Configuring your Stream Destinations

Last Updated: April 19

How streaming works on MyRaces.Live

MyRaces.Live does not host your live streams on its own servers. Instead, the platform sends your camera feed to the streaming destination(s) you configure — such as your own YouTube channel or a custom RTMP/RTMPS destination (Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, etc.).

What this means for you:

  • You must have at least one connected YouTube channel or one custom RTMP destination configured before you can schedule a stream event.

  • Your live streams and replays are hosted on your own YouTube channel or the platform of your choice — you have full control over your content.

  • The platform automatically manages YouTube Lives on your connected channel(s): creating, starting, and stopping them in sync with your stream events.

  • When using static RTMP destinations (RTMP URL and Key to YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, etc.), you will need to manage your live streams manually on those platforms (start/stop streams, handle 12-hour limits, etc.).

Here’s how the streaming destinations compare between subscription tiers:

All users can save up to 3 custom RTMP destinations under Stream Destinations > RTMP Destinations. The number of destinations that can be used per stream event depends on your subscription:

Basic (Free)

1 destination per stream (Connected YouTube channel or YouTube RTMP destination)

Premium

1 destination per stream (Connected YouTube channel or any RTMP/RTMPS destination)

Pro

Up to 3 destinations per stream (any combination of connected channels and RTMP/RTMPS destinations)

Streaming to your own YouTube account

Enabling live streaming on your YouTube account

  • Using your laptop, go to YouTube Studio (do no try to do this from your phone, it won’t work).

  • Make sure the account you’re logged in with is the one you want to stream from. If not, switch to the correct account by clicking on your profile picture in the top right corner then “Switch account”.

  • Once on the correct account, click on “Create” (camera icon with a plus sign) in the top right corner.

  • Then, select “Go live” to access the YouTube Studio live streaming dashboard.

  • Follow the prompts to enable live streaming if you haven’t already.

Note

There is no minimum subscriber requirement to live stream to your YouTube Channel when using a streaming software. However, you do need to request it and it can take up to 24 hours to process so it’s recommended to do it in advance.

“Connected YouTube” vs “Manual YouTube Stream Key”

Comparison table between option A (Connected YouTube) and option B (Manual YouTube Stream Key) as it stands today:

Option A: Connect your YouTube Account

Option B: Manual YouTube Stream Key

Setup Complexity

Easy: Connect your YouTube account once, then select it for each stream event.

More complex: You need to create a YouTube Live for each stream event.

Stream Management

Automatic: MyRaces.Live platform automatically creates, starts, and stops YouTube Lives in sync with your stream events.

Manual: You need to stop each YouTube live manually in YouTube Studio.

Handling 12-hour Limit

Automatic: MyRaces.Live platform automatically splits long streams into multiple parts to handle YouTube’s 12-hour limit.

Manual: You need to monitor your stream duration and manually stop and restart the stream before the 12-hour mark to ensure your replay is archived.

Links to YouTube Lives

Are created and available when the stream event goes live. You can point your audience to your YouTube Channel in the meantime.

You can create the YouTube Lives as early as you want and share the links in advance.

Thumbnail Customization

You can change the thumbnail once the stream is over.

You can select a custom thumbnail when you create the YouTube Live in YouTube Studio

Title Customization

The title of your Stream Event is used for the YouTube Live broadcast. You can change it in YouTube Studio at any time.

You set the title and description manually in YouTube Studio for each YouTube live.

Visibility Control

You can choose the visibility of your YouTube Live (Public, Unlisted, Private) when scheduling your stream event. We will honor and keep the visibility in sync until the event is past.

You manage the visibility manually in YouTube Studio for each YouTube live.

Note

Note that as we get more user feedback, we may start developing more capabilities around the connected YouTube Account.

Option B: Manual YouTube Stream Key (Legacy)

If you prefer to manage your YouTube lives manually, you can set up a custom RTMP destination instead of connecting your YouTube account.

1. Schedule and configure a YouTube stream manually

  • Sign in to your YouTube account.

  • Click the Create icon (camera with a plus sign) at the top right of the page.

  • Select Go Live.

  • In the left menu, select “Manage” (calendar icon), then click on “Schedule Stream” in the top right corner.

_images/schedule_stream.png

Schedule a YouTube Stream

Tip

DO NOT use the “Stream” action (which you access when clicking on the “Stream” icon in the YouTube Studio). Using the “Schedule Streams” workflow will allow you to access important additional settings, such as enabling auto-start and disabling auto-stop (see below).

  • Follow the prompt to create a new stream:

    1. Enter a title and description

    2. Select “Streaming Software” as the broadcast type for your stream

    3. Enter your preferences for the customization and visibility

    4. Enter the date and time you want to go live

    5. Click “Done”

  • Open your Stream:

    1. Click on the “Stream Settings” tab under the preview window.

    2. Set “Enable Auto-Start” to ON

      • So that the stream automatically goes live when you start sending data)

    3. Set “Enable Auto-Stop” to OFF

      • So that the stream won’t automatically end if you stop sending data for a short period, as connection drops may happen at race tracks.

    4. Click on “Copy”, next to the Stream Key to copy it to your clipboard, you will need it for the next step.

_images/copy_key.png

Copy Stream Key

Note

Make sure to copy the Stream Key and the Stream Key only. It should look like this: “1a2b-3c4d-5e6f-7g8h”.

Tip

Because YouTube doesn’t provide a way to automatically stop a stream at a specific time, you will have to manually stop the stream. Make sure you do so before the 12-hour mark if you want to keep the replay of your stream available on your YouTube channel.

