Scheduling Streams and Automated Actions

Introduction

Scheduling lets you automate your live stream operations so you don't have to be at your computer to manage them. You can schedule stream starts and stops, playlist switches, and destination changes, either as one-time events or recurring schedules using cron expressions.

This is especially useful for creators who want different content at different times of day, or who need streams to start and stop on a predictable schedule.

Accessing the Schedule

1. Open your live stream's management page

2. Click Schedule in the sidebar

3. You'll see a list of all scheduled actions for this stream

Types of Scheduled Actions

Start Stream

Automatically start your live stream at a specific time:

• Use case: Start your stream every morning at 8:00 AM without being at your computer

• How it works: At the scheduled time, playout.video starts the stream and all auto-start destinations begin broadcasting

Stop Stream

Automatically stop your live stream at a specific time:

• Use case: Stop streaming at midnight to save resources, then restart in the morning

• How it works: At the scheduled time, all destinations stop and the stream ends

Switch Playlist

Change what content is playing without stopping the stream:

• Use case: Play upbeat content during the day and relaxing content at night

• How it works: At the scheduled time, the current playlist is replaced with the selected playlist. The stream continues without interruption

You can choose between a permanent switch (the new playlist becomes the main playlist) or an inline switch (the new playlist plays temporarily, then returns to the main playlist).

Start Destination

Start broadcasting to a specific platform:

• Use case: Start streaming to TikTok only during peak hours (6 PM to 10 PM)

• How it works: At the scheduled time, the selected destination begins receiving the stream

Stop Destination

Stop broadcasting to a specific platform without stopping the entire stream:

• Use case: Stop streaming to Facebook overnight while keeping YouTube running

• How it works: At the scheduled time, the selected destination stops receiving the stream, but other destinations continue

Creating a Scheduled Action

Step 1: Open the Schedule Form

1. Navigate to your stream's Schedule panel

2. Click Add Schedule or Create Action

Step 2: Choose the Action Type

Select what you want to happen:

• Start Stream

• Stop Stream

• Switch Playlist (select which playlist)

• Start Destination (select which destination)

• Stop Destination (select which destination)

Step 3: Set the Timing

Choose between one-time or recurring:

One-Time Schedule

Set a specific date and time for the action to execute once:

1. Select One-Time

2. Pick the date and time

3. The action runs once at the specified time and is then marked as completed

Recurring Schedule (Cron)

Set a repeating schedule using cron expressions:

1. Select Recurring

2. Enter a cron expression or use the visual cron builder

3. The action repeats according to the cron pattern

Step 4: Save

Click Save to create the scheduled action. It will appear in your schedule list with its next execution time.

Understanding Cron Expressions

Cron expressions define recurring schedules. Here are common patterns:

Common Examples

Schedule Cron Expression Description Every day at 8 AM 0 8 * * * Runs at 8:00 AM every day Every day at midnight 0 0 * * * Runs at 12:00 AM every day Weekdays at 9 AM 0 9 * * 1-5 Runs at 9:00 AM Monday through Friday Weekends at 10 AM 0 10 * * 0,6 Runs at 10:00 AM Saturday and Sunday Every 6 hours 0 */6 * * * Runs at midnight, 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM First day of month 0 0 1 * * Runs at midnight on the 1st of each month

Cron Format

A cron expression has five fields:

┌───────────── minute (0-59)
│ ┌───────────── hour (0-23)
│ │ ┌───────────── day of month (1-31)
│ │ │ ┌───────────── month (1-12)
│ │ │ │ ┌───────────── day of week (0-6, Sunday=0)
│ │ │ │ │
* * * * *

Tip: If you're not familiar with cron syntax, use the visual cron builder in the schedule form. It lets you select the schedule visually without writing the expression manually.

Example Automation Setups

Morning/Night Content Rotation

Schedule different playlists for different times of day:

1. 8:00 AM: Switch to "Daytime Playlist" (upbeat, energetic content)

2. 8:00 PM: Switch to "Evening Playlist" (relaxing, calm content)

3. 12:00 AM: Switch to "Late Night Playlist" (ambient, lo-fi content)

Cron expressions:

• 0 8 * * * for morning switch

• 0 20 * * * for evening switch

• 0 0 * * * for late night switch

Weekday/Weekend Schedule

Run different content on weekdays vs. weekends:

1. Monday-Friday 9 AM: Switch to "Weekday Playlist"

2. Saturday 10 AM: Switch to "Weekend Special Playlist"

3. Sunday 10 AM: Switch to "Sunday Playlist"

Platform-Specific Scheduling

Stream to different platforms at different times:

1. 6 PM: Start TikTok destination (peak hours)

2. 10 PM: Stop TikTok destination

3. YouTube and Twitch run 24/7 via auto-start

Stream On/Off Schedule

Run your stream only during specific hours:

1. 8:00 AM: Start Stream

2. 12:00 AM: Stop Stream

This gives you a 16-hour daily stream instead of 24/7, which can be useful for managing costs or content availability.

Managing Scheduled Actions

Viewing Schedules

Your schedule panel shows all active and upcoming actions:

• Action type: what will happen (start, stop, switch, etc.)

• Timing: when it will execute (one-time date or cron pattern)

• Next run: the next scheduled execution time

• Status: active, paused, or completed

Editing a Schedule

Click on any scheduled action to modify:

• Change the action type

• Update the timing

• Switch the target playlist or destination

Deleting a Schedule

Remove a scheduled action by clicking the delete button. This stops all future executions of that action.

Troubleshooting

Scheduled action didn't execute?

• Check that the schedule is set to the correct time zone

• Verify the schedule is active (not paused)

• For recurring schedules, check the cron expression is correct

• Make sure the stream is in a state where the action can execute (e.g., you can't "start" an already-running stream)

Playlist switch didn't work?

• Verify the target playlist exists and has at least one processed video

• The switch happens at the next video transition, not mid-video

Destination start/stop didn't work?

• Check that the destination is properly connected and credentials are valid

• Verify the destination exists on the stream

Next Steps

• Auto-Recovery and Stream Reliability: how playout.video keeps your stream running

• Building and Managing Playlists: create playlists for scheduled switching

• Connecting Streaming Platforms: set up destinations for scheduled start/stop