To add a video to a running 24/7 YouTube stream, add it to the playlist or playback queue in the encoder or streaming service sending the video—not to your channel’s regular YouTube uploads. In OBS, that usually means editing the playlist in a VLC Video source and checking whether the active source picks up the change. OBS documents playlist playback, but not a guaranteed seamless update to a playlist already playing. If the new item does not appear, plan a source refresh or transition while keeping the encoder connected.
Where the new video needs to go
YouTube receives the outgoing feed from an encoder or hosted streaming service. The encoder or service determines which prerecorded video is playing. Uploading a video to your YouTube channel does not add it to that live feed; you must add it to the playlist or queue that supplies the feed.
It helps to separate two things: the playback source, which chooses the video, and the outgoing stream, which carries the encoder’s output to YouTube. Changing or refreshing a playback source does not necessarily require ending the YouTube broadcast, though a transition may briefly change what viewers see. Check the preview and stream status rather than assuming the change worked.
Add a video to an OBS playlist
1. Identify the source that is on air
In OBS, find the scene currently supplying video to the stream, then identify the source playing the content. A Media Source is for an individual media file; a VLC Video source can play a playlist. If you do not see VLC Video as an available source, OBS requires VLC to be installed. Match its architecture to OBS: a 64-bit OBS installation requires 64-bit VLC. See the OBS Media Sources documentation.
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2. Add the file and check playlist behavior
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Open the settings for the active VLC Video source and add the new video to its playlist.
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Put it where you want it in the order. Check whether the playlist is set to loop or shuffle; those settings affect what plays next and whether the queue repeats.
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Confirm the file is available to the computer running OBS. If the source cannot read it, it cannot play it.
3. Verify what viewers will receive
Watch the OBS preview and the preview in YouTube Live Control Room. The playlist editor showing the new file is not proof that an already-playing source has loaded it. OBS’s published guide explains playlist use and controls but does not promise that every OBS and VLC version will detect an edit to an active playlist without refreshing or resetting playback.
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4. If the active playlist does not update
Use a planned source refresh, or switch to a prepared alternate source or scene. Keep the encoder connected if uninterrupted delivery is the priority, and verify the result in the YouTube preview. A source or scene transition can change the program viewers see even while YouTube continues receiving the encoder feed. Test this approach before making a change during an important broadcast.
Keep the YouTube broadcast and encoder connection in mind
YouTube’s encoder setup instructions describe connecting with a stream URL and stream key. For a scheduled stream, the creator starts the encoder, waits for the preview, and selects Go live in Live Control Room. You generally do not need to change the stream key just to change the video source; treat the key as a credential and change it only when needed. YouTube explains stream-key controls in Manage live stream settings.
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Before stopping the encoder or ending the event as a workaround, decide whether you need to preserve one continuous live event. YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived after they end. Ending and restarting can therefore affect the event and its archive. YouTube’s API documentation also distinguishes the incoming liveStream feed from liveBroadcast events; a feed and the event presented to viewers are related but distinct parts of the live workflow. See Understanding Broadcasts and Streams.
Use a hosted service instead of editing a local playlist
A hosted service can manage prerecorded videos and send the stream without relying on a local OBS playlist. OneStream Live’s Help Center describes an Add Videos action in its 24/7 workflow: How to Start 24/7 Live Streaming?. Check its current plan requirements and confirm whether its active queue behaves the way you need before relying on it. YouTube’s verified-encoder directory is another place to discover listed tools, but a listing does not establish identical queue-edit behavior, pricing, availability, or reliability terms across services.
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StreamNeo is a YouTube-only hosted option for looping uploaded videos. Upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live; the cloud keeps it running, so nothing has to stay on at home. Each slot streams the uploaded file as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot, with automatic recovery if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card.
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Check copyright and channel suitability
Before adding a video to a public live playlist, make sure you have the rights to stream it on YouTube. A video being uploaded to your channel—or being suitable for a documentary playlist—does not itself establish permission to rebroadcast it. Also consider whether your channel’s overall programming complies with YouTube’s monetization and reused-content rules; a continuous stream is not a substitute for having the rights and editorial basis to use its material.
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