FFmpeg sends your audio and video to YouTube, but an FFmpeg output flag such as -metadata title="My stream" does not set the public title or description of a YouTube Live event. Those details belong to the YouTube broadcast (and its corresponding video). Set them in YouTube or update the broadcast through YouTube’s Live Streaming API; use FFmpeg for the media feed.
Which title and description do you need to change?
YouTube treats a live event and its incoming media feed as separate resources. A liveBroadcast represents the event and corresponds to one YouTube video. Its snippet.title and snippet.description are the viewer-facing fields. A liveStream represents the feed associated with that broadcast. Its resource title and description are not the public event metadata. YouTube’s liveBroadcast resource reference describes the broadcast fields, while the liveStreams reference describes the separate stream resource.
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| Field or setting | What it applies to | Changes the public event title or description? | Description limit |
|---|---|---|---|
liveBroadcast.snippet.title and snippet.description |
The live event and its corresponding video | Yes | 5,000 characters |
liveStream.snippet.title and snippet.description |
The media-feed resource associated with the broadcast | No; these fields are not visible to YouTube users | 10,000 characters for the stream description |
FFmpeg output -metadata |
An output metadata key/value pair, depending on the output format | Not established as a YouTube broadcast update | No YouTube broadcast limit applies |
The 5,000-character maximum is for the broadcast description in the liveBroadcasts.update reference. Do not substitute the separate stream resource’s 10,000-character description limit.
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Set the event details in YouTube
For a one-off change, edit the title and description on the YouTube event/video itself. This is separate from starting FFmpeg. YouTube has not published current YouTube Studio screen labels or a reliable click-by-click Studio path in its interface guidance, so use YouTube’s current interface guidance rather than relying on an assumed menu sequence.
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Automate the change with the YouTube Live Streaming API
For a scripted workflow, update the broadcast resource, not the stream resource. The API operation is PUT https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/liveBroadcasts; it requires the part query parameter and OAuth authorization. The documented scopes include https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube and https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.force-ssl. Review the current update method reference before implementing a request: it lists required request-body fields beyond the title and description, and these requirements may evolve.
- Authorize the channel. Obtain OAuth authorization for the YouTube account that owns the event, using an accepted scope.
- Identify the broadcast. Find the target broadcast and use its broadcast ID as the resource ID. Do not use the stream ID or stream name: those identify the media feed and its ingestion details.
- Prepare the update body. Include the broadcast ID, the title and description in
snippet, and all other fields the current method reference requires. The reference lists scheduled start time and monitor-stream settings among required body fields; read the current documentation rather than copying a partial example. - Send the PUT request. Set the required
partparameter and submit the request to the endpoint above with the authorized credentials. - Read the broadcast back. Confirm the returned or subsequently retrieved broadcast has the intended title and description before relying on it for the live event.
Take particular care with partial updates. YouTube warns that properties with existing values can be deleted when omitted from an update request. Preserve values you need to keep and follow the current request-body requirements rather than sending only two fields by assumption.
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Example field values
The relevant broadcast snippet values have this shape inside the request body; this is an illustration of the fields, not a complete request body:
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"title": "Your event title",
"description": "Your event description"
}Do not treat that fragment as sufficient on its own. Supply the other required fields documented for the update method, and do not put a real stream key in example code, logs, or screenshots.
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Keep FFmpeg focused on the media feed
FFmpeg’s -metadata key=value option sets output metadata. Its documentation illustrates this with ffmpeg -i in.avi -metadata title="my title" out.flv; that example sets metadata on the output, not the public title of a YouTube Live broadcast. The viewer-facing title must be changed on the broadcast/video resource instead.
When sending media, FFmpeg uses YouTube’s ingestion details. YouTube documents an ingestion URL and stream name; depending on the encoder, they may be entered separately or combined as STREAM_URL/STREAM_NAME. The stream key routes the incoming feed. It is not the broadcast ID and does not identify the public metadata to update. Keep it private. See YouTube’s live-streaming getting started documentation for the ingestion details.
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Fix common metadata-update problems
- The title remains unchanged after adding
-metadata title=.... That option sets output metadata; it does not perform the documented YouTube broadcast API update. Change the broadcast/video title through YouTube or callliveBroadcasts.update. - The request updates the wrong object or fails to find the event. Confirm that the ID is the broadcast ID. A stream ID and stream name serve the feed, not the public event metadata.
- Existing event details disappear. Check for fields omitted from the PUT body. YouTube warns omitted properties with existing values may be deleted; preserve fields you intend to retain and satisfy the current required-body rules.
- The description is rejected or truncated. Keep the broadcast description within its documented 5,000-character maximum. The 10,000-character limit belongs to the separate stream resource.
- The API reports an authorization or eligibility error. Verify that OAuth is for the channel that owns the broadcast and that the account has live-streaming permission and eligibility. YouTube documents errors for insufficient permissions and for live streaming not being enabled.
- The feed works but the title is wrong. Successful ingestion only confirms media delivery; verify the broadcast’s viewer-facing fields independently by reading the broadcast resource back.
Or let it run in the cloud
If your goal is a pre-recorded YouTube stream that loops continuously, StreamNeo is a separate cloud option: upload a recording or playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It handles looping without keeping your computer, OBS, or home connection running. StreamNeo does not set the broadcast title or description for you; set those on YouTube using the methods above.
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