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How to label a pre-recorded stream on Twitch, Facebook, YouTube and Kick

Short answer: Do I have to label a pre-recorded stream? Yes on Facebook, whose Live policy requires it, and Twitch asks you to mark it as a Rerun. On YouTube and Kick a label in the title keeps viewers from being misled.

When a stream is a video you recorded earlier, viewers should be able to tell. Facebook's rules require a label, Twitch asks for one, and everywhere else it saves you from people waiting for replies in chat that won't come.

Here's where the label goes on each platform, and how Multistream adds it for you.

Twitch: the Rerun box

Twitch has its own label for a recorded stream. Its help says to use it in three places:

  1. In your Stream Manager, open Edit Stream Info and tick Rerun. Your channel then shows a Rerun tag and label.
  2. Start the stream title with [Rerun].
  3. Start your go-live notification with [Rerun] as well.

Twitch notes that a stream wrongly shown as live can hurt your community's trust, so it's worth the minute it takes.

Facebook: title, description or on screen

Facebook's Live policy asks for pre-recorded video to be labelled clearly. You choose how: in the title, in the description, or with text or a graphic on screen. If only part of the stream is recorded, only that part needs the label.

Facebook has no way for an app to change a live video's title, so add the label when you set up the stream on Facebook, or burn a small "Recorded earlier" line into the video itself. That way the label travels with the video everywhere.

Don't loop a video on Facebook: its Live policy says Live isn't for content that only repeats.

YouTube and Kick: the title

YouTube and Kick don't have a recorded-stream label, so put it in the title. Something short like [Pre-recorded] or Replay: at the start works, and doesn't push your real title out of view in search results.

Kick's community guidelines don't allow misleading content, so a clear title keeps you on the safe side. On YouTube, a single new video can also go out as a Premiere, which is plainly marked as one; see pre-recorded live stream or YouTube Premiere.

Let Multistream add it for you

In the Multistream app, the Stream a video page has a switch in step 2, Say it's pre-recorded in the title. It's on by default. When the stream starts, it adds [Pre-recorded] to your Twitch, YouTube and Kick titles, [Rerun] on Twitch, and puts your old titles back when the stream ends.

Two things it can't do: tick Twitch's Rerun box, which you do in Edit Stream Info, and change Facebook's title. The pre-stream check reminds you about both when Twitch or Facebook is on your list.

On Multistream Cloud, set the titles yourself on each platform before the start time, or add the label to the video itself so it's there even with your PC off.

Good wording

Keep the label short and at the start, so it's seen in lists and notifications. Some examples:

[Rerun] Last night's full stream, on Twitch.

[Pre-recorded] Album listening party, on YouTube or Kick.

Recorded earlier: our Q&A from Tuesday, on Facebook.

If you'll be in chat during the video, say so in the title too, like [Rerun, I'm in chat]. Viewers like knowing someone's there to answer.

Questions, answered

Do I have to label a pre-recorded stream?

Yes on Facebook, whose Live policy requires it, and Twitch asks you to mark it as a Rerun. On YouTube and Kick a label in the title keeps viewers from being misled.

How do I mark a stream as a rerun on Twitch?

Tick Rerun in Edit Stream Info, then start your title and go-live notification with [Rerun].

Can Multistream change my Facebook title?

No. Facebook has no way for an app to change the title, so add the label when you set up the stream on Facebook or put it in the video itself.

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