How to Add a Scoreboard Overlay to Facebook Live

You're streaming your kid's championship game on Facebook Live. Grandma's watching from three states away. Everything's perfect—except nobody watching can tell what the score is.

Sound familiar? You're not alone. Thousands of parents, coaches, and community broadcasters face this exact problem every weekend.

Here's the good news: adding a professional scoreboard overlay to your Facebook Live stream is easier than you think. This guide shows you exactly how to do it, step by step.

Why the Facebook App Won't Work (and What Will)

Quick heads-up: the Facebook mobile app doesn't support web overlays—only camera effects like filters and stickers. For a real scoreboard that updates in real-time, you need streaming software on a computer.

The solution? OBS Studio + KeepTheScore = professional broadcasts that look like ESPN, controlled from your phone.

What is OBS Studio? Think of it as a virtual TV studio for your computer. It's free software that lets you combine multiple video sources (like your camera, graphics, and scoreboards) into one professional-looking stream. Broadcasters around the world use it to stream to Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch.

What is KeepTheScore? It's a web-based scoreboard tool that creates digital scoreboards you can control from any device. You update the score on your phone, and it instantly appears on your stream. No special equipment needed—just a browser and an internet connection.

What you'll need:

Before you start, make sure you have:

• OBS Studio - Free streaming software (download here)
• KeepTheScore account - Create your scoreboard and get the overlay URL
• Facebook Live Producer - Facebook's web page where you manage your live streams and get your unique stream key (like a password that connects OBS to your Facebook account)
• Stable internet connection - At least 5-10 Mbps upload speed recommended

The Complete Setup (6 Steps)

Step 1: Get Your Facebook Stream Key

1. Go to Facebook Live Producer
2. Click "Go Live" and choose "Streaming Software"
3. Under "Stream Setup," copy your Stream Key (keep this private!)
4. Leave this window open - you'll need it later

Step 2: Configure OBS for Facebook Live

Open OBS Studio and configure it for Facebook:

1. Go to Settings → Stream
2. Set Service to "Facebook Live"
3. Paste your Stream Key
4. Click Apply and OK

Step 3: Add Your Camera

Add your camera feed to OBS:

1. In the Sources panel, click the + button
2. Select "Video Capture Device"
3. Choose your USB camera from the dropdown
4. Adjust the size and position in the preview window

Using your phone as a camera? Install a phone-to-webcam app like DroidCam or EpocCam, then select it as a video source in OBS.

Step 4: Set Up Your Scoreboard

In this step we create and customize a scoreboard.

We have dedicated scoreboards for the following sports: football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, tennis, volleyball and more! To begin, click the button below 👇 and choose your sport.

You should then see the following. This is your "control panel".

Control panel for an online scoreboard

You will use this control panel to control the scores. For detailed customization options (team names, colors, logos, layouts), see our scoreboard customization guide.

💡 You can share the URL of the control panel to give someone else the ability to change scores. Click the "Share scorekeeping link" button to copy the link or generate a QR code for easy sharing.

Next, we will get hold of the public scoreboard URL.

Click on the "Open Display Scoreboard" button at the top of the control panel. See below:

1. Getting the scoreboard link

You have several options in the dialog that appears:

• Click "COPY" to copy the URL to your clipboard
• Click "VIEW" to preview the scoreboard

2. Getting the scoreboard link

💡 Layout Options: Many sports (including Universal, Basketball, Hockey, and all set-based sports like Tennis, Volleyball, Badminton, Squash, and Pickleball) support multiple layouts. You can:

• Use different layouts on different devices simultaneously
• Lock specific layouts using URL parameters (e.g., ?layout=simpleBug)
• Show a scorebug overlay in your stream while displaying a full scoreboard on a TV

Click "Click here" in the share dialog to see all available layout options for your sport.

Step 5: Add the Scoreboard URL to OBS

Now add the scoreboard overlay on top of your camera feed:

1. In OBS Sources panel, click + → Browser
2. Name it "Scoreboard Overlay" and click OK
3. Paste your KeepTheScore overlay URL in the URL field
4. Set Width to 1920 and Height to 1080
5. Click OK

Position the overlay where you want it by dragging the red frame in the preview window. You can resize it by dragging the corners.

Step 6: Go Live

You're ready to stream!

