Live Studio
Overview
Live Studio is X's professional livestreaming platform, built directly into Creator Studio. It replaces Media Studio Producer and provides everything you need to create, manage, and analyze livestreams from a single place.
With Live Studio, you can:
- Stream from external encoders, cameras, and production software using RTMP
- Go live instantly or schedule livestreams in advance
- Create private test streams before streaming publicly
- Manage audience and chat settings
- Monitor real-time performance while liv
- Review post-stream analytics
How to access: Go to x.com/i/live-studio, or open Creator Studio and select Live Studio under Tools.
Creating a livestream
Once you've configured a source and connected your encoder, you can create a livestream and begin streaming.
How to Create a Livestream via RTMP
1. Go to studio.x.com/live, or open Creator Studio and select Live Studio under Tools.
2. Click New Livestream.
3. Enter a title for your livestream. If your livestream is public, this title will appear on X.
4. Select an existing Source or create a new one. A Source is a connection point that ingests video into Live Studio via RTMP. A single source can be reused across multiple livestreams.
To create a source, enter a source name and select the region closest to your encoder for the lowest latency. Available Regions:
- US East — N. Virginia, USA
- US West (Oregon) — Oregon, USA
- US West (N. California) — N. California, USA
- EU (Frankfurt) — Frankfurt, Germany
- EU (Ireland) — Dublin, Ireland
- EU (Paris) — Paris, France
- South America — São Paulo, Brazil
- AP (Tokyo) — Tokyo, Japan
- AP (Seoul) — Seoul, South Korea
- AP (Mumbai) — Mumbai, India
- AP (Singapore) — Singapore
- AP (Sydney) — Sydney, Australia
5. Your RTMP URL and Stream Key will appear. Copy these into your encoder.
- Tip: You can also use the RTMPS URL for an additional layer of transport security.
6. Upload a thumbnail. This image will appear on X before and after your livestream.
7. Configure your audience settings - Every livestream includes customizable audience settings so you can create the viewing experience that works best for your community.
- Visibility
- Public (anyone on X can watch)
- Private (visible only within Live Studio)
- Chat Controls
- Everyone
- Verified Accounts
- Accounts You Follow
- Subscribers
- Chat Off
- Geo-restrictions
- None (available globally)
- Allow only (only viewers in selected countries can watch)
- Block (viewers in selected countries cannot watch)
Note: Visibility and geo-restriction settings can only be changed before your stream starts. Chat controls can be updated both before and during a live stream.
8. Choose Go Live to start immediately, or Later to schedule your livestream.
Before creating your livestream, open Recommended Encoder Settings to review X's streaming specifications and compare them against your encoder configuration.
Matching the recommended settings can help improve stream quality and reduce playback or connectivity issues. Match your encoder settings to these recommendations before going live for the best viewer experience.
| Setting | Recommended | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Video codec | H.264 | H.264 |
| Video bitrate | 12 Mbps | 40 Mbps |
| Resolution & frame rate | 1920x1080 @ 60 fps | 3840x2160 @ 60 fps |
| Audio codec | AAC (mono or stereo) | AAC |
| Audio bitrate | 128 kbps | 128 kbps |
| Keyframe interval (OBS) | Every 3 seconds | — |
| Encoder profile | Main or High | — |
Keyframe intervals by frame rate
- 24 fps → 72 frames
- 30 fps → 90 frames
- 50 fps → 150 frames
- 60 fps → 180 frames
LIVE — Your livestream is currently live.
SCHEDULED — Your livestream is scheduled to start at a future date and time.
ENDED — Your livestream has ended.
TIMED OUT — Your livestream ended automatically because the source stopped sending video. Timed-out livestreams cannot be restarted and must be recreated.
Invalid livestream
Scheduled livestreams require a source created in Live Studio. Create a new source and try again.
Waiting for stream
No encoder signal has been detected. Start your encoder and begin sending video to the configured source.
The media could not be played
Live Studio cannot detect a valid video signal. Verify that your encoder is using the correct RTMP URL and Stream Key.
Livestream already running
An active livestream is already associated with this source. End the existing livestream before creating a new one.
Error creating livestream
Try creating the livestream again. If the issue persists, refresh the page or try a different browser.
Click any livestream from the Live Studio homepage to open its details page. From here, you can manage your livestream before, during, and after it goes live.
The details page is your central hub for livestream setup, audience management, live monitoring, and post-stream analytics.
Stream Details
The Details panel allows you to manage key livestream settings, including:
- Title
- Scheduled date and time
- Visibility (Public or Private)
- Source
- Auto-start settings
The title of your livestream can be updated before, during, or after the stream. All other settings are locked once the stream starts.
Posting Your Livestream
Creating a livestream does not automatically create a post on X. To help viewers discover your livestream, we recommend posting about it before and during the livestream.
To create a post for your livestream:
- Open the livestream details page.
- Click Post livestream on X.
- Write your post and click Post.
You can also:
- Copy your livestream URL using Copy URL
- Generate embed code for external websites using Embed
Managing Live Chat
You can manage chat settings before and during a livestream.
