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Keep one title for the continuous YouTube broadcast, and put each episode’s name into the video itself as a title card or lower third. Changing the broadcast title in YouTube Studio updates the stream’s metadata; it does not create a changing, on-screen episode title.
Choose where each title should appear
A continuous YouTube broadcast represents one YouTube video, with broadcast-level title and description fields. You can edit those fields, but they identify the ongoing stream rather than individual episodes. YouTube’s LiveBroadcasts documentation describes the broadcast as representing exactly one YouTube video.
| What viewers need | Use | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| The name of the continuous show | Edit the broadcast title or description in YouTube Studio, or update the broadcast through the API | The YouTube broadcast’s metadata, not text inside the video |
| The current episode name visible in the picture | Add a title card or lower third to the outgoing program video | The video image viewers see |
For a children’s stream, make the show’s identity clear in the broadcast title and use an in-program graphic to identify each episode. A title card at the start of an episode or a lower third displayed for an appropriate interval are production approaches; YouTube’s metadata documentation does not prescribe a graphics tool or display duration.
Add episode titles to the video without interrupting the broadcast
- Keep the broadcast running. Do not end or restart the YouTube broadcast just to change the episode label.
- Prepare a title graphic for each episode. Include the episode name, using wording and contrast that remain legible at typical mobile viewing size. Choose a title card at the episode opening or a lower third that appears over the program.
- Place each graphic in the program output. Use the production workflow that assembles the video viewers see to show the correct graphic at each episode boundary. The graphic must be part of the outgoing video; changing YouTube metadata alone will not put it on screen.
- Check the transition in the actual output. Confirm that the episode name appears at the intended boundary, is readable on a small screen, and is replaced by the next episode’s title when that episode begins.
- Keep the broadcast title stable. Use it for the continuous show or channel stream, optionally making clear that it is live. Change it only when the overall information about the broadcast should change.
- Add a written episode guide. Put episode names and, where useful, approximate start times in the description. If DVR is enabled, YouTube says viewers can pause, rewind, and continue during a live stream. See Manage live stream settings.
Change the continuous broadcast’s title or description
When the overall broadcast information needs an update, YouTube Help says metadata can be edited from the stream settings page or while scheduling. In YouTube Studio, open the Live Control Room, select the stream, and use its settings or Edit controls. YouTube’s instructions cover encoder or mobile streams, not webcam streams; the controls you see may therefore depend on how the stream was set up. Consult YouTube’s current stream-settings instructions for the applicable workflow.
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This is an update to the continuous broadcast’s metadata, not an episode-by-episode on-screen title system.
Automate metadata updates with the YouTube Live Streaming API
If you have an authorized application and the broadcast resource ID, the API’s liveBroadcasts.update method supports updates to snippet.title and snippet.description. This still changes broadcast metadata, not the pixels in the video. See LiveBroadcasts: update.
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- The API reference lists a title length of 1–100 characters and a description limit of 5,000 characters. These are API validation constraints; confirm current Studio behavior before building a workflow that depends on them.
- The update request must include required resource properties. The reference warns that omitting a property that already has a value can delete that value.
- Retrieve the current broadcast, preserve properties you need to retain, and deliberately submit the desired metadata. Review Life of a Broadcast alongside the update reference when designing an automated workflow.
Keep metadata and stream setup separate
The broadcast title is metadata for the continuous YouTube video. An episode title that viewers can see in the picture must be incorporated into the outgoing program video. The stream key and incoming feed are part of stream setup; changing the key is not a way to label an episode. YouTube documents broadcast metadata separately from the broadcast resource and lifecycle in its LiveBroadcasts reference.
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