diff --git a/daemon/codec.c b/daemon/codec.c
index a1acec066..32b8330d1 100644
--- a/daemon/codec.c
+++ b/daemon/codec.c
@@ -5662,11 +5662,11 @@ static void codec_timers_run(void *p) {
 }
 
 void codecs_init(void) {
-	timerthread_init(&codec_timers_thread, codec_timers_run);
+	timerthread_init(&codec_timers_thread, rtpe_config.media_num_threads, codec_timers_run);
 }
 void codecs_cleanup(void) {
 	timerthread_free(&codec_timers_thread);
 }
-void codec_timers_loop(void *p) {
-	timerthread_run(&codec_timers_thread);
+void codec_timers_launch(void) {
+	timerthread_launch(&codec_timers_thread, rtpe_config.scheduling, rtpe_config.priority, "codec timer");
 }
diff --git a/daemon/ice.c b/daemon/ice.c
index f565958f2..dfdbcdade 100644
--- a/daemon/ice.c
+++ b/daemon/ice.c
@@ -749,7 +749,7 @@ static void __agent_deschedule(struct ice_agent *ag) {
 
 void ice_init(void) {
 	random_string((void *) &tie_breaker, sizeof(tie_breaker));
-	timerthread_init(&ice_agents_timer_thread, ice_agents_timer_run);
+	timerthread_init(&ice_agents_timer_thread, 1, ice_agents_timer_run);
 
 	sdp_fragments = fragments_ht_new();
 	mutex_init(&sdp_fragments_lock);
@@ -1527,8 +1527,8 @@ err:
 
 
 
-void ice_thread_run(void *p) {
-	timerthread_run(&ice_agents_timer_thread);
+void ice_thread_launch(void) {
+	timerthread_launch(&ice_agents_timer_thread, NULL, 0, "ICE");
 }
 static void ice_agents_timer_run(void *ptr) {
 	struct ice_agent *ag = ptr;
diff --git a/daemon/jitter_buffer.c b/daemon/jitter_buffer.c
index b36388a3c..61483eccc 100644
--- a/daemon/jitter_buffer.c
+++ b/daemon/jitter_buffer.c
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ static struct timerthread jitter_buffer_thread;
 
 void jitter_buffer_init(void) {
 	//ilog(LOG_DEBUG, "jitter_buffer_init");
-	timerthread_init(&jitter_buffer_thread, timerthread_queue_run);
+	unsigned int num_threads = rtpe_config.jb_length > 0 ? rtpe_config.media_num_threads : 0;
+	timerthread_init(&jitter_buffer_thread, num_threads, timerthread_queue_run);
 }
 
 void jitter_buffer_init_free(void) {
@@ -412,9 +413,8 @@ void __jb_packet_free(void *p) {
 	jb_packet_free(&jbp);
 }
 
-void jitter_buffer_loop(void *p) {
-	ilog(LOG_DEBUG, "jitter_buffer_loop");
-	timerthread_run(&jitter_buffer_thread);
+void jitter_buffer_launch(void) {
+	timerthread_launch(&jitter_buffer_thread, rtpe_config.scheduling, rtpe_config.priority, "jitter buffer");
 }
 
 struct jitter_buffer *jitter_buffer_new(call_t *c) {
diff --git a/daemon/main.c b/daemon/main.c
index 08fde6baa..6e747b064 100644
--- a/daemon/main.c
+++ b/daemon/main.c
@@ -1420,7 +1420,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 		thread_create_detach(mqtt_loop, NULL, "mqtt");
 #endif
 
-	thread_create_detach(ice_thread_run, NULL, "ICE");
+	ice_thread_launch();
 
 	websocket_start();
 
@@ -1436,20 +1436,10 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 	if (rtpe_config.poller_per_thread)
 		thread_create_detach_prio(poller_loop2, rtpe_poller, rtpe_config.scheduling, rtpe_config.priority, "poller");
 
-	for (idx = 0; idx < rtpe_config.media_num_threads; ++idx) {
-#ifdef WITH_TRANSCODING
-		thread_create_detach_prio(media_player_loop, NULL, rtpe_config.scheduling,
-				rtpe_config.priority, "media player");
-#endif
-		thread_create_detach_prio(send_timer_loop, NULL, rtpe_config.scheduling,
-				rtpe_config.priority, "send timer");
-		if (rtpe_config.jb_length > 0)
-			thread_create_detach_prio(jitter_buffer_loop, NULL, rtpe_config.scheduling,
-					rtpe_config.priority, "jitter buffer");
-		thread_create_detach_prio(codec_timers_loop, NULL, rtpe_config.scheduling,
-				rtpe_config.priority, "codec timer");
-	}
-
+	media_player_launch();
+	send_timer_launch();
+	jitter_buffer_launch();
+	codec_timers_launch();
 
 	// reap threads as they shut down during run time
 	threads_join_all(false);
diff --git a/daemon/media_player.c b/daemon/media_player.c
index 753a37c4d..de11cc354 100644
--- a/daemon/media_player.c
+++ b/daemon/media_player.c
@@ -1301,9 +1301,9 @@ void media_player_init(void) {
 		mutex_init(&media_player_cache_lock);
 	}
 
-	timerthread_init(&media_player_thread, media_player_run);
+	timerthread_init(&media_player_thread, rtpe_config.media_num_threads, media_player_run);
 #endif
-	timerthread_init(&send_timer_thread, timerthread_queue_run);
+	timerthread_init(&send_timer_thread, rtpe_config.media_num_threads, timerthread_queue_run);
 }
 
 void media_player_free(void) {
@@ -1319,12 +1319,12 @@ void media_player_free(void) {
 }
 