1. In OBS, click Start Streaming
2. Go back to Facebook Live Producer
3. You should see your stream preview appear
4. Add a title and description
5. Click Go Live

Your camera feed with the scoreboard overlay will now appear on Facebook Live!

Making It Look Professional

Recommended encoder settings for Facebook Live:

In OBS, go to Settings → Output and use:

• Bitrate: 4,000-6,000 Kbps (most connections handle this well)
• Encoder: x264 or your hardware encoder
• Rate Control: CBR
• Keyframe Interval: 2 seconds

For video settings (Settings → Video):

• Resolution: 1920x1080 (or 1280x720 for slower connections)
• FPS: 30 (60fps if your bandwidth allows)

Using your phone as a camera: Don't have a webcam? Install DroidCam or EpocCam on your phone, connect it to your computer, and select it as a Video Capture Device in OBS. Phone cameras often look better than built-in laptop cameras anyway.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Overlay not showing?

• Make sure you copied the complete overlay URL from KeepTheScore
• Set Browser Source dimensions to at least 1920x1080
• Right-click the Browser source and select Refresh

No preview in Facebook?

• Verify your Stream Key is correct in OBS Settings → Stream
• Make sure Service is set to "Facebook Live"
• Test your upload speed at speedtest.net (need 5+ Mbps)
• Try restarting OBS

Stream looks choppy?

• Lower your bitrate to 3,000-4,000 Kbps
• Reduce resolution to 1280x720
• Close bandwidth-heavy programs
• Check OBS stats (View → Stats) for dropped frames

Audio not working?

• Go to Settings → Audio and select your microphone
• Check the audio mixer panel—make sure levels are visible and not muted

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add overlays from the Facebook app only?

No. The Facebook mobile app offers camera effects, not web overlays. You need to use streaming software like OBS on a computer to add scoreboard overlays.

Where do I get the Facebook stream key?

You can find your stream key in Facebook Live Producer under the Stream Setup section. Go to facebook.com/live/producer, click "Go Live," choose "Streaming Software," and you'll see your Stream Key.

What OBS source shows the scoreboard?

Use a Browser Source in OBS and paste your KeepTheScore overlay URL. This allows the scoreboard to display as an overlay on your stream.

What encoder settings are safe defaults?

Use CBR rate control, keyframe interval of 2 seconds, 1080p resolution at 30-60 fps, and keep your bitrate between 4,000-6,000 Kbps for most connections. Adjust based on your internet upload speed.

Can I control the scoreboard from my phone while streaming?

Yes! KeepTheScore allows you to control the scoreboard from any device with a browser. Simply open your scoreboard control panel on your phone and update scores in real-time. The overlay in OBS will update automatically.

Do I need a Facebook Page to stream?

You can stream to your personal profile, a Facebook Page, or a Group. Streaming to a Page gives you access to more features and analytics in Facebook Live Producer.

Ready to Go Live?

That's it! In less than 30 minutes, you can transform your Facebook Live streams from "what's the score?" chaos into professional broadcasts that look like the big leagues.

Your family watching from across the country will love it. Your players' parents will share it. And you'll wonder why you didn't do this sooner.

Get started now:

1. Create your scoreboard (free, no credit card required)
2. Download OBS and grab your Facebook Stream Key
3. Add your scoreboard overlay following the steps above
4. Go live and amaze your viewers

Questions? Email us at [email protected]—we're here to help.

Related guides:

• Basketball scoreboards for OBS
• Football scoreboards for OBS
• Complete guide to OBS scoreboards
• Esports overlays for gaming streams

Other Streaming Software Options

While this guide focuses on OBS Studio for Facebook Live, KeepTheScore scoreboards work with most professional streaming software. If you're exploring alternatives to OBS or want to compare different tools, check out our complete guide to streaming software.

We cover popular options including:

• OBS Studio - Free, powerful, works on Windows/Mac/Linux
• Streamlabs - OBS-based with built-in alerts and themes
• vMix - Professional-grade with advanced production features
• Ecamm Live - Mac-only, great for interviews and multi-camera setups

Important note: Some streaming tools like StreamYard don't support live web overlays. If you're considering StreamYard, read our post on StreamYard's sports streaming limitations to understand what won't work.

All of these tools support KeepTheScore's browser-based scoreboard overlays—just look for "Browser Source" or "Web Source" in the software.