Setting Up 8x8 Meetings for Live Streaming on YouTube

Updated: 04/22/2024

Objective

Configure your YouTube channel with 8x8 Meetings as an encoder to stream meeting content to a wide audience.
Large meetings can be handled through live streaming, and there is no limit on how many users may join the stream. YouTube allows you to control stream access and availability, so your presentation can be as public or private as you need. 

Applies To

  • 8x8 Meetings
  • 8x8 Work for Desktop
  • YouTube

Procedure

Never live streamed in YouTube before? It takes up to 24 hours for YouTube to initially enable accounts for live streaming. 

Enable Live Streaming

Live streaming on YouTube requires three initial steps
  1. Set up your YouTube channel.
  2. Verify your YouTube account. (You'll need to wait up to 24 hours for YouTube to complete verification.)
  3. Enable your channel for live streaming.

Set Up a Stream

8x8 Meetings is the encoder you will use when setting up your YouTube live stream.
We recommend following YouTube's guidelines for live stream setup. (Begin from step 3.)
Don't forget to share your live stream link!  When setup is complete, click the share (arrow) icon in the upper right of YouTube's Live Control Room to view and copy your lives tream URL.

Start the Stream

You can start a live stream from an active meeting in any of the following:
  1. In an active meeting, click the More Actions (...) menu
  2. Click Start Live Stream.
  3. If prompted, sign in with the Google account associated with your YouTube channel.
  4. Select the stream you set up earlier.
  5. Click Start Live Stream.
A voice prompt will announce that the live stream has started.
At any time, open the More Actions (...) menu and click Stop Live Stream to end the stream. You may optionally allow your YouTube live stream URL to remain available for playback later.  

Stream Management Recommendations

Attendees

Only invite speaking participants to the meeting, and provide the streaming link to all other viewers. Including non-essential people in the 8x8 meeting often causes excess noise and makes it harder to have a seamless event.

Common Stream Management Settings

In 8x8 Meetings, lock the stream to "everyone follows me." This will prevent the stream perspective from jumping between different speakers and content.
  1. Click More Actions (...).
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Select More.
  4. Check Everyone follows me.
  5. Click OK.

YouTube Live Stream Chat

YouTube Live Streaming messages do not synchronize with 8x8 Work messaging or in-meeting chat. YouTube live stream hosts should use YouTube to check these messages.