OBS Studio Script YouTube Live Real-Time Likes, Views & Viewers Overlay for Streamers

If you stream on YouTube, you already know how important real-time feedback is. Seeing your live viewers count spike during a hype moment, watching the likes climb as your community reacts, or tracking total views while your livestream grows—all of these metrics matter. They help you understand viewer engagement, inform how you interact with your audience, and make your stream feel alive.

To help creators bring these numbers directly into their streaming setup, this new OBS Studio Lua script for YouTube Live Stats provides a simple, lightweight, and highly efficient way to display real-time Likes, Views, and Concurrent Viewers inside OBS as text sources. No external applications. No browser sources. No command prompts. Just a clean, native solution that runs inside OBS on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

This article dives deep into how the script works, what it can do, and why so many streamers are adopting real-time YouTube analytics in their productions. Whether you are a gamer, IRL streamer, podcaster, or event broadcaster, this tool can instantly boost your on-stream awareness and add a professional touch to your layout.

Download the YouTube Live Stats Script

You can download the latest version of the script directly from GitHub:

https://github.com/mmlTools/youtube-live-stats-script-obs-studio

What the YouTube Live Stats Script Does

At its core, the script fetches live analytics for a YouTube livestream and places them into three customizable text sources:

• Likes counter
• Total views counter
• Concurrent viewers counter

These numbers update at a configurable interval—every 15 seconds by default—allowing you to reflect the real-time state of your livestream inside OBS.

Because the script interacts directly with OBS native text sources (both Text (GDI+) and Text (FreeType 2)), the output blends perfectly into your existing graphics. This makes the script ideal for:

• YouTube gaming streams
• Music performances
• IRL broadcasts
• Live podcasts
• Webinars and workshops
• Event streaming
• Countdown shows
• Commentary channels
• Sports coverage
• Long-form live series

Whether your overlay is minimalistic, neon-themed, cartoonish, tech-inspired, or cinematic, the script attaches seamlessly.

Key Features

1. Real-Time Viewer Analytics

The script delivers up-to-date numbers that reflect what is happening on your YouTube stream. Want to see how your audience reacts to a boss fight, big announcement, hot topic, or giveaway? The stats update automatically.

2. No Third-Party Apps

Everything runs natively in OBS Studio.

There is nothing to install besides the Lua script itself. No extra services, no complicated dashboards, no hidden programs running in the background.

3. Multi-Platform Support

Because Lua scripting is part of OBS itself, the script works on:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux

This makes it ideal for creators using different systems or dual-PC streaming setups.

4. Lightweight Performance

OBS Studio continues running smoothly, even on lower-end hardware.

The script uses the built-in HTTP client and minimal memory, so your CPU and GPU remain focused on what matters: the actual stream.

5. Full Customization

You can configure:

• Text source names
• API key
• YouTube video ID
• Refresh interval
• Text formatting
• Colors
• Font style
• Fallback text if stats are unavailable

This flexibility means you can integrate the stats into your interface exactly the way you want.

6. Clean and Error-Safe Operation

The script includes checks to prevent blank values or crashes. If YouTube doesn’t provide data, the script safely displays a placeholder like “–” or “Waiting…”.

Why Streamers Use Real-Time YouTube Stats

1. Encourages Viewer Interaction

Seeing live feedback motivates your audience. If viewers can see the like counter on your overlay, many will tap the like button simply to see it increment. This naturally increases engagement.

2. Helps You Monitor the Health of Your Stream

As a creator, knowing your concurrent viewers helps you decide:

• When to repeat important messages
• When to engage with chat
• Whether to switch topics
• When peak viewership occurs (useful for future planning)

These metrics are extremely valuable for live audience management.

3. Makes Your Stream Look More Professional

Live analytics overlays give your broadcast a dynamic, polished feel similar to major YouTube creators, esports broadcasts, and corporate live productions.

4. Great for VOD Viewers

If you leave the counters visible, VOD viewers can understand the scale of your broadcast even months later. A video showing “2.3K watching now” or “15,000 likes” during highlights creates social proof and enhances credibility.

How the Script Works (Technical Overview Without Exposing Sensitive Details)

The script uses OBS’s built-in HTTP module to fetch analytics from YouTube endpoints at the interval you choose. It then parses the JSON response and updates the text sources with the new numbers.

Internally, the process is:

1. Build an API request based on the Video ID and API key
2. Fetch data at the defined interval
3. Extract likes, views, and live viewer count
4. Update the designated text sources
5. Handle missing values gracefully

Everything happens quietly in the background, giving you clean data with zero interruptions.

Typical Use Cases

Gaming Streams

Real-time stats during boss fights, story climaxes, tournaments, or viewer challenges help measure audience interest and inform your pacing.

Live Tech Reviews or Tutorials

Viewers often join mid-stream. Seeing a high concurrent viewer count builds trust and encourages others to stay longer.

Music or Performance Streams

Likes and view counts help track which songs or sets resonate most with your audience.

IRL & Travel Streams

Real-time engagement indicators make IRL streams feel much more alive and interactive.

Podcasts & Talk Shows

Hosts can quickly adapt discussions based on viewer trends.

Event Broadcasting

Webinars, church services, conferences, news-style broadcasts, and sporting events benefit from real-time visibility into audience participation.

Who Should Use the Script?

This script is ideal for:

• New creators who want basic analytics directly in OBS
• Intermediate streamers looking to enhance production quality
• Professional broadcasters who need unobtrusive, real-time metrics
• Anyone who prefers fast, native, no-nonsense solutions rather than big external apps

If you value simplicity, stability, performance, and clean integration, this tool is an excellent fit for your workflow.

Support the Project

If this YouTube Live Stats script for OBS Studio helps you improve your stream, consider supporting its development. Your support helps maintain the project, add new features, and keep tools like this free for the community.

☕ Support the project on Ko-fi

You can also send direct support via PayPal:

https://paypal.me/mmltools