Overview
Castr Sites turns your Castr streams and videos into a branded viewer website that you can monetize. You don't need any code. Each site gets a free address at yoursite.watchhere.com. Viewers can browse, sign up, buy access and watch there.
Two templates
Template | Best for | Home page shows |
Video library | Creators, educators, sports, media catalogs | Featured hero slides, category rails, search, watchlist |
Broadcast | Churches, events, conferences, weekly shows | One main live stream, countdown to the next session, service times, About, Give button |
You can switch templates at any time under Settings › General. Your library, plans, promo codes, viewers and domains are kept.
How saving works
Goes live immediately: Library items, categories, featured slides, pages and visibility changes.
Saved as a draft, then published: Theme, Broadcast and Audience settings. A bar at the bottom counts unpublished changes. Use Preview to check them before you click Publish changes.
Plan limits
The standard Sites allowance is one site per account, on a free watchhere.com address. Sales takes the same commission as Paywall.
Limit | Default | Need more? |
Sites per account | 1 site | Contact Sales to add more sites |
Custom domain (e.g. watch.yourbrand.com) | Not included. Sites use yoursite.watchhere.com | Contact Sales to enable custom domains |
Commission on sales (plans, single-title purchases and donations) | Same rate as Castr Paywall | — |
The site limit counts every workspace on the account, not each workspace separately. Domain settings live under Settings › Domains.
Payouts go through Stripe Connect, the same as Paywall. Connect Stripe before you sell, or the Buy buttons can't take payment.
1. Create a site
Go to Sites in the left menu of the Castr dashboard. The list shows each site with its status, address and plan usage.
Click New site.
Enter the site name. The address (yoursite.watchhere.com) is suggested from the name, and you can edit it.
Click Create. Castr sets up the address and its security certificate, which takes a few minutes.
The new site opens on Overview. It has a setup checklist (add content, customize the theme, publish) and links to the main sections. The left menu groups everything into Content, Monetize, Audience and Settings.
2. Add content
Everything viewers watch comes from your existing Castr account: livestreams, VOD files and playlists. Nothing is re-uploaded.
Categories
Content › Categories groups items into rails on the home page, for example "On Demand" and "Live Events". Click New category to add one. Use the arrows to reorder, and edit or delete with the icons on the right. Categories only group content. Who can watch is set on each item.
Add an item
On Content › Library, click Add content. A side panel opens with four steps and a live preview of the card.
1. Source. Pick a livestream, a VOD file or a playlist from the tabs. Search works across your account.
2. Details. Set the title, description, thumbnail (taken from Castr; upload your own to replace it) and categories. Two switches:
Open the player immediately: viewers land on the player instead of an artwork hero with a Play button.
Visible on the site: hide an item without deleting it. This applies as soon as you save.
3. Who can watch.
Access | Who can watch |
Public | Anyone, no account needed |
Login required | Viewers with a free account, signed in |
Paid | Viewers who bought a plan that unlocks this item |
For Paid, tick the plans that unlock the item, or choose Only all-access plans unlock this. Use + New plan to create a plan without leaving the panel.
4. Schedule (optional).
Scheduled start: the item shows an "Upcoming" badge with a countdown until then.
Available from / until: outside this window the item is hidden everywhere, including the calendar.
Show on the site calendar: lists the item on the /calendar page, with a duration.
A playlist is added the same way and shows as a single item. Its videos play back to back.
Manage the library
The Library lists every item with its type, access badge, category and schedule. Drag the handles to set the order on the site. Filter by type, access or visibility. Each row has quick actions: Hide, lock (change access), edit and delete.
3. Monetize
Sites sells one-time access through your existing Paywall Stripe Connect account. Commission is the same rate as Paywall.
Plans
Monetize › Plans › New plan. Each plan has a name, description, price and currency. It is a one-time purchase: one payment, lifetime access. Viewers see a Buy button.
Choose what the plan unlocks:
Everything on the site (all-access pass). It also unlocks paid items you add later.
Selected content items. Tick the items it covers.
The Plans page lists each plan with its price, type badge (Single item / All access) and what it unlocks. The Stripe account card shows the connection status and mode. Manage in Paywall opens the shared payout settings.
Promo codes
Monetize › Promo codes › New promo code.
Code: 3–32 letters, digits, "-" or "_". It is saved in upper case, and viewers can type it either way.
