Facebook Live Stream Time Limit
- Videolinq Staff
- Jan 5, 2023
- 3 min read
If you are planning a live event on Facebook Live, one of the first questions you probably ask is simple:
How long can I stream before Facebook cuts me off?
It is a practical concern, and an important one. Facebook Live has clear time limits, and exceeding them will end your broadcast automatically. But once you understand those limits, a much bigger opportunity appears, especially if you want to reach international or multilingual audiences in real time.
Let’s start with the limits people come here to learn about, then look at what Facebook still does not offer natively, and how Videolinq fills that gap.
What Is the Facebook Live Stream Time Limit?
Facebook Live enforces different maximum durations depending on how you go live.
Live from a browser or mobile device
When you start a live stream directly from Facebook using a browser or mobile device, the maximum duration is:
Up to 4 hours per live session
Once the limit is reached, Facebook automatically ends the broadcast.
Live using an encoder (RTMP)
If you stream using a software or hardware encoder, which is how professional and third-party workflows operate, Facebook allows a longer session:
Up to 8 hours per live session
This applies whether you use OBS, a hardware encoder, or a cloud platform like Videolinq to send an RTMP feed to Facebook Live.
Can you run Facebook Live 24/7?
No. Facebook does not support continuous 24/7 live channels.Each live session is capped, and once it ends, a new live broadcast must be started.
The Bigger Limitation Most People Discover Too Late
While time limits are easy to plan around, many organizations hit another limitation only after they go live.
Facebook Live captions are limited to a single language.
Facebook can generate automatic captions, but:
Captions are only available in the spoken language of the video
There is no live translation into other languages
Captions cannot be reused or synchronized across multiple platforms
If your audience includes international viewers, multilingual teams, or accessibility requirements, Facebook’s native captioning tools quickly fall short.
How Videolinq Extends Facebook Live Capabilities
Videolinq works upstream of Facebook.
Instead of sending your live stream directly to Facebook, you send it to Videolinq first. Videolinq enhances the stream, then distributes it to Facebook and other platforms simultaneously.
With Videolinq, you can:
Insert broadcast-grade CEA-608/708 captions into your live stream before it reaches Facebook
Translate live speech into multiple languages in real time, not just the source language
Multistream the same RTMP feed to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn Live, and other platforms at the same time
Keep captions and subtitles time-accurate and synchronized across all destinations
This is functionality Facebook does not provide on its own.
Why This Matters for Reach and Accessibility
Many live streams today reach far beyond a single local audience.
With Videolinq, one live event can:
Serve viewers who speak different languages, as the event happens
Meet accessibility requirements using standard broadcast caption formats
Eliminate the need for post-event translation and re-uploads
Deliver the same captioned experience across multiple social platforms from one workflow
Instead of choosing between platforms or languages, you extend the value of every live stream you already produce.
Facebook’s Time Limits Still Apply, but Your Options Don’t Have To
Videolinq does not bypass Facebook’s 4- or 8-hour limits.What it changes is what your live stream can do during that time.
Rather than a single-language, platform-locked broadcast, you get a multilingual, captioned live stream that works across social media and video platforms simultaneously.
Want to Add Live Captions and Translations to Facebook?
If you are already streaming to Facebook Live and want to reach a broader audience, support accessibility, or deliver real-time subtitles in multiple languages, Videolinq can help.
