How to Set Up Unmanned Live Streaming with FFmpeg and RTMP

Unmanned Live Streaming Overview

Unmanned live streaming means recording video content in advance and looping it during a live broadcast to achieve continuous 24‑hour streaming. This reduces labor and material costs and can be used for product promotion, audience retention, or monetisation. Two typical scenarios are (1) streaming product, material, or game screens without a real presenter, and (2) simply repeating a pre‑recorded video.

Implementation with FFmpeg

Bilibili Live

Step 1. Obtain the RTMP push URL

Server address: rtmp://live-push.bilivideo.com/live-bvc/ Stream key:

?streamname=live_350943383_7128776&key=f9467ea5d97f5e1f7c35128e451031eb&schedule=rtmp&pflag=1

Full push URL (concatenation of server address and stream key):

rtmp://live-push.bilivideo.com/live-bvc/?streamname=live_350943383_7128776&key=f9467ea5d97f5e1f7c35128e451031eb&schedule=rtmp&pflag=1

Step 2. Prepare a source MP4 file

Any MP4 video can be used. The example in the guide is workerman.mp4, which contains generic content suitable for looping.

Step 3. Push the stream with FFmpeg

ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 \
  -i ./workerman.mp4 \
  -c copy -f flv \
  "rtmp://live-push.bilivideo.com/live-bvc/?streamname=live_350943383_7128776&key=f9467ea5d97f5e1f7c35128e451031eb&schedule=rtmp&pflag=1"

Explanation of the options: -re: read the input at its native frame rate, which mimics a live source. -stream_loop -1: loop the input file indefinitely. -i ./workerman.mp4: path to the source video. -c copy: copy audio and video streams without re‑encoding, preserving original quality and reducing CPU load. -f flv: force the FLV container required for RTMP.

Step 4. Verify the live stream

Open the Bilibili live room URL in a browser or media player to confirm that the video is being streamed continuously:

http://live.bilibili.com/14033404

WeChat Video Channel

The workflow for WeChat Video Channel is identical: obtain an RTMP push address via the WeChat Video Assistant, then execute the same FFmpeg command shown above to start an unmanned live broadcast.