Integrations > How to embed a YouTube live stream on your website

Playing a live video on your website can help drive traffic and make your site more engaging. YouTube is one of the most powerful video hosting websites around, and you can use the YouTube web player to embed a live video on your website.

How to embed a YouTube live stream on your website

To embed a YouTube live video, you need to create a YouTube account and ensure that it’s verified. Verification can take up to 24 hours. There are two ways to embed a YouTube video on your website. You can share a video that’s already live or you can embed an upcoming YouTube Live event.

Embed a YouTube video that’s already live

  1. Create a live stream using your YouTube Studio.
  2. Once your stream is live, find the Share button on the video.
  3. Select Embed, then copy the code from the window that pops up and paste it into the code of your website. Most website builders let you add a video widget or even a simple HTML widget — this is where you’ll add the embed code.

Embed an upcoming YouTube Live event

1. Open your YouTube Studio and create a new scheduled live stream.

2. Enter a title, description, category and other options for the live stream. Select a date and time as well. When your live event settings are done, click Done.

3. To embed the YouTube Live event on your website, you’ll need the embed code and your channel ID. To find your channel ID, go to account Settings > Advanced Settings and locate Channel ID in the middle of the page.

4. Use the following embed code to add a live event to your website:

youtube.com/embed/live_stream?channel=[enter your channel ID here]

5. You’ll need to insert the above URL (which should include your Channel ID) into an iframe code, which you can paste into your website’s code:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="youtube.com/embed/live_stream?channel=[enter your channel ID here]”frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

6. Most website builders let you add a video or HTML widget to your web pages. You can paste the above iframe code into this widget to embed your YouTube Live event.

7. Once your scheduled events starts, the live stream will automatically start playing on your website.

Embed a YouTube live stream with Restream

There’s more than one way to embed videos and upcoming live stream events on your website — and without the YouTube player’s branding. You can use Restream’s video website player and broadcast to multiple destinations simultaneously. Go live on your website and on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, LinkedIn and other platforms. Or, if you prefer, you can embed a live video without having to post it on YouTube first. You broadcast directly to your site from your streaming software.

  1. Create your Restream account or log in if you already have one.
  2. Connect your YouTube channel to Restream (and add any other channels you want to stream to while you’re at it!).
  3. Select Stream with Studio and then select Settings (the gear icon near the bottom of the screen).
  4. Select Embed stream and then copy the embed code and paste it into your website’s CMS. Most website builders let you add a video player or HTML widget to your web pages. You’ll most likely have to paste the embed code there.
  5. Once the code is embedded in your website, the website preview will show an “Offline” screen. When you hit the Go Live button in Restream Studio, your video will play on your website.

If you’re already using a streaming software like OBS Studio, you can still use Restream’s live video website player (and you can still multistream).

  1. Complete steps 1 and 2 from the above instructions.
  2. Select Set up for OBS, Zoom etc.
  3. Select Embed Stream and then copy the code and paste it into your website.

The preview on your website will show as “Offline” until you start your video. Once you start broadcasting from your streaming software, your video will play on your website.

There are several things to keep in mind when using Restream’s embedded live video player:

  • You can upload a thumbnail for your preview. The recommended size is 1280 x 720.
  • You can choose one static embed code for all streams, so you don’t have to recopy the code each time you go live.
  • You can also choose a specific embed code for your live event. You can schedule a live stream event using Restream, and then get the embed code for that particular event and add it to your website.
  • The Restream website player is only available with Premium and Business plans.