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It depends on what “rerun” means. An ended livestream archive may show the original chat replay, but viewers cannot send new messages to that ended stream. A Premiere has active chat while it plays as a shared event, and its chat replay may be available afterward. A new live broadcast of prerecorded gameplay is a separate case: it has live chat while it is actually live.
First, identify what kind of “rerun” you’re watching
| What you’re watching | What happens to chat |
|---|---|
| An ended livestream archive | You may see the original conversation replay in sync with the recording. It is not a live chat room, so you cannot post new messages to the ended stream. YouTube Help |
| A scheduled Premiere in progress | Viewers watch together and can send messages in Live Chat during the event. Chat replay may be available after it ends. YouTube Help |
| A currently live broadcast of prerecorded gameplay | It is a live event, not the old archive; Live Chat is available during the event, subject to YouTube and channel restrictions. YouTube’s guidance does not establish one universal rule for third-party software rebroadcasting prerecorded gameplay. |
“Rerun” is not a defined mode in YouTube’s official guidance. The key distinction is whether you are watching an ended event, a Premiere, or a new broadcast that is currently live.
Can you chat during a YouTube livestream replay?
No—not in the ended stream’s original Live Chat. If chat replay is available, it displays the messages viewers sent during the original broadcast, in sync with the video. You are watching that past conversation, not reopening the event for new messages. If the archive has no chat replay, viewers may still be able to leave comments below the video; comments are separate from Live Chat. YouTube Help
Why is chat missing from a gaming stream replay?
There are several documented reasons the replay may not appear:
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- The creator turned off chat replay. YouTube says chat replay is on by default for livestream archives, but creators can disable it in the video’s customization settings. YouTube Help
- The video was edited in YouTube’s video editor. YouTube says chat replay is not present on streams edited this way. YouTube Help
- The audience is set as Made for Kids. YouTube lists Live Chat and Live chat replay among the features disabled for this audience setting. YouTube Help
- No archive was captured. YouTube says it can automatically archive livestreams under 12 hours; streams longer than 12 hours may not be captured at all. Without an archive, there is no recorded video alongside which to show a replay. YouTube Help
If you are the creator, check the archive’s chat replay setting and whether the video was edited. If you are a viewer, the available evidence may not show which condition applies.
How chat differs across live streams, archives, and Premieres
Live stream
Live Chat is for messages during the real-time broadcast. YouTube says it is available on watch pages, not embedded players. During a live stream or Premiere, a viewer can send up to 11 messages every 30 seconds, with each message limited to 200 characters. These limits apply to the live event, not to an archived replay. YouTube Help
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Livestream archive
The archive is the recorded video of an ended event. If chat replay is enabled and available, it reproduces the original conversation; it does not accept new Live Chat messages. Comments below the video are a separate feature. YouTube Help
Premiere
A Premiere lets viewers watch a video together in real time. Live Chat is available during the event, and YouTube says chat replay is available afterward. YouTube Help
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What creators can do at the end of a gaming stream
YouTube’s Live Redirect feature can send viewers from an ended livestream to a Premiere or another live stream. That is a handoff to another event—not a replay of the original stream or its chat. Redirecting viewers to another channel requires that channel’s permission, and the feature has eligibility requirements. YouTube Help
For gameplay broadcasts, YouTube identifies encoders as a common way to stream gameplay and overlays. Its setup guidance recommends monitoring stream quality and checking that the event is accessible through the channel and watch pages; those creator checks do not change how an ended archive’s chat replay works. YouTube Help
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If you want prerecorded gameplay to stay live on YouTube
For a do-it-yourself broadcast, use a live-streaming setup to send the prerecorded gameplay to YouTube as a current live event. The chat belongs to that new live event; it does not revive the chat from the original recording. YouTube’s official guidance covers encoder-based streaming, but it does not establish a universal rule for every third-party rebroadcast tool.
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