Applies to: all current plans, or the plans you pick. Plans created later need their own code.
Discount: percentage off, amount off, or free (100% off).
Max redemptions per plan and Expires: both optional.
The list shows each code's discount, plans, redemptions used, expiry and status. Codes can be deactivated or deleted. Viewers enter the code at checkout on the site.
Transactions and Donations
Transactions lists the purchases made on the site.
Donations appears once Giving is set to Donations (Broadcast template, see section 7). It lists gifts made on the site.
4. Featured slides, pages and calendar
Featured slides (Video library template)
Content › Featured › Add slide builds the hero carousel at the top of the home page. Each slide has a title, a hero image (1920×1080, 16:9), the content item it opens, and a Visible switch. Use the arrows to reorder slides.
Pages
Content › Pages › New page adds extra pages such as About, FAQ or Terms.
Type: a page on this site (with its own path, e.g. /about-this-guide), or a link to another site.
Show in: navigation, footer, or both.
Content: a visual editor (headings, lists, quotes, links), or HTML for embeds. You can set the text colour and turn visibility on or off.
Calendar
Content › Calendar shows the entries listed on the site's public /calendar page. Switch between Month, Week and List views. Drag an entry to another day to reschedule it. Click a day, or Add to calendar, to add an entry. Items with Show on the site calendar ticked appear here automatically.
5. Theme
Settings › Theme controls how the site looks and behaves. Changes are saved as a draft. A Live preview on the right shows them as viewers will see them, on desktop or mobile. Nothing reaches viewers until you click Publish changes.
Branding
Upload a logo (PNG or WebP with a transparent background, at least 400×100 px) and a favicon (512×512 px). Then pick a font family and set the primary, background and text colours.
Layout
Start from a preset, then fine-tune:
Cinematic: a full-bleed hero, one rail per category, landscape cards, and the artwork as a backdrop on content pages. It looks like a streaming service.
Catalog: a contained hero card, category tabs over a grid, clean cards with badges, and a side artwork panel. It looks like a classic library.
Below the presets you can set the featured banner (Contained or Immersive), who the site is for (Catalog for a video library, or Events for dates, countdowns and pay-per-view first), and how categories show on the home page.
Navigation & sections
Switch parts of the site on or off:
Browse by category, and the "All videos" tab
The category the home page opens on
Newest content first
A Live entry in the menu
The Calendar page, Search and the Watchlist
Player
Open the player immediately (the default for all items; each item can override it)
Live on air opens the player
Autoplay
Premium badge on paid content, with custom badge text
Share button, and the Watchlist button on cards
Texts
Rename the labels viewers read, such as the "All videos" tab, Login and Sign up buttons. You can also set the site description. Leave a field empty to use the default.
Access & accounts
Registration open: when off, the site hides Sign up and refuses new accounts.
Legal & support: Terms of Service and Privacy Policy links (a site page or an https:// address). When at least one is set, sign-up shows an "I agree" step. The support email shows on viewers' Account page and is the reply-to address for password reset emails.
Footer
The footer tab sets what appears at the bottom of every page. Pages set to show in the footer appear there too.
6. Domains, general settings and publishing
Domains
The Castr address (yoursite.watchhere.com) is the primary address. The site is always reachable there, and the address can't be changed after the site is created.
Connect a custom domain serves the site on your own domain, such as watch.yourbrand.com. Subdomains need one CNAME record at your DNS provider. Root domains need A records (or ALIAS/ANAME). The certificate is issued automatically. Custom domains are not included by default, so contact Sales to enable them.
General
Site name: shown in the browser tab and the site header.
Address: the site's Castr address, with a copy button.
Template: Video library or Broadcast (section 7).
Stripe: connection status. You only need it to sell plans; free and login-only content works without it.
Delete site: takes the site offline immediately and releases its address. This can't be undone.
Site name and template changes go live within a minute, without publishing.
Social share image
This image appears when the site is shared on Facebook, WhatsApp or X. Upload a 1200×630 image, or leave it empty to use an automatic image built from your logo, colours and site description. Video and live event pages get their own card with the title, date or thumbnail.
Publish
The first Publish site makes the site live. After that, the header badge shows Live, and Open site opens it in a new tab. Later theme changes are counted in the unpublished-changes bar until you publish them.
