morning show (8am–10am), a lunch show (12pm–1pm), and an evening show (7pm–8pm) on the same day.
With a small gap tolerance, the stream might:
Auto-start at 7:55am
Run shows and fallback through the day (the gaps are too long to keep alive, auto-stop kicks in at 10:01am)
Auto-restart at 11:55am for the lunch show
Auto-stop at 1:01pm
Auto-restart at 6:55pm for the evening show
Auto-stop at 8:01pm
Three windows, three live periods, no manual intervention.
With a generous gap tolerance, the stream stays live continuously through the day and falls back to your default playlist during gaps. Pick the policy that fits your channel.
Try It
Open any Scheduled Stream, go to the Calendar settings, and turn on Auto-Start and Auto-Stop. Set your lead and trail times. Save.
For a step-by-step walkthrough see Auto-Starting Your Stream From a Calendar Window.