YouTube Premieres: How to Schedule a Premiere
A YouTube Premiere turns an upload into a shared first viewing. YouTube creates a public watch page in advance, where viewers can set a reminder, comment and chat; at the start time everyone watches the video together in real time, with live chat, and afterwards it stays on your channel as a regular upload. Checked against YouTube Help: Premiere a new video
You set one up while uploading in YouTube Studio: schedule it for later, or make it an instant Premiere that starts once processing finishes. Shorts can’t premiere. For where Premieres fit in a wider channel plan, see how to grow a YouTube channel.
Table of Contents
- What is a Premiere on YouTube?
- How to schedule a YouTube Premiere
- What is an instant Premiere on YouTube?
- How long is a Premiere countdown?
- How do you add a trailer to a Premiere?
- What can’t be premiered?
- Can you send a live stream’s audience to a Premiere?
- Is it better to premiere or upload a YouTube video?
- YouTube Premiere FAQ
What is a Premiere on YouTube?
It’s a public first showing of a pre-recorded video, built around live chat. Here’s what viewers get at each stage:
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Before it starts | The watch page is public, so you can share its link. Anyone can set a reminder, comment or chat there, and the Premiere shows up across YouTube like a regular upload. |
| During | Viewers watch together in real time, with live chat. They can rewind, but can’t skip past what has already played. |
| After | The video stays on your channel as a regular upload, without the countdown theme. Chat replay is available, and the Premiere’s view count transfers to the video. |
Checked against YouTube Help: Premiere a new video.
Viewers who set a reminder are notified about 30 minutes before the start and again when it begins. If your channel is eligible for ads, only pre-roll ads can run during the Premiere, and Super Chat and Super Stickers can be on before and during it. Checked against YouTube Help: Customize your Premiere
How to schedule a YouTube Premiere
Do it on the Visibility step of an ordinary upload in YouTube Studio: choose Schedule, enter a date and time and tick Set as Premiere. Set up Premiere then opens the countdown options. YouTube’s steps:
On a computer: YouTube Studio:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- At the top, click Create > Upload videos.
- Select your video to upload and enter video details.
- To immediately premiere the video, click Save or publish > Public > Set as instant Premiere. The video will premiere when the video finishes processing. To schedule the premiere for later, click Schedule > Enter a date and time > Check Set as Premiere.
- To choose a countdown theme and countdown length, click Set up Premiere.
- Click Done or Schedule.
Checked against YouTube Help: Premiere a new video.
For the YouTube app, YouTube gives one line: choose Set as Premiere on the upload’s Set visibility page. It publishes no further app steps.
YouTube’s own advice is to schedule at least 24 hours ahead, so audiences can see the thumbnail in their subscriptions feed, and to promote the watch page URL before the start. Checked against YouTube Help: YouTube premiere tips To pick the hour, it points to the Audience tab’s “When your viewers are on YouTube” report, which covers the last 28 days. Checked against YouTube Help: Understand your YouTube audience For timing in general, see the best time to post on YouTube.
What is an instant Premiere on YouTube?
An instant Premiere starts as soon as YouTube finishes processing the video, rather than at a time you pick. On the Visibility step, choose Save or publish, then Public, then Set as instant Premiere; the option sits under Public. Checked against YouTube Help: Upload YouTube videos (Computer) Use it when you want the shared viewing and live chat now, without building up to a date.
How long is a Premiere countdown?
As long as you set it. When you schedule a Premiere, Set up Premiere lets you choose a countdown length and a countdown theme. Checked against YouTube Help: Customize your Premiere
When it starts is less clear, because YouTube’s pages disagree. Its Customize article says: “Two minutes before your Premiere starts, you and your viewers will see a live video counting down to when your video Premieres.” Checked against YouTube Help: Customize your Premiere Its “Premiere a new video” article says instead that if the Premiere was set to start at 12pm, “the countdown will start at 12pm” and run for the duration you chose. Checked against YouTube Help: Premiere a new video Watch the live page on your first Premiere rather than relying on either.
The countdown belongs to the live event only: once the Premiere ends, the theme isn’t part of the video.
How do you add a trailer to a Premiere?