Available controls include:
- Who can participate in chat
- Enabling or disabling chat
Supported chat audiences include:
- Everyone
- Verified Accounts
- Accounts I Follow
- Subscribers
- Off
Chat settings can be updated directly within the Chat panel or through the Settings menu.
Monitoring Your Livestream and Analytics
Live Studio provides performance metrics and analytics during and after your livestream.
Available metrics include:
- Concurrent viewers
- Viewer activity and watch time
- Chat messages
- Top countries
- Device breakdown
Metrics update in real time while your livestream is active and remain available after it ends for performance analysis and reporting.
Additional Actions
From the livestream details page, you can also:
- Start a scheduled livestream
- Copy and share the livestream URL
- Embed your livestream on external websites
- Download a completed livestream
- Delete a livestream
Managing Livestreams
Q: What's the difference between Public and Private livestreams?
Public livestreams can be posted to X and viewed by anyone, subject to any geo-restrictions you've configured.
Private livestreams are only visible within Live Studio and cannot be viewed on X. They're useful for testing your setup before going live publicly.
Q: Is there a maximum stream duration?
Livestreams have a maximum duration of 24hours.
Note: Very long livestreams may experience slower loading or replay issues.
Q: Can I restrict my livestream to viewers in specific countries?
Yes. Use Geo-restrictions when creating your livestream. Changes cannot be made after a livestream is scheduled or while it is live. If you need to update geo-restrictions for a scheduled livestream, you'll need to create a new one.
Scheduled Livestreams
Q: How far in advance can I schedule a livestream?
Livestreams can be scheduled up to one year in advance.
Q: Can I edit or cancel a scheduled livestream after creating it?
Yes. Before a livestream starts, you can update its scheduled start time, modify select settings, or disable auto-start.
Q: Can I post a scheduled livestream before it goes live?
Yes, as long as the audience is set to Public. The post will display your uploaded poster image and a countdown, allowing users to set a reminder for when the livestream begins.
Q: What happens if I'm not streaming at the scheduled start time?
Your RTMP livestream will enter a TIMED OUT state and end automatically.
Q: When are push notifications sent to my followers?
Followers who have live video notifications enabled receive a notification when your livestream goes live, not when the livestream is first posted.
Q: What thumbnail should I use?
Use a 16:9 image at 1280×720 or 1920×1080. Other aspect ratios may be automatically cropped when the livestream card appears in posts.
Q: Can I run two scheduled livestreams on the same source simultaneously?
No. Each source supports only one livestream at a time. For simultaneous streams, create separate sources and use separate encoders.
RTMP Sources
Q: Can I use authentication for my RTMP connection?
No. RTMP authentication is not currently supported.
Q: Can I change the region of my RTMP source after creation?
No. If you need a different region, create a new source with the correct region and delete the old one.
Q: I'm clicking Create Source but nothing happens. What's going on?
Live Studio has a limit of 100 sources per account. Once you reach that limit, new sources cannot be created until unused sources are deleted.
Q: Can I reuse a stream I'm already sending to YouTube, Twitch, or another platform?
Not directly. However, third-party multistreaming services such as Restream or Castr can split a single encoder output and send it to multiple RTMP destinations simultaneously, including Live Studio.
Q: What encoder profile should I use?
We recommend Main or High. Run a few private test livestreams to determine the settings that work best for your setup.
Managing Livestreams
Q: Can I edit a livestream after it has gone live?
Yes. While live, you can update select settings, including the livestream title and chat settings. Some settings, such as the source and certain audience controls, cannot be changed once a livestream has started.
Q: How do I filter and find older livestreams?
Streams are listed by status: All, Live, or Ended. Go to the Ended section to find older livestreams.
Q: What happens if I delete a livestream?
Deleting a livestream removes its replay and analytics. Any posts containing the livestream will no longer be playable for viewers.
Q: Can I download my livestream?
Yes. After a livestream ends, you can download the replay directly from its details page in Live Studio.
Q: Can I embed a livestream on an external website?
Yes. Open the livestream details page and select Embed to generate embed code for use on an external website.
Q: Where does my livestream title appear on X?
On the post details page beneath the video player.
Q: My sources and livestreams are disappearing. What's happening?
Disappearing sources or livestreams, or repeated "Error creating livestream" messages, may indicate a copyright enforcement action on your account. Review X's copyright policy or contact your account manager for assistance.
Q: Where do livestream captions appear?
Captions appear as an overlay on the livestream player. By default, they appear when sound is off and hide when sound is on. Viewers who have captions enabled in their device accessibility settings will always see them.
Analytics
Q: What do Live Studio analytics measure?
A view is counted when a logged-in user watches for at least 2 seconds with at least 50% of the video player visible on screen (MRC viewability standard). Logged-out viewers and external embeds are not included.
Q: Why does the view count on my post differ from what I see in Live Studio?
The post view counter includes logged-out viewers and external web embeds, counts autoplay views after 3 seconds, and does not apply the same filtering used in Live Studio analytics.
Live Studio analytics are filtered, normalized, and limited to logged-in viewers, making them a more accurate representation of audience engagement. Use Live Studio analytics when evaluating livestream performance.