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It depends on what “rerun” means. On an ended livestream’s archived video, YouTube may replay the original Live Chat alongside the video, but viewers cannot send new messages to that old chat. A Premiere has active chat while the event is happening and a replay afterward. A new live broadcast is different again.
First, identify what kind of “rerun” you’re watching
| What you’re watching | What happens to chat |
|---|---|
| An ended livestream’s archive | You may see the original Live chat replay, synchronized with the video. It shows the messages from the original event; it is not an active chat for new messages. |
| A Premiere | Viewers can chat during the shared event. After it ends, YouTube says a chat replay is available. |
| A currently live stream | Live Chat operates in real time, subject to YouTube’s restrictions and the channel’s settings. |
“Rerun” is not a defined mode in YouTube’s official guidance. If someone is rebroadcasting prerecorded gameplay as a new live stream, that is not the same as watching an archive or a Premiere; the specific behavior depends on how the broadcast is set up.
Can you chat during a YouTube livestream replay?
No—not in the original chat for an ended stream. If chat replay is available, it reproduces the earlier conversation as it appeared during the broadcast. It does not reopen that event’s chat. Viewers may be able to leave comments below the video, but comments are separate from Live Chat.
During an actual live stream or Premiere, YouTube’s Help guidance says a viewer can send up to 11 messages every 30 seconds, with each message limited to 200 characters. Those limits describe messages during the event, not posts to an archived chat replay.
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Why might chat be missing from a stream replay?
An archive does not always include chat replay. YouTube documents several reasons it may be absent:
- The creator turned off Live chat replay in the video’s customization settings.
- The stream was edited in YouTube’s video editor.
- The video’s audience is set to Made for Kids; YouTube lists both Live Chat and Live chat replay among the disabled features for that setting.
- The stream was not captured as an archive. YouTube says streams under 12 hours can be automatically archived, while streams longer than 12 hours may not be captured at all.
So first check whether you are watching an archive, a Premiere replay, or a current live broadcast. If it is an archive and no replay appears, the creator’s settings, the audience setting, editing, or the lack of an archive may explain it. The absence of chat alone does not tell you which cause applies.
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What creators should know about reruns
For an ended stream’s archive
YouTube provides a Live chat replay setting in the video’s customization settings. If the creator disables it, viewers will not see the original conversation replay alongside the archive. YouTube also says chat replay is not present on streams edited in its video editor.
For a Premiere
A Premiere is a video release watched together in real time, not an archive being made live again. Viewers can use Live Chat during the event, and YouTube says chat replay is available after it ends.
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For an end-of-stream handoff
Live Redirect lets creators send viewers from an ended live stream to a Premiere or another live stream. It hands viewers off to another event; it does not replay the ended stream or reactivate its chat. Redirecting viewers to another channel requires that channel’s permission, and the feature has eligibility requirements.
For a new broadcast of prerecorded gameplay
A rebroadcast of prerecorded video as a new live event is not the same thing as YouTube’s archive replay or a Premiere. The official guidance described here does not establish one universal chat rule for third-party software used to rebroadcast prerecorded gameplay. Check the event’s actual state: if YouTube presents it as currently live, its chat is associated with that live event, rather than being the old archive’s chat replay.
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Where StreamNeo fits—and where it doesn’t
StreamNeo is a cloud service for keeping a YouTube channel live from uploaded videos; it loops the uploaded video rather than going live from a camera. That can be relevant if “rerun” means broadcasting a video as a new live stream, but it is not needed to watch an ended stream’s archive or its original chat replay. A new broadcast should not be confused with bringing the original event’s chat back.
To use StreamNeo, upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. See StreamNeo for details, or start a free first day with no card.
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