Brix plays a YouTube channel on a store or office TV automatically through the YouTube app: add the app, paste the channel's address instead of a video link, and Brix checks the channel every 15 minutes and switches the screen to its newest upload. Nobody has to open the CMS again after setup, and no YouTube Data API key is involved.
Set it up
- Select Apps in the Content group of the sidebar, then open the App store tab.
- Search for YouTube and select its card.
- Leave YouTube URL empty. Under Or follow a channel, paste the channel's address, for example
https://www.youtube.com/@MLB. - Optional: in Only videos whose title contains, type a word or phrase to narrow which uploads qualify. Leave it empty to play the newest upload, whatever it is.
- Check What this would be playing. It lists the videos your rule matches, newest first; the screen plays the top one.
- Turn on Play sound if you want audio. It is off by default.
- Select Add to my apps.
- Put the app on a screen: add it to a playlist, or assign it directly on the Screens page. The Cast button on the Apps page puts it on screens only as a temporary takeover; see put content on a screen.
The screen now plays the channel's newest matching video, muted, on a loop. Every 15 minutes Brix checks the channel again, and if a newer upload matches, the screen switches to it with no one touching the CMS. YouTube caches the channel feed for about that long, so a faster check would not find a new video sooner.
Follow a channel or play one link
The YouTube app has one config screen with two groups of fields, and they are alternatives, not a sequence:
- YouTube URL: paste a single video, Shorts or playlist link. That exact link plays on a loop forever. Nothing changes until you edit it.
- Or follow a channel: paste the channel's address instead. The screen plays the channel's newest matching upload and re-checks every 15 minutes.
Fill in one, not both. A playlist link is still the right choice for a fixed set of videos you control (your own ads, a training series); following a channel is for a feed you do not control and want to stay current with automatically, such as a league's highlights channel or a brand's own YouTube channel.
A live broadcast is a separate case. If the channel streams live rather than only posting finished videos, use the YouTube Live app instead: paste the channel's youtube.com/channel/UC… link, and the screen plays whatever that channel is broadcasting right now, switching automatically when a new broadcast starts. Setup and the muted-by-default sound follow the same pattern.
Only play some videos
Use Only videos whose title contains to keep a channel on topic for one screen:
- Bare words match in any order, ignoring capitals.
Phillies Full Game Highlightsmatches a title however the teams are listed. - Put
"quotes"around words that must stay together and in order. - Use
*as a wildcard against the whole title. - Leave the field empty to play the newest upload, whatever its title.
A bar with one screen behind the counter can follow a whole league's channel and match on its own team's name, so that screen always shows last night's highlights instead of whichever game the league posted first.
A chain with several screens on the same channel but different teams does not need a second app built from scratch: open the saved app on the My apps tab, duplicate it, and change only the title filter on the copy. Each copy follows the same channel independently and keeps its own match.
A rule that matches nothing yet does not leave the screen black. Before anything has played, the screen shows a plain message naming the problem, such as no matching video or a channel address Brix cannot read, so whoever set it up knows what to fix. After a video has played once, a later miss leaves that same video running instead of swapping in an error card.
Sound is off by default
Play sound starts off. Many screens do not play video with sound automatically, so this matches what plays in practice. Turn it on only when the TV's own speakers, or a sound system wired to it, should carry the audio.
No API key, no channel ID to find
Following a channel needs no Google Cloud project and no YouTube Data API key. Paste the channel's ordinary address (youtube.com/@name) or a channel/UC… link, and Brix resolves it on its own.
That is different from the YouTube Stats app, which shows a channel's subscriber count, view count and video count and does need a connected YouTube Data API key. Following a channel for playback and showing its stats are two separate apps with two separate setups.
Which hardware plays it
The YouTube app runs like any other Brix app, with no separate setup per device: the Amazon Signage Stick, Fire TV, Android boxes (including the Walmart Onn), a TV with Google TV or Android TV built in (install Brix from Google Play on the TV itself), and the Windows player.
FAQ
Does it play the newest video first?
Yes, with no title filter set. With a filter, Brix plays the newest upload that matches the filter, which is not always the channel's newest video overall.
Is the channel muted by default?
Yes. Play sound is off until you turn it on.
Does this work offline?
No. The YouTube app streams from YouTube, so the screen needs an internet connection to load each video and to check the channel for a new one. If the connection drops, a failed check does not replace a video that is already playing, but the screen cannot pick up a new upload until the connection returns.
Can I filter which videos play?
Yes. Only videos whose title contains limits matches to uploads whose title has every word you type, in any order, a quoted phrase kept together, or a * wildcard for the whole title. Leave it blank for no filter.
Does the @handle work, or do I need the channel ID?
The @handle works on its own, as @MLB or the full youtube.com/@MLB address. Brix looks up the channel's ID for you.
For the rest of Brix's built-in live-data apps — weather, a clock, news headlines, a scrolling ticker — see add apps to your screens. A bar or restaurant following a sports channel this way often pairs it with the sports scores and standings apps for scores between videos.
Price
$6 per screen per month, billed annually, or $8 billed monthly. Start a 7-day free trial — no card needed.