How to Set Up ScoreBird with OBS Studio

OBS Studio is the most widely used free streaming software in the world — and for good reason. It's powerful, flexible, and runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. If your school is already streaming on OBS, adding professional live score overlays takes about five minutes once your NeST device is installed.

Here's exactly how to do it.

What You'll Need

• A NeST device installed and connected to your scoreboard controller
• OBS Studio (any recent version)
• Your ScoreBird overlay URL (found in your ScoreBird dashboard)
• A laptop or desktop running OBS at your venue

That's it. No plugins, no extra software, no special capture cards.

Step 1: Log Into Your ScoreBird Dashboard

Navigate to your ScoreBird account and open the Overlays section. Select the sport you're broadcasting and copy the browser source URL for that overlay. It will look something like:

https://overlay.scorebird.com/your-school-id/basketball

Each sport has its own overlay URL. If you're broadcasting a basketball game, use the basketball overlay — it will show the right fields (score, period, shot clock, team fouls) for that sport.

Step 2: Open OBS and Add a Browser Source

In OBS, you add ScoreBird as a Browser Source — the same way you'd add a web-based alert or chat box.

1. In your OBS scene, click the + button in the Sources panel
2. Select Browser
3. Give it a name like "ScoreBird Score Overlay"
4. Paste your ScoreBird overlay URL in the URL field
5. Set the width to 1920 and height to 150 for the standard lower-third ticker

If you want a full scoreboard widget rather than a ticker, set the dimensions to match your overlay layout (check your ScoreBird dashboard for the recommended size for each overlay type).

Step 3: Position the Overlay on Your Scene

OBS will render the ScoreBird browser source as a transparent layer over your video. Click and drag it to the bottom of your scene for a classic lower-third position, or position it wherever your broadcast design calls for it.

The overlay updates in real time — you don't need to touch it again. As your scoreboard changes, NeST picks up the data and ScoreBird pushes the update to your overlay automatically.

Step 4: Set Up Your Output and Start Streaming

Configure your OBS output as usual — your streaming platform, bitrate, resolution. When you go live, the score overlay goes with it. Viewers on YouTube, NFHS Network, or any other destination will see the same professional score graphics.

Sport-Specific Tips

Basketball: The basketball overlay shows score, period, game clock, shot clock, and team fouls. If your scoreboard controller sends shot clock data, it will display automatically — no configuration needed.

Football: Football overlays include down, yards-to-go, and play clock in addition to score and quarter. If your scoreboard tracks possession, the possession indicator will appear.

Volleyball: The volleyball overlay tracks current set score and set history. Between sets, the overlay resets automatically when your scoreboard resets.

Baseball/Softball: Ball, strike, and out counts display in addition to score and inning. The top/bottom inning indicator is automatic.

Common Questions

Does the overlay add lag to my stream? No. The browser source renders locally on your computer. There is no additional network latency introduced.

What if my internet drops during a game? NeST buffers scoring data locally and syncs when the connection returns. Your overlay may pause updates briefly but will catch up without any manual intervention.

Can I use multiple overlays in one scene? Yes. You can layer a score ticker at the bottom and a full scoreboard widget in a corner if your design calls for it. Each is a separate browser source.

What if I stream multiple sports the same night? Create separate OBS scenes for each sport, each with the appropriate ScoreBird overlay URL. Switch scenes between games.

Getting Help

If your overlay isn't showing data, check these in order:

1. Confirm your NeST device is powered on and connected to your network
2. Confirm the overlay URL is correct for your account and sport
3. In OBS, right-click the browser source and select Refresh to reload it
4. Check your ScoreBird dashboard — it shows NeST connection status in real time

Still stuck? ScoreBird support is available 24/7 at support@scorebird.com or through the live chat in your dashboard.

---

Once you've done this once, the setup is repeatable for every game. The browser source stays in your OBS scene — you just hit "Start Streaming" when the next game starts. No manual score entry, no volunteer at the laptop, no worrying about whether the stream overlay matches what's on the scoreboard. It just works.