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continuous livestream

How to Show the Currently Playing Episode on an Always-On YouTube Podcast Stream

A stable YouTube broadcast title and an OBS “Now playing” overlay let a continuous podcast stream identify each episode as the playlist changes.

By DocumentaryTube Team 5 min read
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Keep the public YouTube broadcast title stable, then show the current episode inside the video with an OBS overlay. For a simple label, use an OBS text source that reads a local text file and have your playlist automation replace the file when the episode changes. For artwork or richer formatting, use an OBS browser source. Changing YouTube’s broadcast title is a separate option: it changes video metadata, not text inside the picture.

Choose where the episode title should appear

A continuous YouTube stream has a public video listing and an outgoing video image. They are separate surfaces, so choose the one you want viewers to see:

  • Inside the picture: Add a “Now playing” overlay in OBS. This keeps the broadcast listing stable while the label changes with the episode.
  • In YouTube’s listing: Edit the broadcast’s title or description in YouTube Studio, or update its video metadata through the YouTube Live Streaming API. This does not put text over the video.

For a stream that runs continuously through a playlist, an overlay is usually easier to scan: the broadcast remains one event while the on-screen label identifies the current episode. YouTube’s API distinguishes a broadcast (the viewer-facing video/event) from the live stream resource that supplies transmission settings; a broadcast can be bound to a stream, and stream resources can be reused. YouTube Live Streaming API

Set up a “Now playing” text overlay in OBS

1. Create or schedule the YouTube broadcast

In YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room, create or schedule the continuous broadcast and configure its stream settings. You can choose metadata when creating or scheduling a stream, or edit it from stream settings. Reusing stream settings copies metadata, settings, and the stream key to the new stream; you can edit the new broadcast afterward. YouTube Help: Manage live stream settings

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2. Add an OBS text source

In OBS Studio, add a text source to the scene used for the stream. Configure the source to read text from a file, then position and size it over your background or artwork. Keep it above those visual sources in the scene’s source stack so it remains visible. OBS documents text sources and arranging, positioning, and sizing sources in its Sources Guide. Interface details can vary by installed OBS version.

3. Connect the label to episode changes

Put the current episode title in the text file selected by the OBS source. When the playlist advances, have the playlist controller, media automation, or a small local script replace the file contents with the new title. The text-file source provides the display mechanism; the exact automation connection depends on your playback setup. No particular playlist integration is established here, so verify that your chosen controller updates the file on normal transitions, skips, and recovery after a reconnect.

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4. Style and test the overlay

Use a concise label, such as “Now playing: Episode 12 — [title],” with enough contrast against the background. Check the longest title you expect, not just a short sample, so it does not run off-screen or obscure important artwork. Preview the scene and confirm that OBS displays the updated file after an episode change.

Use a browser source for a richer overlay

If the label needs artwork, custom layout, or metadata delivered remotely, make an overlay page and add it to OBS as a browser source. OBS can load a local file or a URL and lets you set the browser viewport; the documented browser source is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. OBS Browser Source Guide

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The page can render HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but you still need a way to supply it with the current episode information. Connect that data feed to the same playlist or automation process that knows when playback changes. Test the page in the OBS scene as well as in a regular browser; matching page appearance does not by itself confirm that the correct episode data is arriving.

Decide whether to change the YouTube title instead

If the YouTube video listing itself should follow each episode, update the broadcast’s title or description in Studio or use the Live Streaming API’s video metadata update capability. YouTube’s API documentation says video metadata fields can be updated at any time. YouTube Live Streaming API: Broadcast lifecycle

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This changes metadata, not the pixels in the outgoing stream. Viewers looking at the video image will only see an episode label if you also add an overlay. If you do change the public title for each episode, make clear what the title represents; changing labels on one continuous video may be less straightforward to scan than a stable broadcast title with an on-screen “Now playing” label.

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Account for latency, transitions, and reconnects

A label update and the associated audio change may not reach every viewer at precisely the same moment. YouTube defines latency as the time between capture and playback and notes that lower latency can mean more buffering. OBS allows a custom browser-source frame rate, but neither fact establishes a guaranteed synchronization method or ideal refresh interval. YouTube Help: Change live stream latency

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  • Test the label against the actual audio transition from a viewer’s perspective, not only in the OBS preview.
  • Test playlist skips as well as ordinary episode changes; ensure the automation writes the title for the track that actually starts.
  • Test after a stream reconnect. Confirm the overlay and the playlist controller resume with the same current episode.
  • For a browser overlay, begin with conservative refresh behavior and adjust only after checking that updates arrive reliably without unnecessary reloads.

Keep the broadcast discoverable without relying on tags

Use the broadcast title and description to explain the continuous program and what viewers will find there. YouTube says tags play a minimal role in discovery except when content is commonly misspelled; scheduled streams can appear as upcoming and let viewers select “Notify me.” YouTube Help: Add tags to your YouTube videos YouTube Help: Manage live stream settings

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