 
+void media_player_launch(void) {
 #ifdef WITH_TRANSCODING
-void media_player_loop(void *p) {
-	timerthread_run(&media_player_thread);
-}
+	timerthread_launch(&media_player_thread, rtpe_config.scheduling, rtpe_config.priority, "media player");
 #endif
-void send_timer_loop(void *p) {
+}
+void send_timer_launch(void) {
 	//ilog(LOG_DEBUG, "send_timer_loop");
-	timerthread_run(&send_timer_thread);
+	timerthread_launch(&send_timer_thread, rtpe_config.scheduling, rtpe_config.priority, "media player");
 }
diff --git a/daemon/timerthread.c b/daemon/timerthread.c
index aedae255f..efe175caf 100644
--- a/daemon/timerthread.c
+++ b/daemon/timerthread.c
@@ -9,11 +9,12 @@ static int tt_obj_cmp(const void *a, const void *b) {
 	return timeval_cmp_ptr(&A->next_check, &B->next_check);
 }
 
-void timerthread_init(struct timerthread *tt, void (*func)(void *)) {
+void timerthread_init(struct timerthread *tt, unsigned int num, void (*func)(void *)) {
 	tt->tree = g_tree_new(tt_obj_cmp);
 	mutex_init(&tt->lock);
 	cond_init(&tt->cond);
 	tt->func = func;
+	tt->num_threads = num;
 }
 
 static int __tt_put_all(void *k, void *d, void *p) {
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ void timerthread_free(struct timerthread *tt) {
 	mutex_destroy(&tt->lock);
 }
 
-void timerthread_run(void *p) {
+static void timerthread_run(void *p) {
 	struct timerthread *tt = p;
 
 	struct thread_waker waker = { .lock = &tt->lock, .cond = &tt->cond };
@@ -80,6 +81,11 @@ sleep:;
 	thread_waker_del(&waker);
 }
 
+void timerthread_launch(struct timerthread *tt, const char *scheduler, int prio, const char *name) {
+	for (unsigned int i = 0; i < tt->num_threads; i++)
+		thread_create_detach_prio(timerthread_run, tt, scheduler, prio, name);
+}
+
 void timerthread_obj_schedule_abs_nl(struct timerthread_obj *tt_obj, const struct timeval *tv) {
 	if (!tt_obj)
 		return;
diff --git a/include/codec.h b/include/codec.h
index 48f75aac0..6c285192a 100644
--- a/include/codec.h
+++ b/include/codec.h
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ typedef union {
 
 void codecs_init(void);
 void codecs_cleanup(void);
-void codec_timers_loop(void *);
+void codec_timers_launch(void);
 void rtcp_timer_stop(struct rtcp_timer **);
 void codec_timer_callback(call_t *, void (*)(call_t *, codec_timer_callback_arg_t),
 		codec_timer_callback_arg_t, uint64_t delay);
diff --git a/include/ice.h b/include/ice.h
index d9ff31a47..638391090 100644
--- a/include/ice.h
+++ b/include/ice.h
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ void ice_restart(struct ice_agent *);
 void ice_candidates_free(candidate_q *);
 void ice_remote_candidates(candidate_q *, struct ice_agent *);
 
-void ice_thread_run(void *);
+void ice_thread_launch(void);
 
 int ice_request(stream_fd *, const endpoint_t *, struct stun_attrs *);
 int ice_response(stream_fd *, const endpoint_t *src,
diff --git a/include/jitter_buffer.h b/include/jitter_buffer.h
index addb8e290..2ff243739 100644
--- a/include/jitter_buffer.h
+++ b/include/jitter_buffer.h
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ void jitter_buffer_free(struct jitter_buffer **);
 int buffer_packet(struct media_packet *mp, const str *s);
 void jb_packet_free(struct jb_packet **jbp);
 
-void jitter_buffer_loop(void *p);
+void jitter_buffer_launch(void);
 
 INLINE void jb_put(struct jitter_buffer **jb) {
 	if (!*jb)
diff --git a/include/media_player.h b/include/media_player.h
index f9951727e..c47382129 100644
--- a/include/media_player.h
+++ b/include/media_player.h
@@ -121,12 +121,11 @@ void media_player_add_packet(struct media_player *mp, char *buf, size_t len,
 
 void media_player_init(void);
 void media_player_free(void);
-void media_player_loop(void *);
+void media_player_launch(void);
 
 struct send_timer *send_timer_new(struct packet_stream *);
 void send_timer_push(struct send_timer *, struct codec_packet *);
-
-void send_timer_loop(void *p);
+void send_timer_launch(void);
 
 
 
diff --git a/include/timerthread.h b/include/timerthread.h
index 742acebf2..a849d7237 100644
--- a/include/timerthread.h
+++ b/include/timerthread.h
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include "obj.h"
 
 struct timerthread {
+	unsigned int num_threads;
 	GTree *tree;
 	mutex_t lock;
 	cond_t cond;
@@ -41,9 +42,9 @@ struct timerthread_queue_entry {
 };
 
 
-void timerthread_init(struct timerthread *, void (*)(void *));
+void timerthread_init(struct timerthread *, unsigned int, void (*)(void *));
 void timerthread_free(struct timerthread *);
-void timerthread_run(void *);
+void timerthread_launch(struct timerthread *, const char *scheduler, int prio, const char *name);
 
 void timerthread_obj_schedule_abs_nl(struct timerthread_obj *, const struct timeval *);
 void timerthread_obj_deschedule(struct timerthread_obj *);