To show the episode currently playing inside your 24/7 YouTube video, add an OBS Text Source, turn on Read from file, and point it to a plain-text file containing the episode title. Update that file whenever playback moves to another episode—or use a tested integration that writes the current playback title to the file. OBS documents the text-file display and playlist playback as separate features; it does not document automatic title syncing between them.
This on-screen overlay is different from the YouTube broadcast title. The broadcast title describes the live video’s watch page; it does not appear as graphics over the video.
What you need to make the title appear on screen
- OBS Studio, with the scene used for your live stream.
- A UTF-8 plain-text file containing the episode title you want viewers to see.
- A Text Source configured to read that file.
- A playback source, such as an OBS VLC Video Source playlist, if OBS is also playing your episode videos.
OBS renders sources in layer order: a source higher in the Sources list appears above sources below it. Put the title Text Source above the video source, then position it in the preview. See the OBS Text Sources guide and OBS Sources guide.
Set up a title overlay in OBS
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Create or select the streaming scene
In OBS, select the scene that carries the program you send to YouTube. If the scene already contains your video or playlist source, keep it; the title is an additional source layered over that content.
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Create a text file for the current episode
Make a plain-text file, for example
current-episode.txt, and put the display title on its own line. Use the title viewers should read, rather than assuming the video filename is suitable: filenames may be abbreviated, inconsistent, or contain production notes. -
Add a Text Source that reads the file
In the scene’s Sources list, add a Text Source. Enable Read from file and select the text file. OBS’s documentation describes this file-reading option in its Text Sources documentation.
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Position and style the title
Place the text source above the video source in the Sources list. In the preview, move and resize it to a lower-third or title-card position that does not obscure important visual content. Choose a readable font size and strong contrast; an outline or backing panel can help against changing footage. Preview it at the output size so you can judge legibility in the actual stream layout.
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Add or configure episode playback separately
For a local video playlist, add an OBS VLC Video Source and select the playlist. Install VLC if the VLC source is not available. Enable Loop Playlist for continuous playback, and leave shuffle off if episode order matters. OBS documents these playlist controls under Media Sources.
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Choose how the text file changes
At each episode transition, either have an operator replace the file contents with the next title or use a separate automation that writes the active playback metadata to the file. OBS’s documented playlist controls do not themselves establish a link that updates the Text Source. Treat title automation as an additional integration, not a built-in guarantee.
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Test before leaving the stream unattended
Run a transition and confirm the visible title changes when the new episode’s audio and video begin. Test long titles, special characters, missing metadata, a blank or unavailable file, and recovery after restarting playback or OBS. Decide what fallback text should appear during a gap or error, and verify that the file-writing method still works after a restart.
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Choose manual updates or title automation
| Approach | What it does well | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Operator updates the text file at each transition | Simple and transparent; uses OBS’s documented file-reading Text Source. | Someone must reliably update the file. A missed change leaves the previous episode title on screen. |
| Automation writes playback metadata to the file | Can keep the overlay aligned with playback without manual title edits. | It depends on the exact player, integration, metadata quality, version compatibility, and error handling. Test it with the source actually used by the stream. |
OBS community discussions mention TUNA as a possible way to write media details to a file, but the forum suggestion is not an authoritative compatibility guarantee. Check current support for your specific playback source and test it before relying on it for unattended use: OBS forum discussion about VLC filenames.
If your episodes come from podcast audio files or a web-based player rather than a local video playlist, the route from playback metadata to the text file may be different. Verify the complete chain with that exact source.
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Keep the overlay, YouTube title, and podcast playlist distinct
On-screen episode title
The OBS Text Source is part of the scene, so its text is rendered over the outgoing picture. This is the element to use when viewers should see which episode is playing inside the video.
YouTube broadcast title and description
YouTube’s Live API treats the broadcast title as metadata for the broadcast video, not as a graphic composited over the stream. Set a useful overall title and description for a viewer who arrives midstream, and manage them separately from the OBS overlay. See the LiveBroadcasts API reference and Life of a Broadcast.
YouTube podcast playlist
YouTube’s podcast setup treats a show as a playlist of episode videos and gives guidance on full episodes, ordering, and descriptive titles. That organization feature does not document an automatic connection to an overlay on a separate 24/7 broadcast. See YouTube’s podcast setup guidance and its Podcasting on YouTube guide.
Troubleshoot a missing or incorrect episode title
- No text appears: Confirm that the Text Source is enabled, Read from file is selected, the selected file exists, and it contains text. Check that the source is visible in the active scene.
- The title is behind the video: Move the Text Source above the video source in the Sources list.
- The old title stays on screen: The file may not have been updated, or an automated writer may be reading a different player or source. Check the file contents and the integration’s source selection at a transition.
- A filename appears instead of a clean title: Replace it with a viewer-facing title in the text file, or verify that your metadata integration reads the intended title field rather than the filename.
- Automation fails after a restart: Test startup and transition behavior again, including whether the integration reconnects to playback and restores the current title. Keep a manual update and fallback title available until recovery is verified.
- The YouTube page title changed but the picture did not: That is expected: broadcast metadata and an OBS scene overlay are separate. Update the Text Source’s file for the on-screen title.
Or let it run in the cloud
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