How do I stream a live class or webinar to YouTube?

Streaming means sending your live session to a platform like YouTube, where many more people can watch than could join the video room. Viewers on YouTube can watch and use YouTube's chat, but they cannot speak or use the classroom tools.

How it works technically. Most tools send the stream using a protocol called RTMP. YouTube gives you two values in YouTube Studio: a server URL and a stream key. You paste them into your video tool, start the stream, and YouTube shows it.

Steps:

1. Enable live streaming on your YouTube channel well in advance. According to YouTube Help, the first time you enable it, it can take up to 24 hours to become available. 2. In YouTube Studio, create a stream and copy the server URL and stream key. Keep the key private: anyone with it can broadcast to your channel. 3. In your video tool, open the streaming option and enter those values. 4. Start the stream a few minutes early and check it on YouTube with a second device.

Which tools support it:

• plugNmeet includes RTMP streaming to YouTube or Facebook.
• Commercial tools such as Zoom have their own streaming options; availability depends on your plan.
• BigBlueButton does not include live streaming. A feature request for it has been open on GitHub for years; people use external add-ons or capture the session with broadcasting software such as OBS.
• OBS Studio (free) can capture any window and stream it, which works with almost any tool but needs more setup.

Before you go live: tell participants that the session is public or unlisted on YouTube, as their voices or images may appear. Decide whether to keep the recording on the channel afterwards.