What Is a Multi-Video Stream Playlist?
By default, a 24/7 stream loops a single video. A playlist replaces that with multiple videos queued in a defined order — YouCast plays through them one after another and loops back to the first once the last one ends, so your stream cycles through your whole library instead of repeating one file every few minutes.
The same video can appear in a playlist more than once if you want a segment to repeat within the rotation — each copy is independent and can be moved or removed on its own.
Before You Start: Requirements and Restrictions
A few rules apply to every playlist. Most are enforced directly in the video picker, so you'll see them before you try to save rather than after.
The quality-tier rule exists because a stream can't mix qualities mid-broadcast — it would be jarring for viewers and inconsistent with YouTube's own quality signals. Pick your playlist videos from the same tier from the start and you won't run into it.
| Maximum videos | Up to 20 videos per stream |
| Video quality | Every video must share the same quality tier — SD, HD, 2K, or 4K. Mixed-quality playlists are not allowed. |
| Encoding status | Videos must finish encoding (status "Ready") before they can be added to a playlist |
| Duplicates | Allowed — the same video can occupy more than one slot in the playlist |
| Editing while live | Not allowed for any stream type — the playlist is locked while a stream is running. Stop the stream first to reorder, add, remove, or duplicate videos. |
Step-by-Step: Building Your Playlist
Here's the complete flow for queuing multiple videos into one stream:
Aim for at least an hour of combined runtime, ideally three to five hours or more — a very short playlist will noticeably repeat within a single viewing session.
- 1 Open Streams and click Create Stream (or Edit on an existing stream) to enter the stream builder.
- 2 In the Videos step, click Add Videos to open the video picker — every video in your library appears here with its duration and quality badge.
- 3 Select the videos you want in your playlist. Videos already added show a checkmark; videos of a different quality tier than your first selection are grayed out, since a stream can't mix qualities.
- 4 Once you've picked your videos, drag them into the order you want using the drag handle on each row.
- 5 Review the total playlist duration shown above the list, then save the stream. YouCast plays the queue in order and loops back to the first video once the last one finishes.
What You Can Do With Your Playlist
Once you have more than one video queued, a few controls become available for managing the order and content of the rotation:
- Reorder — drag any video by its handle to move it earlier or later in the rotation.
- Duplicate — click the duplicate icon on a video to insert a second, independent copy of it right after the original, which you can then move on its own. Useful for repeating a strong intro or highlight later in the cycle.
- Remove — click the remove icon on a video to take it out of the playlist entirely.
- Add more later — click "Add more videos" to reopen the picker and queue additional videos, up to the 20-video cap.
- Search the picker — use the search field in the video picker to filter your library by name when you have a lot of videos to choose from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Up to 20 videos per stream in YouCast, in any order you choose.
Yes — use the duplicate icon on a selected video to add a second, independently movable copy of it to the queue.
They need to share the same quality tier (SD, HD, 2K, or 4K), not the exact same resolution — two different HD-tier videos can sit in the same playlist without issue.
No — the playlist (and every other field) is locked while a stream is running, for both channel and stream-key streams. Stop the stream first, then reorder, and start it again.
It shows a spinner in the video picker and can't be added until encoding finishes — upload and wait for it to reach "Ready" status first.
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