# The Start Media Stream activity and what feeds on it

Canonical: https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/wxcc-media-streaming

Last verified: 2026-09-05

Cisco states that media streaming facilitates call transcription, summarization, suggested responses, and sentiment analysis, while naming no recipient of the stream[^3]. The feature requires administrative privileges to modify flows and requires the organization to be a customer of the Next Generation Media Platform[^9].

## How it works

The Start Media Stream activity exposes 2 configurable fields: Activity Label and Activity Description, with no destination, credential, or address field[^13]. It carries a system-enforced self-loop limit of 20 per interaction[^11]. Neither assigned source documents any counterpart activity or method to stop a media stream once started, and the string Stop Media Stream does not occur in either[^7].

To scope streaming to specific queues, Cisco's prescribed pattern relies on a boolean global variable defaulting to False[^10]. A Set Variable activity sets this variable to True prior to the Queue Contact activity, and a Condition activity subsequently evaluates it to connect its True path to the Start Media Stream activity[^10]. Sources disagree on the event flow trigger, as the media streaming procedure instructs administrators to place the Condition activity after an AgentAnswered event, but that event name does not appear in the Flow Designer event handler list[^1].

Cisco notes that queue-level conditional logic is unnecessary if streaming is desired for all calls, but never publishes how to enable it for all calls[^2]. In the field, documentation opens by naming streaming as a single feature facilitating 4 tasks, but then uses the word transcription throughout the procedure where media streaming is being configured[^12].

## Call legs and compliance properties

Cisco states that media streaming does not work on the consult leg, citing consult and transfer calls as examples[^8]. The documentation does not state what happens to an active stream when a consult begins, leaving continuing while excluding the consult leg, pausing, and ending as possibilities consistent with the text[^4].

The documentation contains no instructions regarding notifying the caller or agent that a stream is running, making no mention of consent, notice, legal basis, or compliance[^5]. Furthermore, the documentation provides no retention period, storage location, or deletion behavior for streamed media or derived data, nor does it define authentication, authorization, or encryption properties for the stream[^6].

## See also

See also [The Webex Contact Center Flow Designer activity set](https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/wxcc-flow-designer-activities).
See also [Which Flow Designer activities can send customer data outside the platform](https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/wxcc-flow-data-egress).
See also [Webex Contact Center system limits reference](https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/webex-cc-system-limits).

## Applicability

Applies to: Cisco Webex Contact Center. Sources checked 2026-09-05.
Media streaming requires an organization to be a customer of the Next Generation Media Platform and requires administrative privileges to modify flows[^9].

## What remains uncertain

Which service receives the media stream is not covered by the sources below. How to enable streaming for all calls is not covered by the sources below. What happens to a running stream when a consult begins is not covered by the sources below. Whether transcription and media streaming are one control is not covered by the sources below.

## Sources

[^1]: The media streaming procedure tells the administrator to place a Condition activity after the AgentAnswered event, and that event name does not appear in the Flow Designer article's event handler list (disputed). Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Step 6, against the Flow Designer event handler enumeration. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^2]: The article states that the queue-level conditional logic is unnecessary if streaming is wanted for all calls, and never says how to enable it for all calls. Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Paragraph preceding step 1. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^3]: Cisco states that media streaming facilitates call transcription, summarization, suggested responses and sentiment analysis, and names no recipient of the stream anywhere in the article. Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Opening paragraph; whole article searched for destination, endpoint, webhook, third party, vendor and partner. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^4]: The article does not state what happens to a stream already running when a consult begins, so continuing while excluding the consult leg, pausing, and ending are all consistent with what is written. Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Opening paragraph; whole article. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^5]: The article says nothing about telling the caller or the agent that a stream is running, and contains no mention of consent, notice, legal basis or compliance. Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Whole article. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^6]: The article states no retention period, storage location or deletion behaviour for streamed media or anything derived from it, and no authentication, authorisation or encryption property for the stream. Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Whole article. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^7]: Neither assigned source documents any way to stop a media stream once started; the string Stop Media Stream does not occur in either. Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Whole article; the Flow Designer activity list and self-loop table searched for a counterpart. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^8]: Cisco states that media streaming does not work on the consult leg, giving consult and transfer calls as the examples. Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Opening paragraph, second sentence. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^9]: Media streaming requires administrative privileges to modify flows and requires the organisation to be a customer of the Next Generation Media Platform. Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Prerequisites. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^10]: Cisco's prescribed pattern scopes streaming to chosen queues with a boolean global variable defaulting to False, set to True by a Set Variable activity before the Queue Contact activity, and read by a Condition activity whose True path connects to Start Media Stream. Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Steps 2 through 9. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^11]: Start Media Stream carries a system-enforced self-loop limit of 20 per interaction, and the system limits article publishes the same value. Source: [Build and manage flows with Flow Designer](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/nhovcy4/Build-and-manage-flows-with-Flow-Designer), System-enforced self-loop limits for activities table, Start Media Stream row. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^12]: The article opens by naming streaming as one thing that facilitates 4 tasks and then uses the word transcription throughout the procedure where the feature being configured is media streaming (field report). Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Opening paragraph against steps 2, 5 and the paragraph preceding step 1. Checked 2026-09-05.
[^13]: The Start Media Stream activity exposes 2 configurable fields, Activity Label and Activity Description, and no destination, credential or address field. Source: [Enabling media streaming for specific queues](https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n5jhgdi/Enabling-media-streaming-for-specific-queues), Step 8. Checked 2026-09-05.