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How to stream on Kick and YouTube Shorts at the same time

Short answer: Can you stream on Kick and YouTube Shorts at the same time? Yes. Send Kick your 16:9 picture and YouTube a 9:16 one from the free Multistream Vertical tool; YouTube shows the vertical stream in the Shorts feed.

A vertical YouTube live stream is shown to people scrolling Shorts on their phones, which makes it a way to be found by viewers who'd never search for you. Pair it with your usual Kick stream and the same show reaches both, in the shape each one wants.

There's a bonus for Kick Partners: Kick lists YouTube Shorts with the vertical platforms that don't need its Multistreaming toggle, so the Shorts stream doesn't cost you half your Kick payout. Below: how to send Kick the wide picture and Shorts the tall one, with Multistream Cloud (one upload) or the free Multistream app (from your PC).

Step 1: add a vertical picture to OBS

Add the free Multistream Vertical tool to OBS (it's offered after the settings check in the Studio's step 2, and in the app's setup guide). It sends a second, 9:16 picture next to your main one, and Multistream sends that one to YouTube and the 16:9 one to Kick.

Out of the box it shows what your viewers see, cropped to 9:16 (Fill) or whole with bars above and below (Fit). For a picture made for phones, build a scene for it in OBS and pick that scene in the tool.

Step 2: add YouTube as a vertical platform

In YouTube Studio, go to Create → Go live and, on the Stream tab, create a new stream key for the vertical stream with Create new stream key; a custom key stays the same, so you paste it once. YouTube shows a vertical live stream in the Shorts feed.

Then, wherever you add platforms below, add YouTube by pasting that stream key, and set Canvas to Vertical. That sends YouTube the picture from the vertical tool. Add Kick as usual, with Canvas on Horizontal.

Method 1: Multistream Cloud (one upload for every platform)

Multistream Cloud takes one stream from OBS and sends a copy to Kick and YouTube, and to up to 12 platforms in all. Your internet only uploads that one stream, so adding a platform doesn't need a faster connection. It comes with Pro, $10/mo.

  1. Create your Multistream account, then get Pro on your Account page.
  2. In the Studio, step 1 (Pick platforms), click Add a platform and add each one:
    • Kick: click Sign in with Kick, log in and click Allow. Or paste the Stream URL and stream key from Kick's Creator Dashboard → Settings → Stream Key.
    • YouTube: click Sign in with YouTube and pick your channel's Google account. Multistream Cloud then starts your YouTube broadcast by itself, so it doesn't sit in preview.
  3. Install Multistream for OBS (Windows 10 or 11, OBS 31 or newer) and open OBS. The Multistream dock opens on the right.
  4. In the dock, click Sign in with your browser and approve it.
  5. The dock's pre-flight check looks at your OBS settings, Multistream Cloud, your platforms and where OBS sends. If OBS isn't sending to Multistream yet, click Point OBS at Multistream.
  6. Click Go live on 2. After a 3, 2, 1 countdown, OBS starts streaming and Kick and YouTube go live.

If OBS or your internet drops, Pro keeps your platforms live on your BRB clip for up to 30 minutes, and when OBS is back you carry on in the same broadcast, with the same chat. Turn it on under Disconnect protection.

Method 2: the free Multistream app (from your own PC)

The free Multistream app for Windows can send the copies from your own PC instead. Your upload then carries one copy for each platform, and if your PC's internet drops, your platforms drop with it. Run the app's Speed test first to see what your connection can carry, or work it out with the free upload calculator.

  1. Download the Multistream app for Windows 10 or 11 and open it.
  2. Go to Multistream → Go live and set Where the relay runs to This PC.
  3. Open Setup guide and click Add a platform for Kick and YouTube. Twitch, YouTube and Kick accounts you've connected in the app add in a click; the others take their stream key.
  4. Install Multistream for OBS and open OBS. Without Pro, the Multistream dock sends your stream through the app on this PC, so keep the app open.
  5. Click Go live on 2 in the dock. Your PC uploads one copy for each platform.

Good to know

Kick Partners and Shorts. Kick asks Partners to turn on its Multistreaming toggle (which halves that stream's payout) when they also stream to a long-form platform. Kick says short-form, vertical platforms such as YouTube Shorts, TikTok LIVE and Instagram Live don't need it. Add a regular, horizontal YouTube stream to the same broadcast and the toggle applies again.

Your PC does two pictures. The vertical picture is a second encode in OBS. It uses your graphics card's encoder when you have one, so check your GPU has room for both.

YouTube's first live stream. Turning on live streaming for your channel can take up to 24 hours the first time, so do it a day ahead.

Questions, answered

Can you stream on Kick and YouTube Shorts at the same time?

Yes. Send Kick your 16:9 picture and YouTube a 9:16 one from the free Multistream Vertical tool; YouTube shows the vertical stream in the Shorts feed.

Does a YouTube Shorts stream count against Kick's Partner payout?

No. Kick lists short-form, vertical platforms such as YouTube Shorts as not needing its Multistreaming toggle. A horizontal YouTube stream does need it.

How do I make my YouTube live stream show in Shorts?

Stream a vertical (9:16) picture to YouTube. The free Multistream Vertical tool makes one from your OBS scenes, and Multistream sends it to YouTube when you set YouTube's Canvas to Vertical.

Can I do Kick and YouTube Shorts for free?

Yes, with the free Multistream app, which sends both copies from your PC, so your upload carries both. With Pro ($10/mo), Multistream Cloud takes one upload and sends both copies for you.

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