How to Stream to a New Platform with Custom RTMP

As the creator space grows, new platforms come into the fold. As a result, there are many reasons why you may want to try a new platform instead of the more popular sites such as Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook. Newer platforms like Kick.com may not have integrations built into Streamlabs yet. However, there still is a way to stream to these places—using a Custom Ingest Server or Custom RTMP.

In this blog post, we’ll walk you through everything you need to stream to a platform that may not be currently integrated into Streamlabs. Below are some of the key points we’ll touch on:

1. Create an account on the streaming service that you want to stream to.
2. How to set up a custom ingest to stream to a new platform using Streamlabs Desktop.
3. How to set up a custom RTMP destination using Streamlabs Mobile. 

Create an Account on Your Preferred Streaming Service

Before getting started, you need to create an account on the streaming service that you wish to use. Some sites may require you to become verified and have a waiting period before you can start streaming. Make sure to read through all of this in the account creation.

Once you are finished creating your account, there should be a place where you can find your Stream URL and your Stream Key. Typically this is located in your Account Settings or a Creator Dashboard on the streaming platform (this is the case for Kick, FYI).  

Streamlabs Desktop: Setting up a Custom Ingest Server

Now that you have your Stream URL and Stream Key, you will need to plug these into Streamlabs Desktop. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open Streamlabs Desktop and log in to your account.
2. In the top right corner, click on Settings.
3. In the left sidebar, click on Stream.
   
4. Click Stream to Custom Ingest at the very bottom of your screen. 
   
   
5.  Under Stream Type, select Custom Streaming Server.
6. Enter the Stream URL you grabbed from your account settings in the URL field.
7. Under Stream Key, enter the stream key you grabbed from the account settings or creator dashboard.
8. Click Done to save your changes in Streamlabs Desktop.

Now, when you go to start your stream, it will automatically stream to your custom ingest server.

Streamlabs Mobile: Setting up a Custom RTMP

Now that you have your stream URL and stream key handy, we’ll need to set up the custom RTMP as we did in Streamlabs Desktop. 

Here’s how you do this:

1. Go to the two lines towards the top left of your screen. 
2. Next, select Account Settings.
3. At the bottom, it should say Custom RTMP Server—click Setup.
4. Enter the Platform name, the Stream URL, and Stream Key.

The hard part is now done! Now you will be able to select your platform as a streaming option when you go live by doing the following:

1. Click Go Live.
2. Press the dropdown for Select a platform.
3. You should now see your new custom ingest server listed. Select it.
4. Press Next.
5. Add in your stream title and a description.

Now you’re streaming to your new platform!

How Will a Custom Stream Ingest/RTMP Impact Stream Quality?

Custom Streaming Sites are not natively listed within Streamlabs Desktop, so some features may not work as expected. These may include any combination of the following:

• Chat will not appear on the side (Side dock chat)
• Alerts & Widgets will not update/show up
• You will need to update your stream title/description on the platform

If you experience the above issues, we will not be able to resolve the issues through Streamlabs Support, as the sites are not officially supported in the application.