For a 720p, 60 fps YouTube Live stream, set the video bitrate to 8 Mbps for H.264 or 6 Mbps for AV1 or H.265/HEVC. These are YouTube’s recommended encoder-to-YouTube ingestion rates; the correct row depends on the codec you send. Use constant bitrate (CBR) and a 2-second keyframe interval. YouTube’s current guidance lists minimums of 3 Mbps for H.264 and 2 Mbps for AV1 or H.265/HEVC.
Recommended 720p60 bitrate by codec
YouTube’s live encoder settings distinguish codecs. At 720p and 60 frames per second, use the recommended rate for the codec your encoder actually sends:
| Video codec sent to YouTube | Minimum video bitrate | Recommended video bitrate |
|---|---|---|
| H.264 | 3 Mbps | 8 Mbps |
| AV1 or H.265/HEVC | 2 Mbps | 6 Mbps |
These are YouTube’s current official live-ingestion settings, accessed October 3, 2026. They specify the video bitrate entering YouTube, not a fixed bitrate delivered to each viewer. YouTube transcodes live video into multiple output formats. See YouTube’s encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions.
Settings to use in your encoder
- Resolution and frame rate: 1280 × 720 at 60 fps.
- Video bitrate: choose 8 Mbps for H.264 or 6 Mbps for AV1/H.265. The listed minimums are not the recommended targets.
- Rate control: constant bitrate (CBR).
- Keyframes: set the interval to 2 seconds; do not exceed 4 seconds.
- Protocol: YouTube lists RTMP/RTMPS for live ingestion. It also documents HLS ingestion separately, with its own media-format requirements.
YouTube’s recommendations cover H.264, H.265/HEVC, and AV1 video codecs. The encoder setup page explains how to create a live stream with an encoder: Create a YouTube live stream with an encoder.
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Make sure your upload connection can sustain the stream
Choose a bitrate your connection can reliably maintain, then run an upload speed test. YouTube does not give a universal upload-headroom percentage in the cited guidance, so there is no single safe multiplier to apply to the bitrate. Consider the stability of the connection as well as its measured speed: a connection that fluctuates may struggle even if a brief speed test exceeds the target.
Before the event, test with audio and movement similar to what you plan to stream. Once live, watch YouTube’s stream-health indicators and messages so you can respond to a connection or encoder issue. See YouTube’s streaming tips.
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Does “playlist streaming” change the bitrate?
Not by itself. “Playlist” can refer to two different things:
A playlist of YouTube videos
If you mean rebroadcasting a collection of videos as a live stream, the official guidance cited here does not establish a special playlist-specific bitrate. The relevant settings remain the resolution, frame rate, and codec being sent to YouTube. Do not confuse a viewer-facing collection of videos with an encoder setting.
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An HLS Media Playlist
In YouTube’s HLS ingestion workflow, a Media Playlist is a technical manifest associated with media segments and an HLS ingestion URL. It is not a viewer-facing YouTube video playlist, and the HLS documentation does not establish a different 720p60 bitrate just because a manifest is involved. See Delivering Live YouTube Content via HLS.
Common problems and fixes
- Unstable stream or dropped frames: Check whether the connection can sustain the chosen bitrate over time. Test again and lower the rate if needed; choose a reliable stream over a target your connection cannot hold.
- Wrong recommended rate: Confirm the outgoing video codec in your encoder. The recommended value is 8 Mbps for H.264, but 6 Mbps for AV1 or H.265/HEVC at 720p60.
- Keyframe warning: Set the interval to 2 seconds and ensure it does not exceed 4 seconds.
- Bitrate mistaken for viewer quality: The table describes ingestion into YouTube. YouTube transcodes the live stream into multiple formats, so a viewer’s delivered stream is not necessarily the same bitrate as your encoder output.
- Playlist assumption: Identify whether you mean a collection of videos or the HLS Media Playlist manifest. The word alone does not imply a different encoder bitrate.
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