You can now schedule live posts via Switchboard Cloud. This new addition can be enabled via the Templates Manager and applied to a Group on the Workflow page.
Important note: Currently the schedule feature is only available for Facebook destinations and will not work for YouTube or other destination types. You will receive a warning if you have YouTube destinations included in the same destination group with the schedule feature enabled.
This guide will show you how to schedule a live video broadcast on Facebook with Switchboard Cloud.
Create the Template
Step 1
Click the Main Menu icon in the upper left-hand corner.
Select the Templates option.
Create a new Template.
Step 2
Give the template a name.
The template name is internal and not visible to the public, we recommend that you also include the start time in the template name.
Fill in the appropriate information for the template (title, description, tags, etc).
Step 3
Click the slider to enable the Schedule Event option:
Step 4
Now you are able to select the date and time for the event from the date selector.
Important Note: You must choose a time at least 15 minutes into the future.
Once complete, select the Workflow option from the main menu in the upper left.
Apply the Template to the Destination Group
Step 1
Click the Pencil icon to the left of the Group Name:
Step 2
Select the desired Template to be the Active Template.
The green bar should display at the bottom indicating that the selected template is now the Active Template.
Step 3
The destination group will update and display the following:
- Date & time reflecting the scheduled event.
- Start Preview Button to push live video to the scheduled event
A post will also appear on Facebook saying that you plan to go live.
Ready to Go Live!
Please allow a few minutes before the start of the scheduled post so that you can start your broadcast on time without any errors.
Step 1
Start sending video from your encoder to Switchboard.
Verify that the video is showing on the Switchboard Confidence monitor.
Step 2
Press the "Start Preview” button.
Video will push to the Facebook destination, but you are not live.
Step 3
Relax. The video will auto-post to Facebook at the scheduled time.
CONGRATULATIONS! You have successfully started a live stream video.
Pro TIP:
Make a duplicate of the template without the schedule feature enabled. You'll be able to use the duplicate template as a backup, in case you are running late and won't be able to stream at the scheduled time.
Additional resources to check out:
How to create a Facebook Live Event and Go Live with Switchboard
Add Facebook as a Custom RTMP Destination
How to create a YouTube Scheduled Event and Go Live with Switchboard