Members-Only Live Streams: Switch a Public Stream to Members-Only

YouTube describes two options. You can create a live stream whose visibility is Members only, optionally limited to specific membership levels, or you can transition a public live stream to members-only while you are live. Non-members can only see the thumbnail and metadata, as with standard members-only videos, and members are notified like regular subscribers.

While streaming, open the Live Control Room, click the plus button in the live chat box and choose Members-only live stream. Select the member level and set a countdown of 1, 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes, then click Schedule. When the timer ends, members move automatically to the members-only stream, and non-members are prompted to join.

You can chain multiple transitions to more restricted levels, and cancel one by clicking the countdown timer in chat. YouTube recommends testing first with an unlisted stream.

YouTube suggests being transparent about the transition time, framing the public part as a teaser, optionally using an abrupt cliffhanger after fair warning, updating metadata for each segment and hosting a relaxed after-show for the core community.

YouCast turns the videos you upload into a 24/7 live stream that runs from the cloud, to YouTube and, with a stream key, to Twitch, Kick and Instagram, so there is no encoder to configure, no computer to keep awake and no home upload line to saturate.

Switching to members-only works while you are live in the Live Control Room. Use it for scheduled moments, and let YouCast keep the public stream running the rest of the time.

You can try one stream on the free trial and add more streams as the channel grows.