About
Live Studio is a type of live event in Video Portal. It supports both:
- Virtual studio broadcast mode – multi-speaker sessions with the full Kaltura Room experience
- External broadcast mode (RTMP) – single-speaker broadcasts streamed from external encoders
Creators and collaborators can set up events, manage them during the session, and control how recordings appear after the event.
The Theming module must be enabled for the header, but you don’t need to enable it across your entire site. Live Studio events always open with the Theming layout.
Create a Live Studio event
- In your video portal top navigation bar, click the + Create button and select Live studio from the menu.
- Enter the event details:
The 'Create a Live Studio' window opens.
- Name (required)
- Session type – Virtual studio broadcast or External broadcast (in some cases, you’ll see only one option if your admin has limited the available session types). For details on the session types, see Session types below.
- Start and end time (required)
- Time zone
- Event Recording- select an option from the drop-down menu
3. Select Create.
You’ll be redirected to the edit page, where you can update metadata, add collaborators, and adjust templates. The event entry will also appear in your My Media.
If you plan to run the live session with presenters or moderators, make sure they are added as collaborators on the Edit page so Live Studio can route them to the correct view. Learn more in our article Edit your Live Studio event.
Session types
When you create a Live Studio event, you’ll choose between two session types. In some cases, only one option is available if that’s what your admin has enabled:
| Session type | Best for | Key features |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual studio broadcast | Single- / Multi-speaker events such as town halls or panels, with multiple presenters | Includes a green room, storyboard, and full chat and collaboration tools |
| External broadcast | Single-user or externally produced broadcasts using an RTMP encoder For details, see our article Set up an External Broadcast Live Studio session (RTMP) |
Simplified studio page for monitoring the stream and engaging with attendees through chat and Q&A (only one moderator at a time) |
Launch the studio environment
Once you create a Live studio event, it’s added to your My Media library. You can return to it at any time to manage the event or open the studio environment.
- On the 'My Media' page, click on your event.
The studio view opens in a new tab or window.
- For Virtual studio broadcast, you’ll see the full Kaltura meeting experience with a green room, storyboard, and chat and collaboration tools.
- For External broadcast, you’ll see a simpler studio page designed for monitoring the encoder stream and engaging with attendees through chat and Q&A.
When you open the studio, the session loads in Preview mode. Click Go Live when you're ready to broadcast. You can switch back to preview at any time without recreating the event.
At the top, there’s a blue button that lets the event team switch between Studio view and Attendee view.
- Attendee view = what the audience sees (player, chat/interactions, related media).
- Studio view = tools to run/monitor the event
Attendee view
Studio viewIf you’ve already opened the studio, you can return to it later by re-opening the same event link or refreshing the page. You can open and close the studio as needed before the event - all settings are saved automatically. The system automatically recognizes your role and redirects you to the right view.
When you first enter, a short Welcome message appears.
Event owners and collaborators can manage their events from the media page and the edit media page.
After the event
After the event ends, attendees can watch the recording as a VOD if it remains attached to the event. If the recording is detached, the event page displays the lobby view again.
Detach recording
The Detach recording option appears only if a recording is already attached to the event.
- Click the three-dot menu under the player.
- Select Detach recording. A confirmation message displays.
- Click Detach to continue.
The recording is removed from the event page and hidden from search results. The video remains available in the owner’s My Media library.
