How do I embed a live YouTube video on Facebook?

Embedding a live YouTube video on Facebook can be a great way to share live events, gaming streams, or other real-time video content with your followers on Facebook. However, Facebook does not allow you to directly embed a YouTube live video the same way you would embed a regular YouTube video. This is because Facebook wants users to broadcast live videos directly on Facebook Live instead of using other platforms.

Despite this limitation, there are a couple of workarounds that will allow you to essentially “live stream” a YouTube video to Facebook. Here are two options:

Use a third-party website or app to restream the YouTube video

There are a number of websites and apps available that will take the live feed from a YouTube video and restream it to Facebook for you. Some popular options include:

• Restream – Allows streaming to 30+ platforms including Facebook. Free version available.
• StreamYard – Live streaming studio that supports streaming to Facebook. Free and paid tiers.
• Streamlabs OBS – Free streaming software with support for Facebook live streaming. More advanced setup.
• Lightstream – Paid service ($8/month) that lets you stream to Facebook, Twitch, YouTube.

The way these services work is that you provide them with the link to your YouTube live video. They then take the video feed, transcode it, and broadcast it out as a new stream to whichever platforms you choose. This makes it appear like you’re live streaming natively to Facebook, even though the original source is YouTube.

The advantage of using a third-party restreaming service is that setup is usually fairly simple, and you can broadcast your YouTube livestreams to multiple platforms at once. However, there is often a delay of 5-20 seconds added to the stream due to transcoding, and streaming quality may decrease compared to direct native streaming.

Use a capture card to stream YouTube video to Facebook Live

Another option is to use a hardware capture card along with streaming software to essentially record and re-stream your live YouTube video to Facebook. Here’s an overview of how this works:

1. On your computer, open up the YouTube live video you want to restream.
2. Connect a capture card to your computer and configure it to capture the streaming YouTube video.
3. Open streaming software like OBS or Streamlabs OBS and add the capture card feed as a source.
4. Configure the streaming software to stream to Facebook Live.
5. Start streaming and you will broadcast the YouTube video to Facebook in real-time.

The benefit of this method is that it avoids the transcoding and quality loss of third-party services. However, the setup is more complex, and you will need to purchase a compatible capture card. Some recommended capture cards include:

• Elgato Game Capture HD60 S+ – $200, records 1080p quality at 60fps.
• AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus – $170, records up to 1080p 60fps.
• Razer Ripsaw HD – $160, supports 1080p 60fps passthrough.

You’ll also need streaming software like OBS or Streamlabs OBS properly configured to live stream to Facebook. So this method does require more technical skill, but can provide higher quality results.

Considerations when re-streaming YouTube to Facebook

Here are some important factors to keep in mind when re-streaming a YouTube live video to Facebook:

• Make sure you have the rights to share the YouTube content on Facebook. You may need permission from the original creator.
• There will often be a stream delay, usually 5-20 seconds. So viewer interaction can be impacted.
• Video and audio quality may decrease compared to the direct YouTube stream.
• You may want to add an overlay or borders noting the stream is from YouTube.
• Viewers still need to go to YouTube for any interaction like chat. You’re just displaying the video feed.

So while re-streaming YouTube to Facebook isn’t quite as seamless as native streaming, with the right tools and setup you can get your live YouTube content on Facebook to extend your reach and views. Just make sure you follow best practices and note the source of the content to avoid any confusion for your viewers.

Conclusion

To summarize, here are the key options for embedding a live YouTube video on Facebook:

• Use a third-party restreaming service like Restream, Streamyard, or Lightstream. Simple setup but can impact quality.
• Use a hardware capture card and streaming software like OBS. More complex but higher potential quality.
• Make sure to have rights to share the YouTube content and indicate it’s from YouTube.
• Expect around 5-20 seconds of stream delay versus direct YouTube stream.

While Facebook restricts directly embedding YouTube live videos, with the right tools you can essentially “live stream” YouTube to Facebook. This lets you leverage your live content and expand your reach to a new audience on Facebook.