# Create a live event

This guide creates a live event that turns one source into a stream that viewers can watch. During creation, you select the source, encoding profile, recording storage, and viewing window. You can schedule the event or start it immediately after creation.

## Prerequisites

- A source created in **Live** > **Sources**. See [Create an SRT source](/mkio/how-to/live-streaming/live/create-a-live-source).
- An encoding profile and storage option available in the Live interface.

## Choose event settings

| Setting                                    | Choose it for                                                       |
| ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Sources**                                | The one input that this live event streams.                         |
| **Encoding profile**                       | The output quality and bitrate options shown by the profile picker. |
| **Storage**                                | The location where the event saves recorded content.                |
| **Window length**                          | How far back viewers can watch.                                     |
| **Schedule start and stop**                | A planned start and stop time.                                      |
| **Start event immediately after creation** | Starting the event as part of creation.                             |

The encoding profile determines output quality and bitrate for the renditions. For a first test, use a profile agreed for your audience and playback devices. After creation, **Overview** > **View encoding profile** shows the selected profile's **Renditions**, including **Name**, **Codec**, and **Bitrate**, so you can check what it produces before starting.

## Create the event

1. Go to **Live**.
2. Select **New live**.
3. Select **Create an event**.
4. Enter a value in **Name**.
5. Under **Sources**, select **Add source**, then select the source you created. The source selection identifies the input used by the event.
6. Under **Encoding profile**, select the required profile. The Live interface shows options including **default\_AV1**, **default\_1080p**, and **default\_720p**.
7. Under **Storage**, select where to save recorded content. Choose the storage location that owns the recording for this event.
8. Under **Window length**, select how far back viewers can watch. The Live interface offers **30 minutes**, **2 hours**, **4 hours**, **8 hours**, **1 day**, **10 days**, and **30 days**.
9. To plan a broadcast, enable **Schedule start and stop** and enter **Start date and time** and **Stop date and time**. This keeps the planned start and end with the event configuration.
10. To begin as soon as the event is created, enable **Start event immediately after creation**. Leave it disabled when you want to check the configuration before starting.
11. Select **Create**.

![The Create a live event page showing source selection, encoding profile, storage, window length, scheduling, and immediate-start options.](/_machine-assets/75833350762b67c518a6636846ab6bc0006f9dd5d27836f9670fc4a97281cabe.png)

For API options that configure live event inputs and encoding, see [Manage Live resources](/api-guides/how-to/live/manage-live), [Live API inputs](/api-guides/how-to/live/core-concepts/inputs), and [Live templates](/api-guides/how-to/live/core-concepts/templates).

## Start and verify the event

If you did not enable **Start event immediately after creation**, open the event and select **Start**. The event page displays **Event is running** when the event is running. Select **Overview** to see the selected source, its input address, and the player.

Configure your encoder with the source address and connection settings, then begin sending the stream. In **Live** > **Sources**, **Active** means the source is in use; it does not prove that media is arriving. Complete the playback checks below to verify the broadcast.

## View and manage the event

Open **Live** and select the event from the **Live** tab. The event page has **Overview** and **Settings** tabs.

- Use **Overview** to view the selected source and event player.
- Select **Settings** to view **General** and **Streaming configuration**. The streaming configuration includes **Streaming locators**.
- Select **Playback settings** to manage streaming locators.
- Select **Schedule options** to manage the event schedule.
- Select **Stop** to stop a running event, or **Delete** to remove the event.

![The Settings tab for a running live event, showing General, Streaming configuration, and Streaming locators.](/_machine-assets/71cad5d8b841a28e8ff841dd1dfc5e21a8a85befeff65e6c672a0ffa8595bcf9.png)

## Create a streaming locator

Select **Playback settings** on the event page to manage the streaming locators shown for the event.

1. Select **Playback settings**.
2. Select **Customize playback settings** to open **Settings**.
3. Under **Streaming locators**, select **Create a streaming locator**.
4. Enter a value in **Name**.
5. Select the required **Streaming policy**. Select a **Content key policy** when your playback policy uses one.
6. Optionally enter an **Expiration date and time**.
7. Select **Create**.

![The Create a streaming locator dialog with fields for Name, Streaming policy, Content key policy, Expiration date and time, and ID.](/_machine-assets/a06e6f4f9c61e850b1f1bbdc92285e55cd851a3c40c107e357fd38301f7954bb.png)

For locator and streaming endpoint automation, see [Publishing with the Media API](/api-guides/how-to/media/publishing).

:::caution[Start the streaming endpoint]
Playback does not work until the streaming endpoint is running. Start the endpoint before you test the player or share playback with viewers.
:::

For the endpoint and publishing model, see [Publish content for streaming](/mkio/how-to/content-delivery-publishing/stream-content).

## Copy a playback URL and verify the stream

1. Open the event and select **Playback settings**.
2. Select **HLS streaming URL** for HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), or **DASH streaming URL** for Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH), to copy the playback address for the locator.
3. Open that address in a player that supports the selected format and streaming policy.
4. Confirm that the picture updates and that the expected audio is present. A running event or a loaded player alone does not establish that the current source is reaching viewers.

Use **Overview** to compare the event's player with the expected source. If playback fails, follow [Troubleshoot Live playback](/mkio/how-to/live-streaming/live/troubleshoot-live-playback).

## Finish a test

Select **Stop** on the event when the test ends, then check that its **Status** in the **Live** list is **Stopped**. Stop your contribution encoder too. If you started a streaming endpoint only for this test, follow [Stop the test resources](/mkio/getting-started/live-stream-in-five-minutes#stop-the-test-resources) after checking that no other streams use it. A shared endpoint may still be serving other viewers.

## What comes next

If the source remains inactive or the player cannot load playback, use [Troubleshoot Live playback](/mkio/how-to/live-streaming/live/troubleshoot-live-playback).

For an automated equivalent, follow the [Live event walkthrough](/api-guides/how-to/live/walkthrough). It creates the source through the Media API, references an encoding template, and creates the event through the Live API.