2. Add YouTube as a custom RTMP destination in MyRaces.Live

Navigate to Stream Destinations > RTMP Destinations in the portal. From there, you can set up a destination and then use that destination for any subsequent Stream Event:

To configure a new stream destination:

  1. Optionally enter a destination name, for example “My YouTube Account”

  2. Select the type of service you want to stream to, in this case, “YouTube”

  3. The Stream URL is auto-populated based on the service you select.

  4. Paste your previously copied YouTube Stream Key there.

  5. Click Save

When scheduling or updating your Stream Events, you can now select your custom Stream Destinations.

3. Make sure to stop the stream when you’re done

Because YouTube doesn’t provide a way to automatically stop a stream at a specific time, you have to manually stop the stream before the 12-hour limit.

Tip

If you prefer not to worry about manually stopping streams and handling the 12-hour limit, consider using Option A: Connect your YouTube Account instead — the platform handles all of this for you automatically.

4. How to handle > 12 hours of streaming on your own YouTube channel?

Note

If you are using Option A: Connected YouTube, the platform handles the 12-hour limit automatically by splitting your stream into multiple parts. No manual action is needed.

If you are using Option B: Manual Stream Key, you will have to manually stop the stream in your YouTube Studio before the 12-hour mark, then immediately start a new stream reusing the same settings (more specifically, reusing the same Stream Key).

No change is needed on the MyRaces.Live portal as long as the same Stream Key is used.

Streaming to Twitch, Facebook, or Instagram

With the Premium and Pro subscriptions, you can also stream to any custom RTMP/RTMPS destination, including Twitch, Facebook, or Instagram.

To stream to one of these platforms:

  • Copy the streaming key from the streaming platform of your choice:

    • Twitch Studio

    • Facebook Producer

    • Instagram Live

  • Navigate to Stream Destinations > RTMP Destinations in the portal to create a new destination

    • Select the service

    • Paste your streaming key and click “Save”

  • When scheduling or updating your stream event, select your custom RTMP destination(s) under “Stream Destinations”.

Here’s how each of these popular streaming platforms works, and how they compare concerning their restrictions on live duration, visibility options, access to replays, and more:

1. YouTube Studio

Link to the software?

YouTube Studio

Available on Phone or Desktop?

Desktop Only

Start/Stop Mechanisms

Option to schedule the start and to enable auto-start when the feed starts. Option to schedule auto-stop when the feed stops. You must remember to manually stop the stream if you turned off auto-stop.

Replay Video Availability

Always available as long as the live duration was less than 12 hours. Videos of longer streams do not get archived.

Max Stream Duration

No known limit, you can live stream for as long as you want (with some restriction on the availability of the replay if the stream is > 12 hours).

Live Stream Visibility Options

You can choose between public, unlisted, or private.

2. Twitch Studio

Link to the software?

Twitch Studio

Available on Phone or Desktop?

Desktop Only

Start/Stop Mechanisms

No ability to schedule your stream, you go live as soon as you start streaming to your stream key. The live stream stops when you stop sending the stream signal. Every start/stop sequence creates a new live stream.

Replay Video Availability

Past broadcasts are saved for a limited time based on your account type: 60 days for Partners, Prime, and Turbo users; 14 days for Affiliates; and 7 days for other broadcasters.

Max Stream Duration

48 hours for a single continuous live stream. The stream automatically disconnects after 48 hours, but you can restart it immediately.

Live Stream Visibility Options

Always public (available to all viewers) to your channel followers/subscribers.

3. Facebook Producer

Link to the software?

Facebook Producer

Available on Phone or Desktop?

Desktop Only

Start/Stop Mechanisms

Ability to schedule your stream with a given start and end time. You can also manually click “Go Live” to start the broadcast on Facebook. You click “Finish” to end the live stream.

Replay Video Availability

Live videos are typically saved to your page/timeline as a standard video after the stream ends.

Max Stream Duration

Standard Facebook Live: 8 hours. Facebook Gaming: 12 hours. Streams automatically end when the limit is reached.

Live Stream Visibility Options

You can stream to your timeline, a Page you manage, or a Group you’re in. You can set the privacy (e.g., Public, Friends, Only Me) on a profile stream.

4. Instagram Live

Important

For Instagram, we currently only support streaming to 1 account at a time per Stream Event (you cannot restream to multiple Instagram accounts at the same time for the same event).

Restrictions: You need a Professional Instagram account to go live with a live streaming camera that is not your phone (or when streaming from an external software like MyRaces.Live)

How to get an Instagram Professional Account: * Open Instagram.com on your desktop. * Click ☰ More. * Click Settings. * Scroll and click Account type and tools. * Click Switch to professional account. * Follow the prompts to customize your account, then click Done.

Link to the software?

Open Instagram.com on your Desktop, then click on “Live Video” option under “Create [+]” on the left.

Available on Phone or Desktop?

Desktop Only

Start/Stop Mechanisms

You manually click “Go Live” to start and “End” to stop the broadcast from Live Producer on the desktop. No ability to schedule a stream.

Replay Video Availability

Live streams can be saved to your Live Archive if enabled. After the stream ends, you have the option to share it as a Reel or share a replay to your Story (available for 24 hours). Open the Instagram app, go to your profile, tap the Menu icon, and then select Settings and privacy, Archiving and downloading. Finally, toggle on Save live to archive. This setting must be enabled before your live stream starts.

Max Stream Duration

Maximum Duration: 4 hours for Creator accounts. Other Accounts: Personal and Business accounts may have a 1-hour limit for live streams. Streams exceeding this limit may automatically end.

Live Stream Visibility Options

You can choose between Public, Practice (private), or Close Friends before going live.