By Sampath Mallidi, CEO of Revidd · October 2026
Yes. A TV station can run a 24/7 linear channel online from the library it already owns and the newscasts it already makes, without a master control room for the stream and without a team of engineers. You build a schedule, fill it with shows and live news, and show the channel in your own apps. Here is how it works, what it does not do, and how a small team keeps it going.
Short answer: Put your library and your live news into one schedule. The channel plays around the clock, a program guide shows viewers what is on, and the whole thing appears in your branded apps on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and more. Revidd runs the channel in your apps. It does not replace your broadcast signal, and it does not place your channel on other companies' FAST services.
How can a TV station run a 24/7 channel online?
You need four things: a library of shows, a schedule, a way to bring in live news, and apps where people watch. Revidd gives you all four in one place. You upload your programs, arrange them on a timeline in the FAST Program Manager, add live blocks when you go live, and publish the channel in your apps. The channel plays out around the clock without someone sitting at a desk.
If the word playout is new to you, our plain guide to what playout is explains it in a few minutes.
What are the three ways to feed a channel?
Not every station starts in the same place. Pick the feed that matches what you have today.
Feed | What goes in | Good for | Your job |
|---|---|---|---|
Playout from your library | Shows, newscast replays and packages you upload | A channel built from your archive | Build the schedule |
Restream of a live feed | A live stream you already run | Simulcasting your newscast | Add the feed to the schedule |
External HLS feed | A stream from another source you control | A feed made outside Revidd | Add the feed to the schedule |
Many stations mix them. The archive fills the quiet hours, and live news takes over when it happens.
Should the channel loop a playlist or follow a schedule?
A loop repeats the same list. A schedule follows a clock. Viewers tune in at 6 p.m. expecting the 6 p.m. news, so a clock beats a loop every time. With a schedule, the program guide stays accurate, viewers learn when to come back, and you can program a morning block, a weekend block and a late block that each feel different.
Revidd's scheduling is drag and drop, with copy and repeat tools, so a week you like can run again next week. You can start small. One theme and a handful of hours is enough to learn what your audience watches.
How do newscasts fit into the schedule?
This is where a station has an edge over a pure library channel. You make fresh local news every day. Place the live newscast in the schedule at its air time, and put the same-day replay in the next open slot. Weather cut-ins, local sports packages and community shows fill the hours between.
A live event goes into the same timeline as any other program. If a feed drops or a show ends early, a Rescue Playlist fills the gap, to help prevent dead air. For a deeper look at the local news angle, read our guide to local TV station FAST channels.
How do ad breaks work?
You can add SCTE-35 markers for your ad partners. You choose where each break falls and how long it lasts. The channel then goes out as an HLS stream with those markers in it, and your partners use them for their own ad work.
Revidd supplies the markers. Your ad partners take it from there.
Where do viewers watch the channel?
In your own apps. Revidd builds native apps for Roku, Samsung, LG, Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, iPhone, iPad, Android and web, all from one integration. The channel sits next to your on-demand shelves and your live events, with a program guide inside the app.
Revidd powers streaming that reaches more than 38 million viewers and 5.2 million monthly active viewers across 15 countries.
Apps can be ready in as little as 1 to 2 weeks plus app-store review. The review is outside our control, so plan your launch date around it.
What does a small team do each week?
Monday: Check the week ahead in the guide. Fill any open slots.
Daily: Add the day's newscast and any new packages to the library.
When news breaks: Put a live block into the schedule.
Weekly: Swap in new shows, and promote the channel on air and on social.
The work that stays with you is the work only you can do: choosing the programs, clearing the rights, and telling your audience the channel exists. Check your rights before you build, because a deal for broadcast does not always cover a linear stream online.
What does this not replace?
This is streaming delivery. It does not replace your broadcast master control, your transmitter or your obligations on the over-the-air signal. It does not place your channel on third-party FAST services, and specialists such as Amagi and Wurl handle that work. And you still make the shows. If you are still choosing a platform, our page on an OTT platform for TV stations compares what to look for.
How do you start?
List what you have: hours of library, newscasts per day, and the screens your viewers use.
Check what you have the rights to run as a continuous channel online.
Pick a first lineup, such as news, replays and two library themes.
Read how playout and the program guide work in Revidd.
See the CMS with your own content in it. Request a demo.
FAQ
Do we need a master control room to run a 24/7 channel online?
Not for the online channel. You schedule it in the FAST Program Manager. Your broadcast master control stays as it is for the over-the-air signal.
Can we mix live newscasts and library shows in one schedule?
Yes. Live blocks and library programs sit on the same timeline. A Rescue Playlist fills gaps if a feed drops or a show ends early.
What is the difference between a looped playlist and a scheduled channel?
A loop repeats a list with no clock. A scheduled channel puts each program at a set time and builds a program guide from it, so viewers know what is on and when.
Can our own app on Roku and Fire TV show the channel?
Yes. Revidd builds native apps for Roku, Samsung, LG, Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, iPhone, iPad, Android and web. Your channel shows up in your own branded app.
Will Revidd place our channel on other FAST services?
No. Revidd runs your channel in your own apps and gives you an HLS feed with SCTE-35 markers for your ad partners. Distribution to other services is a separate job.
How big a library do we need?
Enough hours to fill the schedule without constant repeats. Daily newscasts help a lot, because they add fresh hours every day. Start with a small lineup and grow it.
