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FFmpeg

How to Set a Custom Title and Description for an FFmpeg YouTube Live Broadcast

FFmpeg's output metadata does not set your public YouTube Live title. Update the broadcast's title and description through YouTube's controls or the Live Streaming API.

By VGSources Team 4 min read
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FFmpeg sends your audio and video to YouTube, but an FFmpeg output flag such as -metadata title="My title" does not set the public title or description of the YouTube Live event. Those fields belong to the YouTube broadcast (and its corresponding video). Change them in YouTube or use the YouTube Live Streaming API; use FFmpeg for the media feed.

Which title and description do you want to change?

YouTube represents a live event and its incoming media feed as separate resources. The liveBroadcast is the event and corresponding video viewers see. Its snippet.title and snippet.description are the public fields to edit. A liveStream represents the feed associated with the broadcast; its own title and description are not visible to YouTube users. See Google’s liveBroadcast resource reference and liveStreams reference.

Item What it describes Visible as the public event title or description?
liveBroadcast.snippet.title and snippet.description The YouTube live event and its corresponding video Yes
liveStream.snippet.title and snippet.description The feed resource associated with the broadcast No
FFmpeg output -metadata A metadata key/value pair on the output Not the documented method for changing YouTube broadcast metadata

FFmpeg documents -metadata key=value as setting output metadata—for example, ffmpeg -i in.avi -metadata title="my title" out.flv. That is not a request to YouTube’s broadcast API, so do not rely on it to change what viewers see. See the FFmpeg documentation.

Change the public fields with YouTube’s API

For an automated workflow, use YouTube’s liveBroadcasts.update operation. It updates a broadcast resource, requires OAuth authorization, and accepts snippet.title and snippet.description as settable fields. The request is a PUT to https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/liveBroadcasts; its required part query parameter determines which parts are written and returned. Consult the current update method reference for the request requirements and supported authorization scopes.

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  1. Authorize the YouTube channel. Use OAuth with an update scope documented by YouTube, such as https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube or https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.force-ssl. The account needs permission to manage the channel and its live broadcasts.
  2. Identify the broadcast. Get the ID of the liveBroadcast whose public details you intend to change. Do not substitute the stream ID, stream name, or ingestion address: those are used for the media feed and its association with the broadcast.
  3. Read the current resource and prepare the update. YouTube warns that properties omitted from an update request may have existing values deleted. Follow the current method reference’s required-body rules, and preserve any existing fields you need to keep. The reference lists required body fields including id, snippet.scheduledStartTime, contentDetails.monitorStream.enableMonitorStream, and contentDetails.monitorStream.broadcastStreamDelayMs; do not assume a title-and-description-only body is sufficient.
  4. Send the update and verify it. Set snippet.title and snippet.description on the target broadcast using liveBroadcasts.update, then read the broadcast back to confirm the intended values remain. The reference documents a maximum of 5,000 characters for the broadcast description.

The API documentation can evolve; check the current method reference before implementing or shipping an integration. Its revision history records changes on August 17 and 18, 2026, including a new broadcast snippet.categoryId property and an update concerning monetization errors: YouTube Live Streaming API revision history.

Keep the FFmpeg feed details separate

FFmpeg’s role is to send media to YouTube’s ingestion endpoint. YouTube provides ingestion details, including an address and stream name; depending on the encoder, they may be entered separately or combined as STREAM_URL/STREAM_NAME. Use the details associated with the correct feed and broadcast, but do not expose the stream key in a command example, log, screenshot, or public post. The ingestion details route media; the broadcast ID identifies the public event whose metadata you update. See Google’s encoder setup guidance.

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Common problems and fixes

  • The title is still unchanged after adding -metadata title=.... That flag sets output metadata; it does not perform the YouTube broadcast update. Update the broadcast’s snippet.title through the API or YouTube’s controls.
  • The wrong event changed, or nothing changed. Check that the request uses the broadcast ID, not a stream ID or stream name, and that the authorized channel owns or can manage the broadcast.
  • Existing event details disappeared. Review the update body and the current API requirements. YouTube warns that omitted properties with existing values may be deleted; preserve fields you intend to retain.
  • The API rejects authorization or eligibility. Confirm that OAuth is authorized for the right channel and that the account has the necessary live permissions and live streaming is enabled. YouTube documents errors for missing permissions or disabled live streaming in the update reference.
  • The description is rejected for length. The broadcast description limit is 5,000 characters. Do not apply the separate liveStream resource’s 10,000-character description maximum to the public broadcast field.
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