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You can send a Wowza live source to a YouTube Live event over RTMP by giving Wowza the event’s YouTube Stream URL and Stream key, then enabling the destination and checking for an incoming preview in YouTube Studio. The exact setup depends on which Wowza product you use: older Wowza Streaming Cloud documentation describes custom RTMP delivery, while current guides cover different screens in Wowza Streaming Engine and Wowza Video. Do not assume their fields or click paths are interchangeable.

Before you configure the connection

First identify the Wowza product and interface you can access. The title refers to Wowza Streaming Cloud, but its available documentation is archival; current Wowza guidance describes Streaming Engine and Wowza Video workflows. If your account still presents a Streaming Cloud interface, follow its own field labels and help rather than applying a newer product’s steps literally.

  • Have an active Wowza source stream ready to send.
  • In YouTube Studio, create or select the live event and locate its Stream URL and Stream key in the event’s stream settings.
  • Keep the stream key private. Treat it like a password: do not include it in screenshots, public notes, or messages.

Wowza’s older Streaming Cloud user guide documents delivery to custom RTMP destinations, including YouTube: Wowza Streaming Cloud custom RTMP guide.

Get the YouTube event’s RTMP details

  1. Open YouTube Studio and create a live event or select the event you intend to use.
  2. Open the event’s stream settings and copy its Stream URL and Stream key. Use the details for the event you selected; do not substitute another event’s key.
  3. Keep the event available while you configure Wowza so you can check whether YouTube receives the stream.

YouTube’s event-specific details are the destination information Wowza needs. Depending on the Wowza product, you may enter them in separate host, application, stream-name, or custom-target fields rather than pasting a single combined URL.

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Choose the instructions for your Wowza product

Wowza product Destination setup described by Wowza Important distinction
Wowza Streaming Engine Create a YouTube Live stream target and provide the source stream name and YouTube destination details. The documented URL is split into destination host and application fields; the destination application instance is left blank. RTMP uses port 1935 by default.
Wowza Video Choose an output rendition, add an external service or custom target, select RTMP, and enter YouTube’s primary URL and stream key. The legacy guide says to omit the rtmp:// prefix and trailing slash from URL fields; an optional backup URL is available. Leave username and password blank.
Wowza Streaming Cloud The archival guide supports custom RTMP delivery to YouTube. A current Cloud-specific interface guide was not located, so field names and current availability should be confirmed in your account’s interface.

Product-specific setup references: Wowza Streaming Engine to YouTube Live, Wowza Video to YouTube Live, and the legacy custom RTMP guide. Use the interface’s current field help if it differs from the guide.

Configure a Wowza Streaming Engine target

  1. In Streaming Engine Manager, open the stream targets configuration and create a YouTube Live target.
  2. Enter the source stream name that Streaming Engine receives. Supply the destination details from the YouTube event. In Wowza’s documented URL example, put the host portion in the destination host field and the path after the host in the destination application field; leave destination application instance blank.
  3. Use RTMP port 1935 unless your actual destination configuration specifies otherwise. This is Wowza’s documented default, not a universal guarantee that every network permits the connection.
  4. Enable stream targets and enable the individual YouTube target.
  5. Make sure the source is running in Wowza, then check the event’s YouTube Live Control Room for an incoming preview before selecting Go Live.

Do not apply the host/application split to Wowza Video’s custom RTMP form; the products configure the destination differently.

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Configure a Wowza Video RTMP target

  1. Select the output rendition that you want Wowza Video to send.
  2. Add an external service or custom target and choose RTMP.
  3. Enter YouTube’s primary Stream URL and the event’s Stream key in the corresponding fields. The legacy Wowza Video instructions say to omit rtmp:// and the trailing slash from URL fields; follow the current form’s own help if it differs.
  4. Leave the target username and password blank for the documented YouTube workflow. A backup URL is optional in the legacy guide.
  5. Enable or start the output, confirm that the Wowza source is running, and check YouTube Live Control Room for its incoming preview before going live.

In this documented setup, the YouTube stream key serves as the target stream name/key; it is not a username or password.

Check the outgoing video settings

Wowza Video’s 2025 guidance lists YouTube support up to 2160p (3840 × 2160) at 60 fps and says an I-frame should occur at least every two seconds and no more than four seconds apart. Wowza also warns that YouTube can change encoder requirements. Treat those figures as Wowza-published guidance, not a substitute for checking the current YouTube encoder settings for your event.

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Wowza’s guidance describes sending one selected output rendition to YouTube, which then transcodes it for playback variants. Do not assume that configuring several Wowza renditions is required to make YouTube adaptive playback work. Transcoder passthrough availability may depend on the Wowza subscription; not every plan should be assumed to include it.

Verify the stream and troubleshoot common failures

What you see Likely check What to do
YouTube shows no incoming preview The Wowza target may be disabled, or the source may not be reaching Wowza. Confirm the source is running, enable both stream targets and the individual destination where applicable, and verify the destination URL and key against the selected YouTube event.
Connection fails after entering the destination The fields may have been filled using instructions for a different Wowza product. Use the host/application mapping for Streaming Engine or the RTMP URL/key fields for Wowza Video; do not mix the two forms.
Wowza Video rejects the destination The documented form may include URL characters it expects omitted, or credentials may have been added unnecessarily. For the legacy Wowza Video flow, omit the RTMP prefix and trailing slash in URL fields and leave username/password blank. Check the active form’s help if its behavior differs.
YouTube receives the stream but reports an encoder issue The selected output may not match the event’s current encoder guidance. Check YouTube’s current stream settings and compare resolution, frame rate, and keyframe interval with the output sent from Wowza.
The wrong event receives the stream or the key no longer works The configured key may belong to another event or may have changed. Copy the Stream URL and key from the intended event’s settings, update Wowza, and keep the replacement key private.
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