Hello Panners,

It’s been a few months since we last updated you on the status of live broadcasting on Reddit, and we have learned a lot in that time.

For context, RPAN began as an experiment in the summer of 2019, and really took off in 2020, when people were faced with uncertainty and eager to remain connected to the outside world. We were blown away by the diehard fans and avid moderation teams that helped RPAN blossom into a very special place on Reddit. Despite this passion and commitment, usage across Reddit remained relatively small.

Live video broadcasting is very resource intensive. In our pursuit to improve Reddit in ways that benefit as many people as possible, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to end this experiment and shutter the service.

What does that mean for users?

The ability to stream on Reddit using RPAN will continue until November 15, after which no new live video broadcasts will be possible on Reddit.

Redditors who previously streamed on RPAN can download their content from Reddit by requesting a copy via this link (more details in a sticky comment below) and are free to republish it anywhere they choose. Streamers will have until December 3 to request their content from Reddit. It may take up to 2 weeks from the date of your request to receive your content.

As we will no longer maintain RPAN code, past streams will be deleted from the platform starting December 7. Converting posts containing existing streams to another post type is, unfortunately, prohibitively complex, so you will begin to see entire stream posts removed from subreddits.

We understand that this news is not what a lot of you were hoping for, but we strongly believe it is the best long term decision. We remain in awe of how this community turned an idea into a passionate and thriving community. Thank you again to everyone who helped people connect through live video on Reddit. You helped bring community and belonging to more people, and we hope you’ll bring the same inclusive, welcoming spirit to other Reddit communities.

We will stick around for a while to answer any questions and hear your feedback.