Do I need to upgrade my internet to multistream?

When using a simulcast provider, your broadcast is only transmitted once from your machine, and then duplicated from your chosen service. This reduces common problems such as buffering, frame drops and high resource usage on your streaming PC. Bandwidth required for 1080p HD streaming Upload speed : 4,256 KBPS Video : 4,000 KBPS Audio : 256 KBPS Bandwidth required for 4K UHD streaming Upload speed : 8,320 KBPS Video : 8,000 KBPS Audio : 320 KBPS Multiple streams with OBS would not be recommended with the above bandwidth unless using a simulcast service.

The Quick Guide: How to Stream to Multiple Platforms with OBS

Q: Can OBS stream to multiple platforms at once?

You can live stream to multiple platforms at once from OBS. This is done either by connecting to a multi stream service, or by following this guide . You also have the option of installing a multiple RTMP outputs plugin . As mentioned previously, there are a lot of obstacles involved with this method that will likely cause you issues. If you are looking to multistream OBS, attempting to run multiple instances can be resource heavy. It can also result in crashes, glitches and buffering.

We have all heard the old adage “Work smarter, not harder”.

It’s about doing things faster. But it’s also about doing more without investing more time. This is a great way to think of multistreaming, a.k.a. Multicasting or simulcasting. Whatever you want to call it, it allows streaming to multiple platforms from OBS.

Multistreaming allows you to broadcast content to multiple destinations at once without any extra work.

Love the Twitch community but still want to give your YouTube subscribers content? No problem!

Sounds great, right? That’s because it is! And, with a dedicated multistreaming platform, it’s super easy, too!

The benefits of Multistreaming/Simulcasting

It is common for streamers to have audiences across multiple networks including Facebook, YouTube and Twitch. It can be difficult to know which network to go live on due to viewers preferring one network over another.

With simulcasting, you solve this problem by going live to all of your favourite platforms at the same time.

By using a mulistreaming provider such as StreamingVideoProvider, going live to all of your favourite networks is a breeze. Thes best part is, it doesn’t use any extra bandwidth!

Generating content for multiple networks can be time consuming which is why simulcasting is a life saver for busy content creators.

With VOD storage across your chosen networks, your viewers can even enjoy your broadcast after it has ended.

What happens if you don’t have a powerful computer but still want to broadcast to multiple networks? No problem! Services such as ours allow you to stream to a custom RTMP destination directly from your camera.

You can even stream from IP cameras and other RTSP devices.

The benefits of using a dedicated service for simulcasting

There are a number of tools that allow you to stream to multiple stream destinations at the same time through OBS. The problem is, this can be quite limiting and use up much more of your computer's resources and bandwidth. Even if you try to clear your computer cache, install the latest OS version or optimize your device in some other way, it will likely not work reliably.

Services like ours take one high-quality stream output from you, and then distribute it to all of your favourite platforms simultaneously!

In addition to saving you bandwidth, dedicated simulcasting services offer many more benefits to the broadcaster such as:

Save your own content via cloud recording
Stream directly to your own website
Sell access directly from the player
Strong security — 2FA (two-factor authentication)
Advanced monetization options

Full control over your content

Broadcasters often rely on platforms such as Twitch to host their VODs. However, with an increase in questionable DMCA claims, having all of your eggs in one basket can be very risky!

A simulcast provider such as StreamingVideoProvider allows you to multistream, and also harness cloud recording to store your content safely and reliably online.

You can also offer viewers the option of downloading your content, or even download it yourself for repurposing. This saves even more time! Remember — work smarter, not harder!

More monetization options

Streaming directly to your website is also a great option for all types of broadcasters. You can bring over your community to your own website. You can also sell tickets directly from your video player if you ever decide to stream a special event or PPV.

You have many more monetization options when streaming to your own website. You may get demonetized at any moment using something like Adsense which has strict criteria for what can be monetized.

Bandwidth-friendly multistreaming

Starting an OBS multistream through a dedicated service allows you to only need the bandwidth required for just one broadcast.

This is ideal for those limited by their connection speed — particularly in areas where superfast broadband isn’t an option. As long as your connection is fast enough to stream to one platform, you will still be able to multi stream.

