One overlay link is enough for most games. A second one helps when your graphics don't all belong in the same scene: the scorebug over the live camera, and the lineups or halftime stats over a wide shot or a background during a break. ScoreCastr gives every match two outputs for that. This guide covers how to split your graphics between them and how to set up OBS around them.
How the two channels work
Channel 1 and Channel 2 are two separate overlay links for the same match. Both get every change from the dashboard at the same moment. The only difference is which graphics each one draws.
A graphic appears on a channel when two things are true:
- It's switched on in the Overlay Visibility panel (or with its Stream Deck code).
- Its Channel Assignment includes that channel.
So showing a graphic and choosing where it goes are separate. Clicking Show Title Card puts the title card on air on whichever channel it's assigned to, and nowhere else.
Set a graphic's channel
- On the match's Control Dashboard, open Overlays, then Customization.
- Pick the graphic, for example Title Card.
- At the top of its settings, open Channel Assignment and choose:
- Channel 1 (blue dot)
- Channel 2 (green dot)
- Both Channels (purple dot)
The change saves as soon as you pick it, and the graphic moves to its new channel right away, even while it's on air.
A graphic you've never assigned shows on Channel 1. That's why a single Channel 1 link in OBS shows everything until you start moving graphics.
Channel Assignment is in the Customization sub-tab, which comes with the Starter plan. On Free, everything stays on Channel 1.
Which graphics have Channel Assignment
Every graphic with its own section in Customization has its own Channel Assignment:
| Graphic | Sports |
|---|---|
| Score Bug (Event Bug in swimming) | Every sport |
| Watermark, Scrolling Ticker, Talent, Talent Bar | Every sport |
| Title Card, Scoreboard, Keys to Match | Every sport |
| Lower thirds (Away Lower Third and Home Lower Third, or Lower Third 1 and Lower Third 2) | Every sport |
| Away Player Bio, Home Player Bio, Away Player Stats, Home Player Stats | Team sports |
| Away Starters, Home Starters | Football, basketball, volleyball, ice hockey, field hockey, baseball, softball |
| Away Defense, Home Defense | Football, baseball, softball |
| Halftime Stats (Game Stats in baseball and softball) | Team sports |
| Lane Results, Lane Names, Team Standings | Swimming |
Some things on air don't have a channel of their own because they're part of the scorebug: the big-moment takeovers (like TOUCHDOWN or GOAL), the pitcher stat bars in baseball and softball, and flags drawn on the bar. They show wherever the scorebug shows. If the scorebug is on Channel 1 only and your OBS scene only has Channel 2, you won't see a touchdown takeover.
Example layouts in OBS
Add each channel to OBS once, as its own browser source at 1920 by 1080 (see Add your overlay to OBS). Then pick a layout.
Live and break scenes. The most common split.
| Graphic | Channel |
|---|---|
| Score Bug, lower thirds, player stats, Scrolling Ticker | Channel 1 |
| Title Card, Scoreboard, Starters, Defense, Halftime Stats, Keys to Match | Channel 2 |
| Watermark | Both Channels |
Put Channel 1 over the camera in your live scene. Put Channel 2 over a wide shot, a still or a looping background in your pregame, break and postgame scenes.
One scene, two layers. Keep both sources in the same scene with Channel 2 above Channel 1. Use OBS's eye icon to hide Channel 2 for a clean look, without touching what's switched on in ScoreCastr.
A second program. Channel 2 can go to a different place entirely: a second OBS on another computer, a lobby screen or a scoreboard display, each with its own set of graphics.
Going to break with two channels
Go to Break in the Overlay Visibility panel hides the scorebug and shows the scoreboard. It doesn't change OBS scenes. If the scoreboard is on Channel 2, switch OBS to your break scene as well, or the scoreboard is on a source nobody can see. When you come back from break, click In Break to bring the scorebug back, then switch OBS back to the live scene.
Check each channel
The Preview card under Overlays, then Live Preview, shows Channel 1 only. To check Channel 2, click Open Channel 2 in the OBS Integration card. It opens the Channel 2 output in a new browser tab. See Use and pop out the live preview.
Fix common problems
A graphic is on but doesn't show in OBS. Its Channel Assignment points at the channel that isn't in your current scene. Check the setting, or switch scenes.
A graphic shows twice. It's set to Both Channels and both sources are in the same scene. Set it to one channel.
The wrong link is in a source. Overlay links end in /obs/channel1/output/ or /obs/channel2/output/ followed by the match number. Open the source's properties in OBS and check the URL.
More fixes are in Overlay not showing or not updating.
Checklist
- Starter plan or higher
- Channel 1 and Channel 2 each added to OBS at 1920 by 1080
- Channel Assignment set for each graphic you'll use
- Channel 2 checked with Open Channel 2
- Break scene switched in OBS when you click Go to Break