7. Broadcast template
Broadcast turns the home page into one big live player. Around it are a countdown to the next session, service times, an About block, chat and a Give button. It is built for churches, events, conferences and weekly shows.
Switch template
Settings › General › Template › Switch to Broadcast. The change applies immediately. The featured hero, categories, search and watchlist are hidden. Library, plans, promo codes, viewers and domains are all kept, and you can switch back at any time.
On Broadcast, the menu drops Categories and Featured, and adds Settings › Broadcast and Settings › Audience. Monetize › Donations appears once giving is on.
Broadcast settings
These are saved as a draft and published like the theme.
Setting | What it does |
Cover image | Shown behind the countdown while you're offline (1920×1080) |
Tagline | One line under the site name in the header, up to 140 characters |
Time zone | Service times are entered in this zone. Viewers see them in their own |
Service times | Label, day, start time and length (15–480 min), up to 14. They drive the "Next service" countdown and the Service times block |
About | Rich text or HTML: who you are and what to expect |
Address | Shown in the About block with a Directions link |
Giving message | A line next to the Give link and at the top of the giving form |
Main live stream | The stream in the big player. Automatic picks the first published live item |
Recent services row | The newest recordings under the player. Optionally limit them to one category |
Sponsor logo | Shown in the header after "Stream supported by" (about 320×80) |
Links under the player | Up to 5 quick links, e.g. agenda or FAQ |
Backup stream URL | Adds a "Backup stream" link under the player while you're live |
Chat | Turned on or off per stream in Castr › Live streams › Audience. The site makes room for it automatically |
Giving (donations)
Choose Off or Donations. With Donations on, a Give button opens a card donation form on the site, and the money goes to your Stripe account. You can set:
Suggested amounts (1–6 buttons) and a minimum amount
Currency (it can't be changed once donations are set up)
Whether viewers can enter a custom amount
A thank-you message (shown after a gift and in the receipt email)
The button label: Give, Donate, Tithe, Support us…
Click Save giving, then publish. Donations carry the same commission rate as Paywall.
Audience
What are you streaming? sets the wording viewers see:
Event or conference: "Next session", "Agenda", "Donate"
Church or ministry: "Next service", "Service times", "Give"
General: neutral wording
You can fine-tune any label under Theme › Texts.
Register to watch asks viewers to fill in a short form beside the player. There's no password: returning viewers sign in with a code sent to their email. When it's on, the main live stream switches from Public to Login required. You can also set:
The name fields
Up to 8 extra questions (company, job title, ticket type…)
An optional consent checkbox with a link
Verify email before watching: viewers enter a 6-digit code first
Theme also offers light and dark colour presets for Broadcast.
8. What viewers see
Home. The header holds the logo, menu (Home, Calendar, Watchlist, custom pages), search and Log in / Sign up. Below it are the featured hero slides and category tabs.
Category rails. There is one rail per category, with Explore all, and access badges on every card: Free, Free · Login, Premium, Upcoming. Footer pages and "Powered by Castr" sit at the bottom.
Paid item. A "Choose how to watch" panel lists every plan that unlocks the item, with its price. Viewers pick one and click Unlock. Existing buyers use Sign in.
Promo code. Under Have a promo code?, viewers enter a code. It is applied at checkout.
Login-required item. Viewers see Sign in and Create a free account.
Calendar. The public /calendar page lists upcoming entries with artwork and a live or upcoming state.
Custom page. For example, /about-this-guide.
Sign up. Viewers create a free account. A Terms link appears when legal links are set.
Search. Searches the library from the header.
FAQ
Can I have more than one site? The default is one site per account. Contact Sales to add more.
Can I use my own domain? Not by default. Every site works on yoursite.watchhere.com. Contact Sales to enable custom domains.
What commission does Castr take? The same rate as Castr Paywall, for plan sales and donations alike.
Do I need to re-upload my videos? No. Sites uses your existing Castr livestreams, VOD files and playlists.
Why don't my changes show on the site? Theme, Broadcast and Audience changes are drafts until you click Publish changes. Library, category, featured and page changes go live straight away.
Can I offer subscriptions? Not yet. Plans are one-time purchases (single title or all-access).
Does switching templates lose anything? No. Library, plans, promo codes, viewers and domains are kept, and you can switch back at any time.
Can I hide an item without deleting it? Yes. Use Hide in the Library, or turn off Visible on the site on the item.