The two-phone sports stream: one phone scores, one films

You don't need a laptop, a capture card or a production truck to put a real broadcast online. Two iPhones can do it: one person keeps score, the other films, and the scoreboard rides along inside the video. This guide covers how the two phones work together, who does what, where to put the camera, and how to keep both phones powered and connected for a full game.

How the two phones work together

The ScoreCastr iPhone app is in public beta on TestFlight. It's free during the beta, and Android is coming later. In the two-phone setup, each phone has one job:

The scoreboard graphics are drawn into the filming phone's video using the match's own template and team colors, so what viewers see matches what the scorekeeper sets. There's a scorebug on/off switch on the filming phone if you need a clean shot.

In the app, scoring is available for football, with more sports coming. For any other sport, the scorekeeper can open the ScoreCastr dashboard in the phone's browser at scorecastr.co while the iPhone app streams. The web dashboard covers 12 sports, including basketball, volleyball, soccer and baseball.

Before game day

1. Confirm you're allowed to stream. Check with your athletic director or state association. Many postseason games can stream only to the NFHS Network. See streaming rights for high school sports.
2. Get your destination's server URL and stream key. The app has been tested with YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, Restream, the NFHS Network and any custom RTMP or RTMPS destination. There's no "sign in with YouTube"; you paste the key. For YouTube, live streaming must be enabled on the channel first, which can take up to 24 hours the first time.
3. Create the match with both team names, colors and logos.
4. Do a practice run at home. Pair the phones, paste the key, and stream for 10 minutes to an unlisted or private broadcast.

Pairing and going live

1. On the scoring side, open the match and find its QR code for the streaming phone.
2. On the filming phone, scan the code in the app. It joins the match with no account.
3. Paste the server URL and stream key into the filming phone's stream settings. Double-check there are no spaces at either end.
4. Turn the filming phone to landscape, frame the field, set your zoom, and check the mic level.
5. Start the stream, then open it on a third device (anyone's phone) to confirm it's live and the scoreboard is moving.

The app keeps the screen awake while streaming, and it reconnects automatically if the connection drops. The bitrate steps down when the upload can't keep up and recovers when it can.

Mounting and framing the filming phone

• Go high and central. The top of the bleachers at midfield or center court beats any sideline spot. Height shows the shape of plays.
• Use a real tripod with a phone clamp, not a bleacher rail and a rubber band. A tripod with a pan handle lets the operator follow play smoothly.
• Use zoom sparingly. The app zooms from 0.5x to 3x. A slightly wide shot that keeps the ball in frame beats a tight shot that loses it. Zoom in on dead balls and free throws, then go back wide.
• Mind the mic. The phone's mic hears everything near it. Seat the loudest fans somewhere else, and use the app's mute if a conversation nearby isn't for broadcast.
• Turn on Do Not Disturb or a Focus mode on both phones so calls and notifications don't interrupt the game.

Power and heat

A phone streaming 1080p over cellular for two hours works hard. Phones can get hot on cellular while charging, and a hot phone may dim the screen or slow down.

• Bring a charged battery pack or run a cable to an outlet, and start the game at full charge.
• Shade the filming phone. A small umbrella clamp or a piece of cardboard on a sunny afternoon makes a difference.
• Take the phone out of a thick case if it's running hot.
• The scoring phone uses far less power, but bring a cable for it too. A dead scoring phone freezes the scoreboard.

Data and connection

At about 6 Mbps, a two-hour game uses about 5.4 GB of data. Check the filming phone's plan, especially if it's someone's personal line. A tournament day with three games could use more than some plans allow before slowing down.

Run an upload speed test from the filming spot at game time. If the cellular signal is weak, try a few steps up or down the bleachers; signal can change a lot over a short distance. If the venue has reliable Wi-Fi with a strong upload, it can save data, but test it under a full crowd. More tips are in how to stream with bad internet.

The scorekeeper's phone uses far less data. If the scorekeeper is on the ScoreCastr web dashboard and the connection drops, a status dot shows Slow or Offline, and changes are saved on the device and sent when it reconnects.

Roles during the game

• Scorekeeper: keeps the score and clock right, and nothing else. Match the stadium scoreboard, and correct mistakes quickly rather than waiting for a break.
• Camera operator: follows the ball, watches the filming phone's temperature and battery, and checks the stream on a second device now and then.
• Optional third person: calls the game into the filming phone's mic, or keeps stats in StatsCastr, which runs in a phone's browser.

Two-phone checklist

• Rights confirmed with your athletic director.
• ScoreCastr app installed through TestFlight on both iPhones, and the match created.
• Server URL and stream key ready, and tested in a practice stream.
• Both phones fully charged, with a battery pack and cables.
• Tripod and phone clamp, plus shade for the filming phone.
• Data plan checked for about 5.4 GB per two-hour game.
• Do Not Disturb on for both phones.
• Phones paired by QR code, stream started early, and confirmed live on a third device.

Streaming to YouTube specifically? The phone-to-YouTube guide covers the channel setup and stream key in detail.