A day at PGM.STUDIO is a calendar day in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). There is a special rule for evening streams: if you start your studio from 18:00 UTC on, on a day that is not yet paid for, the day counts for the following calendar day. The rest of the current day is included.
In Central European time that means: from 19:00 in winter (CET) and from 20:00 in summer (CEST). A stream that begins then and runs past midnight UTC costs one day, not two.
Why the rule exists
Without it, an evening stream in Europe would often cost two days. Midnight UTC is 01:00 in Germany in winter (CET) or 02:00 in summer (CEST), a time at which many streams are still running. If your studio is still open at midnight UTC, the new day is charged. Somebody who begins at 21:00 and is on air until 03:00 would have paid two days for six hours.
With the 18:00 rule you pay for the following day right at the start. At midnight UTC that day is already paid for, and nothing further is charged.
The times in Central Europe
| Season | 18:00 UTC is | Midnight UTC is |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (CET) | 19:00 | 01:00 |
| Summer (CEST) | 20:00 | 02:00 |
The boundary moves by one hour with the clock change. In summer the rule therefore only begins at 20:00.
An example in summer
You start your studio on Friday at 20:30 CEST. That is 18:30 UTC, and Friday is not yet paid for. The day therefore counts for Saturday (UTC).
- Friday evening until 02:00 CEST is included.
- Saturday in UTC is paid for. In Central European time it runs from Saturday 02:00 to Sunday 02:00 CEST.
- At 02:00 in the night to Saturday nothing is charged, even if your studio is still running.
- You can end your studio during the night and start it again on Saturday as often as you like, at no cost.
- If your studio is still running on Sunday at 02:00 CEST, Sunday (UTC) is charged.
One day covers up to 29.5 hours this way.
For comparison: if you start on the same Friday at 19:30 CEST already, it is 17:30 UTC. Then Friday is used up. If your studio is still running at 02:00 CEST, Saturday is charged as well. Starting half an hour earlier can therefore cost one day more.
An example in winter
You start your studio on Friday at 19:00 CET. That is exactly 18:00 UTC, the rule applies.
- Friday evening until 01:00 CET is included.
- Saturday (UTC) is paid for, in Central European time from Saturday 01:00 to Sunday 01:00 CET.
- If your studio is still open on Sunday at 01:00 CET, Sunday (UTC) is charged.
If you start at 18:45 CET, it is 17:45 UTC, and Friday is used up.
What the rule does not change
- A day that is already paid for stays paid for. If you already started your studio once on Friday at noon, Friday is paid for. Another start in the evening costs nothing, but it does not trigger the 18:00 rule either. If the studio is then still running at midnight UTC, Saturday is charged.
- Midnight stays midnight. The rule only moves which day you pay for at the start. The days themselves still change at 00:00 UTC.
- Without a day in your balance the usual applies at midnight UTC: the studio keeps running, your balance stands at −1, and at the midnight after that it is stopped.
Rules of thumb for planning
- An evening stream that begins no earlier than 19:00 (winter) or 20:00 (summer) Central European time costs one day, even if it runs far into the night.
- If you start in the afternoon and are on air past 01:00 or 02:00, you pay two days.
- If you were going to start shortly before the boundary, it is better to wait those few minutes.
- If you want to stream on the following day anyway, start on the evening before, after the boundary, and one day covers both.
A studio that is not on air and has not been touched for 60 minutes is ended automatically. While you are on air, that never happens.
Read on
- How days work: buy them, use them, they never expire
- Money back: the guarantee for your first purchase, and withdrawal
The binding wording of the rules is in our terms and conditions.