Using "Play Now" to Take Your Stream Off-Schedule
How to use the Play now action to override your calendar mid-stream: for breaking news, last-minute swaps, and any moment when you need a specific block to play immediately.
Introduction
Most of the time, you set up your Calendar and let it run. But every so often, something needs to go live right now, a breaking-news block, a special announcement, a guest who showed up earlier than expected.
Play now is the override. Right-click any block on the Calendar, choose Play now, and that content takes over the stream immediately.
This guide covers when to use it, how to use it cleanly, and how the calendar recovers afterward.
When to Use Play Now
Breaking news
A live event happens. You have a relevant piece of content (a recorded interview, a special block, a slate). Play now switches the stream to it immediately.
Last-minute schedule swap
Your scheduled 7pm interview guest cancels at 6:55pm. You have a backup "best-of" block in the calendar. Play now jumps to it without you needing to edit the calendar.
Audience request
Your live chat is asking for a specific piece of content. You queue it instantly.
Live correction
The current calendar block has an issue (wrong content selected, audio problem, etc.). Play now jumps to the next sensible block while you fix the broken one for next time.
Demonstrating a block before it airs
You want to preview a Tuesday-night block live. Play now lets you check it without waiting for the schedule.
How to Use Play Now
Open the Calendar in your Scheduled Stream
Find the block you want to play immediately
Right-click the block (or open its context menu)
Click Play now
That's it. The current content stops, the new block begins playing on the live stream within seconds.
Screenshot suggestion: Calendar grid context menu open with Play now highlighted.
What Happens to the Original Schedule
The Calendar's recurrence and future blocks stay intact. Play now only overrides the current playback. As soon as the played-now block finishes, the Calendar resumes from whatever block is scheduled for the current time.
Example:
Schedule:
1pm–2pm: Show A
2pm–3pm: Show B
3pm–4pm: Show C
At 1:30pm, you Play now → Show C
Show C plays through (let's say it's 30 minutes long)
At 2:00pm, Show C ends
The Calendar resumes, at 2pm, Show B is what's scheduled
Show B starts playing
The original Tuesday recurrence of Show A, B, and C for next week is unaffected.
Pairing With Live Studio
If you run a Live Studio stream alongside a Live Channel, Play now works the same way. Click a calendar block, choose Play now, and your Live Studio output briefly defers to the block before returning to your live show.
Pro Tips
Have an "emergency" block ready. A pre-built calendar block for breaking news (e.g., a "we'll be right back" slate, a generic "special programming" block). Play now on it any time you need cover.
Use Play now for quality testing. Play a block live for a minute, then switch back, to confirm the block plays correctly before its real airtime.
Don't overuse it. If you find yourself playing now several times a day, your schedule isn't right. Edit the calendar.
Combine with recording. When you Play now an unscheduled block, it still gets captured to your master recording (if Record to Library is on).
Common Questions
Does Play now stop the current block forever? No. The current block is interrupted, but its calendar slot is unchanged. It returns next week (or whenever its recurrence dictates).
Can I undo Play now? Yes, Play now another block to switch again, or End and restart the stream.
Does Play now work for Live Channel streams? Play now is a Calendar feature, so it primarily works for Scheduled Streams. For Live Channels (looping playlists), you'd reorder the playlist or switch playlists instead.