Not every game goes to YouTube or Facebook. Your district may host its own video platform, a church or community group may use a paid streaming service, or a league may run its own media server. Almost all of them accept the same thing: a server URL and a stream key. This guide explains what those two values are, where to find them, how to tell RTMP from RTMPS, and how to stream to them from an iPhone and test before game day.
When you need a custom destination
Use a custom RTMP or RTMPS destination whenever the platform you're streaming to isn't one of the big social sites. Common examples:
- School or district platforms that keep video on the district's own site.
- Church and community streaming services that many small organizations already pay for.
- Private media servers run by a league, a local TV partner or a production company.
- The NFHS Network, which gives School Broadcast Program schools their own RTMP server and key. It has its own process, covered in how to stream to the NFHS Network.
Whatever the destination, confirm the right to stream the game first. Many state associations and conferences have streaming agreements, and in many states postseason games can stream only to the NFHS Network. Check with your athletic director or state association, and see our guide to streaming rights.
What the server URL and key are
An RTMP destination is two pieces of text. The server URL says where to send video. The stream key says which channel or event it belongs to, and works like a password.
| Part | Looks like | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol | rtmp:// or rtmps:// | RTMPS is the encrypted version. Use it if the platform offers it |
| Host | live.example-platform.com | The platform's ingest server. Some list several by region; pick the nearest |
| Port (optional) | :1935 or :443 | Usually left out. RTMP normally uses 1935, RTMPS normally uses 443 |
| Application path | /live or /app | Part of the server URL. Don't drop it |
| Stream key | a8f3-k29x-77qp | Goes in the separate key field. Keep it private |
So a complete server URL might be rtmps://live.example-platform.com:443/live, with the key entered separately.
Where to find them
Every platform names the screen a little differently. Look for settings called encoder, streaming software, RTMP, external source or OBS. If a platform's help pages say "works with OBS", it almost always gives you a server URL and key, and the same values work in a phone encoder app.
Ask the platform admin two questions before you start:
- Is the key per event or permanent? Per-event keys mean someone has to send the filming phone a new key before every game. Permanent keys are easier but need more care.
- Does the event need to be started on the platform? Some services only accept video after someone opens the event and clicks start. Others go live the moment video arrives.
When you get one long URL
Some platforms hand you a single address with the key already on the end, such as rtmp://stream.example.org/live/a8f3k29x77qp. The phone app wants them separately. The key is usually the last part after the final slash:
- Server URL:
rtmp://stream.example.org/live - Stream key:
a8f3k29x77qp
If the stream doesn't connect after splitting, ask the platform which part is the key. A few use a longer key with slashes or query text in it.
Set up the phone
The ScoreCastr iPhone app streams to any custom RTMP or RTMPS destination by server URL and stream key. It's in public beta on TestFlight and free during the beta, with Android coming later. It runs one match on two phones: one keeps score, and the other films and streams, with the scoreboard graphics built into the video in the match's template and colors.
- Create the match on the scoring phone.
- Pair the filming phone by scanning the match's QR code. No account needed on that phone.
- Paste the server URL and stream key into the filming phone's stream settings. Copy and paste rather than typing; one wrong character in a key fails silently.
- Hold the phone in landscape, set the zoom (0.5x to 3x) and mic level, and check the scorebug switch.
Scoring in the app is football first, with more sports coming. For other sports, the scorekeeper can run the ScoreCastr dashboard at scorecastr.co in a phone browser while the iPhone app streams.
The app sends 1080p at 30fps, about 6 Mbps, so a two-hour game uses about 5.4 GB of data. Ask the platform what it accepts. If it can't take that much, or your upload can't, the app's bitrate steps down automatically when the upload falls behind and recovers when it can.
Test and troubleshoot
Run a full test from the actual venue, on the actual network, at least a few days early. Watch the result on the platform's player from a different phone on cellular for 20 minutes or more.
| Symptom | Check |
|---|---|
| Never connects | Protocol matches what the platform expects (rtmp vs rtmps). The application path wasn't dropped. No spaces at the end of the key |
| Connects at home, not at school | School networks often block unusual ports. RTMP on 1935 is a common casualty. Try the platform's RTMPS address on 443, or use a cellular hotspot |
| Connected but nothing plays | The event may need to be started on the platform, or the key belongs to a different event |
| Worked last week, not today | Per-event key expired. Get tonight's key |
| Drops and reconnects | The app reconnects on its own, but repeated drops mean weak upload. See streaming with bad internet |
| Phone overheating | Streaming on cellular while charging gets phones hot. Shade it and use a good power source |
Checklist
- Rights confirmed with the athletic director or state association.
- Server URL and key saved somewhere private, with the protocol and path intact.
- Know whether the key is per event or permanent, and who sends it.
- Know whether someone has to start the event on the platform.
- Venue test done on the venue's network or your hotspot.
- Both phones charged and updated, filming phone paired by QR code.
- A second phone ready to watch the platform's player during the game.