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In OBS, add a Text Source, turn on Read from file, and point it to a plain-text file containing the current podcast episode title. The text appears in the video when you place the source above your video source in the scene. You must still update that file when playback moves to another episode: OBS documents playlist playback and file-based text separately, but does not document a built-in connection that automatically sends the current playlist title to the text source.
What viewers see: an overlay, not the YouTube title
An on-video episode label is part of the picture your streaming scene sends to YouTube. YouTube’s live broadcast title is page-level metadata for the broadcast video; changing it does not draw text over the video. Use the overlay to tell someone arriving midstream which episode is playing, and use the YouTube title and description to explain the overall continuous program. See Google’s LiveBroadcasts API reference and Life of a Broadcast.
Build the episode-title overlay in OBS
- Create the text file. Make a UTF-8 plain-text file with the episode title you want displayed. Save it somewhere the OBS computer can access consistently. Use a clean, readable title rather than assuming a video filename is suitable for viewers.
- Add a Text Source. In the OBS scene used for the stream, add a Text Source. In its properties, enable Read from file and select the text file. OBS documents this file-reading option in its Text Sources guide.
- Style and place the label. Choose a legible font and size, strong contrast, and, if needed, an outline or backing panel. Position it in the preview where it will not cover important imagery. In the Sources list, put the Text Source above the video source; higher sources render over lower ones. See the OBS Sources Guide.
- Add the episode playback source. For local video episodes, OBS supports a VLC Video Source playlist. VLC must be installed for this source to be available. Add the playlist, order the episodes, enable Loop Playlist if you want it to repeat, and leave shuffle off when the sequence matters. OBS describes these controls in Media Sources.
- Choose how the file changes. Either have an operator edit the text file at each episode transition or use a separate, verified automation that writes the current playback metadata to the file. The file is the handoff between the title display and whichever person or integration knows what is playing.
- Preview a transition before going unattended. Advance to another episode and verify that the title changes in sync with the audio and video. Check long titles, special characters, missing metadata, playback gaps, and what happens after an OBS or computer restart. Set a fallback label for a gap or error.
Choose manual updates or metadata automation
| Approach | Advantage | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Operator updates the text file at each transition | Simple and transparent; uses OBS’s documented file-reading Text Source. | Someone must follow the procedure reliably. An unattended playlist can move on while the label remains stale. |
| Automation writes playback metadata to the file | Can keep the label synchronized without manual edits during a long-running stream. | It depends on the player, plugin or script, metadata quality, version compatibility, and error handling. Test it with the actual source used in the stream. |
Community advice in an OBS forum discussion mentions TUNA as a possible way to write media details to a file. That 2016 discussion is a lead, not an assurance of current compatibility or a guarantee that it will read the active item from your particular playback setup. Verify the integration and its behavior before relying on it. A filename may also be abbreviated, untidy, or different from the episode’s published title.
If the episodes come from podcast audio files or a web-based player rather than local video files, the metadata path may differ. OBS can also show a web page as a scene element with its Browser Source, but a custom page or integration still needs to supply the correct current title.
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Keep podcast organization separate from the live overlay
YouTube’s podcast feature organizes a show as a playlist of episode videos; it does not document an automatic link from that playlist to an overlay on a separate continuous live broadcast. YouTube’s guidance calls for a podcast playlist with full episodes, an appropriate order, and a descriptive title. See Create a podcast in YouTube Studio and the Podcasting on YouTube guide. Treat the playlist, the live page metadata, and the on-video episode label as separate elements to maintain.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Or let it run in the cloud
If the goal is a continuous YouTube stream of uploaded videos rather than a live camera program, StreamNeo runs the playback from the cloud: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. Your computer and home connection do not need to stay on, and the service automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. It plays uploaded videos, not a live camera feed, and StreamNeo does not by itself establish an automatic connection between the playing episode and an OBS-style title overlay; use a tested overlay workflow if the visible episode label is required.
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