Upload the trailer as a normal video first, then pick it under Add a trailer in Set up Premiere. Trailers are for channels with more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guidelines strikes. They run 15 seconds to 3 minutes, play on the watch page before the Premiere starts, and can’t be a previously premiered video.
On a computer: YouTube Studio:
- Upload your trailer to your YouTube channel like you would with a regular upload.
- From YouTube Studio, upload the video you want to premiere.
- From the "Visibility" step, schedule as a Premiere.
- Click Set up Premiere.
- Under "Add a trailer," click Add and select your trailer.
Checked against YouTube Help: Customize your Premiere.
What can’t be premiered?
Shorts, to start with: YouTube says Shorts aren’t supported for Premieres, and neither are 360 or VR180 videos or an output above 1080p. Checked against YouTube Help: Premiere a new video A Community Guidelines strike also gets in the way: during the penalty period the Premiere is set to private, and you reschedule it once the freeze ends. Shorts have their own playbook in YouTube Shorts best practices.
Three more things to know:
- No subscriber minimum to premiere appears in YouTube’s main Premiere article; the 1,000-subscriber bar applies to trailers and Live Redirect.
- Made for kids: YouTube’s Premiere help doesn’t rule these out, but YouTube turns off comments and live chat on made-for-kids watch pages, so a Premiere of one would have no chat. Checked against YouTube Help: Watching "made for kids" content
- A/B testing of titles and thumbnails isn’t available for a Premiere until it ends. Checked against YouTube Help: A/B test titles & thumbnails
Can you send a live stream’s audience to a Premiere?
Yes, with Live Redirect. When your live stream or Premiere ends, it automatically sends viewers to a Premiere, or to another channel’s live stream that has given permission. Sending a redirect takes more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guidelines strikes. In YouTube Studio:
On a computer: Redirect your live stream viewers:
- Go to YouTube Studio.
- Click Content.
- Go to the Live tab.
- Hover over the video you want to redirect from > Edit.
- Click Customization.
- Under "Redirect", click Add.
- Choose a Premiere or search for another channel's live stream to redirect to.
Checked against YouTube Help: How to use YouTube Live Redirect.
Who may redirect to you is set under Settings, then Community in Studio: by default the channels you subscribe to (unless your subscriptions are private), or all channels, or a list of up to 100.
Is it better to premiere or upload a YouTube video?
Premiere when you want people there together at the start; otherwise a normal upload, published right away or scheduled, does the job. YouTube says publish time isn’t known to affect a video’s long-term performance, though it matters for Premieres and live streams and can help early viewership. Checked against YouTube Help: YouTube performance FAQ & Troubleshooting
The scheduling steps and a side-by-side comparison are in how to schedule YouTube videos. Once a Premiere is a regular upload, you can add it to a playlist like any other video: how to make a playlist on YouTube.
Schedule a regular YouTube upload with Outfeed AI
YouTube Premiere FAQ
What does Premiere mean on YouTube?
A Premiere publishes a video you’ve uploaded as a shared, real-time viewing. YouTube creates a public watch page in advance, where people can set a reminder, comment or chat, and at the start time viewers watch together with live chat. Afterwards the video stays on the channel as a regular upload, and the Premiere’s view count transfers to it.
What is an instant Premiere on YouTube?
A Premiere that starts as soon as YouTube finishes processing the video, instead of at a time you schedule. In YouTube Studio’s upload flow, choose Save or publish, then Public, then Set as instant Premiere.
Can you premiere a YouTube Short?
No. YouTube’s Premiere help says Shorts aren’t supported for Premieres. Premieres also don’t support 360 or VR180 video, or an output above 1080p.
How many subscribers do you need for a Premiere trailer?
More than 1,000, with no Community Guidelines strikes. A trailer runs 15 seconds to 3 minutes, plays on the Premiere’s watch page before it starts and can’t be a previously premiered video. YouTube’s main Premiere article states no subscriber minimum for premiering a video itself.
What happens to a YouTube Premiere after it ends?
It stays on your channel as a regular upload, without the countdown theme. Viewers can watch the chat replay, and the view count from the Premiere transfers to the video.