The simulcast provider will do all of the hard work distributing your content out to multiple locations.

Convenience

Without being able to simulcast, having a presence on multiple streaming networks can be very time consuming or just not viable.

Having your broadcast distributed to multiple sites and social media platforms gives you more time to work on new ideas and reach new audiences.

Strong security

Having all of these extra features is all well and good, but it means nothing without the best security!

That’s why with our service, we support 2FA (two-factor authentication). This means that your content will only ever get seen by those who have bought access.

You also have the ability to set up passkeys, watermarks, GEO and IP restrictions and much more.

How to stream to multiple sites with OBS

If you prefer video tutorials, watch the one below. Or you can scroll and see the text-based tutorial instead.

If you are streaming via a dedicated simulcast provider, it's very easy to get things up and running within OBS.

Firstly, sign up for a free account with us over on our website
Click on the ‘add media’ button located at the top of the screen
Select ‘Live Stream’ from the available options, and save in ‘Default Playlist’ and hit ‘Create’.
Now you have created your live stream, select the ‘Multi-Streaming’ tab and then click ‘New Channel’
Obtain your RTMP details from the website(s) that you wish to stream to. Then, enter them within the ‘Multi-Streaming’ section
Once you have added all of your destinations, select ‘Live Studio’ at the top of the screen
Select ‘RTMP Encoders’ from the menu listed, and obtain your RTMP URL ready for OBS
Simply paste your RTMP address that you have obtained from Live Studio into OBS
Check over all of your settings to make sure you are all set
Start simulcasting to multiple sites using OBS!

Some newer broadcasters are often tempted to try and stream on multiple platforms without using a multi stream provider. Is it essential to use a simulcast provider for multistreaming?

Let’s look over some of the key benefits that you can expect to gain from using a dedicated simulcast provider.

	Simulcasting with StreamingVideoProvider	Simulcasting without Provider
Content Control	Cloud recording Download file option for viewers Always securely backed up	Reliant on each service’s limited VOD availability — no download option for viewers
Monetization	Sell tickets from player Include advertisements Diverse monetisation No fee / commissions	Very limited via Adsense or Twitch Partner Program
Bandwidth	One feed duplicated and distributed from SVP — no extra bandwidth	Multiple RTMP outputs can slow down your machine and lead to buffering
Complexity	Designed to be powerful yet easy to use — very simple visual interface	Streaming to multiple RTMP destinations can require knowledge of command-line FFmpeg, and OBS plugins
Security	2FA support Cloud backups Dynamic watermarks Access control	Basic username and password — limited protection
Coverage	Reliable global CDN with availability in China	Some platforms might be banned in parts of the world such as China

You can live stream to multiple platforms at once from OBS. This is done either by connecting to a multi stream service, or by following this guide.

You also have the option of installing a multiple RTMP outputs plugin.

As mentioned previously, there are a lot of obstacles involved with this method that will likely cause you issues.

If you are looking to multistream OBS, attempting to run multiple instances can be resource heavy. It can also result in crashes, glitches and buffering.

If you are looking to send your OBS stream to multiple platforms through us, the process is simple.

Following our above guide, you can easily add multiple RTMP destinations to your livestream. Then, using the ‘Live Studio’ option, copy the RTMP URL and paste it within OBS.

When broadcasting to multiple streaming platforms, only one URL is needed from our Live Studio section to allow OBS studio multiple streams.

With a few tweaks, OBS can run multiple instances as detailed in this guide. The more instances of OBS you run, the more demanding it will be on your hardware.

Both instances will work for streaming and recording, but you will likely encounter buffering and freezes depending on your system.

Broadcasting OBS multiple streams in this way isn’t recommended due to the unreliable nature of running multiple software instances.

Degraded video and sound quality can really be off putting for viewers that would otherwise enjoy your content.

When using a simulcast provider, your broadcast is only transmitted once from your machine, and then duplicated from your chosen service.

This reduces common problems such as buffering, frame drops and high resource usage on your streaming PC.

Bandwidth required for 1080p HD streaming