How do I Create a Channel?
Creating a channel takes three steps: name it, choose a plan, and pay from your Cecula Wallet. The channel is active as soon as the payment goes through.
Before You Start
- A Cecula account. You sign in to Cecula Stream with it.
- Enough money in your Cecula Wallet for the plan's first period. Subscriptions are charged in naira from your wallet. See Fund Your Cecula Wallet.
- The channel name you want. The name and the link made from it can't be changed later.
Step 1: Name Your Channel
- On My Channels, click Create Channel.
- In Channel Name, enter the name.
- Click Next: Select Plan.
The name must be:
- 3 to 50 characters long
- made up of letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens (
-) and underscores (_) only - different from every other Cecula Stream channel's name
Your Public Slug
The name also sets the channel's public slug, the part of its links that identifies it. The slug is the name in lowercase, with spaces and underscores replaced by hyphens. For example, a channel named Luma TV gets the slug luma-tv, and its watch page is https://stream.cecula.com/watch/luma-tv.
⚠️ The name and slug are permanent
You can't rename a channel or change its slug after it's created. To use a different name, create a new channel.
If the Name Is Refused
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| This channel name is already taken. Please choose another one. | Choose a different name |
| The channel name can only contain letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens, and underscores. | Remove other characters, such as apostrophes, full stops or emoji |
Step 2: Choose a Plan
- At the top, choose Monthly or Annually.
- Click a plan. Each plan shows how many viewers it's for, its maximum resolution, its storage, and its price per month or year.
- Click Next: Finalize.
A monthly subscription lasts 30 days and an annual one 365 days, counted from the moment you pay.
To compare plans in more detail first, open Subscription Plans in the left sidebar of My Channels and click Get next to a plan. Create Channel opens with that plan and billing cycle already chosen. See Plans.
Step 3: Confirm and Pay
Order Confirmation shows the channel name, the plan, the billing cycle, the Total Amount and your Current Wallet Balance.
- Check the details. Click Back to change anything.
- Click Pay & Activate Channel.
The amount is taken from your Cecula Wallet, and the payment appears under Invoices as a New subscription.
If Your Balance Is Too Low
If your wallet doesn't cover the total, Insufficient Funds appears and Fund Wallet replaces the pay button.
- Click Fund Wallet. Your Cecula Wallet opens in a new tab.
- Add money to your wallet.
- Come back, reload the page and go through the steps again, so the new balance is shown.
If the payment itself fails, the plan step shows Payment failed: followed by the reason.
Save Your Stream Details
After a successful payment, a Congratulations! screen shows your channel's Broadcast Infrastructure:
| Detail | What it's for |
|---|---|
| RTMP Server URL | The server address you enter in OBS, vMix or another encoder |
| Stream Key | The private key your encoder connects with. Click the eye icon to show it |
| Public Playback HLS Link | Your channel's stream address for HLS players. It ends in /your-slug/master.m3u8 |
Click the copy icon next to a detail to copy it.
🔒 Copy your stream key now
The stream key is shown only on this screen. Cecula Stream stores it in a form that can't be displayed again, so if you reload the page or leave, it's gone. Keep it somewhere safe, such as a password manager.
Anyone with the key can broadcast on your channel. If you lose it or think someone else has it, generate a new one. See Regenerate Your Stream Key.
The RTMP server URL and the HLS link are always available later under Broadcast Configuration on the Live Stream screen.
What's Set Up for You
A new channel starts with:
- Broadcasting on. See Turn Broadcasting Off.
- Public access. Anyone with the link can watch. See Public or Private.
- Every resolution your plan supports. See Stream Output Resolutions.
- You as the owner. Only you can manage the team, buy storage, pay for the subscription and delete the channel.
Until the channel has something to play, viewers see colour bars.
Next Steps
The success screen links to Upload Files, Schedule Stream and Manage Channel. A typical setup is:
- Upload media. See How do I Upload Media?.
- Build a rotation playlist, so the channel always has something to play. See How do I Build a Rotation Playlist?.
- Schedule broadcasts or go live. See How do I Schedule a Broadcast? and Going Live.
- Add a description, icon and poster. See How do I Edit My Channel Profile?.
- Invite your team. See How do I Add Team Members?.