Live Streaming Best Practices

Following these recommendations can help reduce setup time, improve stream reliability, and ensure your production team has the information needed before game day.

1. Batch Schedule Your Streams

If you already know which games your institution plans to stream, we strongly recommend using Batch Scheduling.

Batch Scheduling allows you to create multiple live events simultaneously rather than creating each event individually.

Why Use Batch Scheduling?

Benefits include:

• Faster event creation

• Reduced manual data entry

• Consistent event setup

• Easier management of season schedules

• Immediate generation of Stream URLs and Stream Keys for multiple events

How to Batch Schedule Events

Step 1 — Open Schedules

Navigate to the Schedules section of the CMS.

Step 2 — Edit a Sport Schedule

Select Edit next to the sport schedule you wish to manage.

Step 3 — Select Games

Use the checkboxes to select the games you plan to stream.

Step 4 — Add Events to All-Access

From the Batch Operations dropdown menu, select:

Add to All-Access

Then select Go.

The CMS will create live events for all selected games, allowing you to complete setup for multiple broadcasts at once. You will need to provide the event start time, event duration, contact information, and stream type.

2. Share Stream Credentials with Your Production Team

After creating your live events, use the Export Table feature within the Live Events section.

The export generates a CSV file containing event information, including:

• Stream URL

• Stream Key

• Event Title

• Event Date and Time

This information can then be distributed to individuals responsible for broadcasting your events.

Common Recipients

• Production teams

• Broadcasters

• Freelance operators

• Campus video staff

• Third-party production partners

Using the export feature helps ensure everyone has the correct streaming credentials before game day.

3. Schedule Events Earlier Than Game Time

When creating a live event, consider scheduling the Event Start Time before the actual game start.

This provides valuable time for testing and pregame production activities.

Example

If a game begins at:

3:00 PM

Consider scheduling the event to start at:

2:30 PM

Benefits of an Earlier Start Time

Additional setup time allows for:

• Encoder testing

• Audio verification

• Video verification

• Network connectivity testing

• Graphics and slate display

• Pregame coverage

• Troubleshooting before fans arrive

Starting early can help identify and resolve issues before the event officially begins.

Important Timing Information

Live events require approximately 6 minutes of provisioning time before encoder connections become available.

Because of this:

• Event Start Times must be scheduled at least 6 minutes in the future

• Encoder connections may fail while provisioning is still in progress

• Events will not accept RTMP connections until provisioning has completed

For best results, avoid waiting until the last minute to create your event.

Managing Live Events During Broadcast

The Live Events section provides tools for manually starting and ending broadcasts. Understanding how these actions work can help prevent accidental interruptions.

Starting a Stream Early

If you would like to begin your stream before the scheduled event start time, you can use the Start button from the Live Events table.

Selecting Start automatically sets the stream start time to approximately 5 minutes ahead of the current time to allow for stream provisioning.

Example

If it is currently:

2:00 PM

Selecting Start will typically update the event to begin at approximately:

2:05 PM

This provisioning period allows the streaming infrastructure to prepare for incoming encoder connections.

Starting a stream early can be helpful for:

• Encoder testing

• Audio and video verification

• Pregame coverage

• Graphics and slate display

• Troubleshooting prior to the event

Use Caution When Ending Live Events

⚠️ Important: The End action is permanent.

Selecting End immediately concludes the live event and removes it from the watch page.

Once an event has been ended:

• The stream cannot be restarted

• The event cannot be restored

• Viewers can no longer access the event page

• A new live event must be created to continue streaming

Before Selecting End

Verify that:

• The event has fully concluded

• Postgame coverage is complete

• Any desired archive content has been transmitted

• No additional live content needs to be streamed

If an Event Is Ended Accidentally

A replacement event must be created.

The new event will receive:

• A new Stream URL

• A new Stream Key

Your encoder will need to be updated with the newly generated streaming credentials before broadcasting can resume.

Archive Recording Information

Once your encoder successfully connects and begins transmitting to our servers, archive recording begins automatically.

Important Notes

• Archived recordings begin when the encoder connects.

• Pregame content, graphics, and testing footage may be included in the archive if transmitted to the platform.

• Content transmitted before the official game start time will still be captured if the encoder is connected and streaming.

Test Your Workflow Before Game Day

We strongly recommend creating a Test Event before your first live broadcast or when implementing new equipment.

Test streams can help verify:

• Encoder configuration

• Network connectivity

• Audio levels

• Video quality

• Stream credential accuracy

• Overall workflow readiness

A successful test stream can significantly reduce the likelihood of game-day streaming issues.

Avoid Creating Multiple Events If Encountering Issues

If you are experiencing technical issues such as errors when connecting, error screens on your watch page or any other issues with your stream, please refrain from ending and creating multiple streams. 

Instead, reach out to our Streaming Support team so our dedicated representatives can take a look and troubleshoot the issue.

Need Assistance?

If you encounter issues creating or connecting to a live event, please contact SIDEARM Sports Support before your scheduled broadcast whenever possible.

Contact Support

Email: streaming@sidearmsports.com

Phone: 315-424-3000 Ext. 1

To help expedite troubleshooting, please provide:

• Event ID

• Event Title

• School Name

• Encoder being used (OBS, Wirecast, vMix, Teradek, etc.)

• Any error messages or screenshots

• Approximate time the issue occurred

Providing these details when contacting Support can help reduce resolution time and get your stream online more quickly.