How to Add a Scrolling News Ticker to OBS
A news ticker is the bar that scrolls announcements across the bottom of broadcast TV — and it works just as well for promoting your schedule, merch, or socials on stream. The Streaming News Ticker builds a smooth, GPU-light scrolling bar on a transparent background: type your announcements, set a badge, speed, position, and theme, then paste one browser-source URL into OBS. No plugin, no signup, no download.
What Is a Streaming News Ticker?
A news ticker is a horizontal bar that scrolls announcements across the top or bottom of the screen. Streamers use tickers for updates, sponsor messages, schedule reminders, or hype text. A good ticker is smooth, easy to read, and light on your stream’s resources.
Our Streaming News Ticker creates a seamless, GPU-accelerated scrolling bar with a transparent background. You can add an optional badge like LIVE or NEWS, set the scroll speed, choose top or bottom placement, and pick a theme and accent color.
How to Use Our Streaming News Ticker
- Open the Streaming News Ticker and type your announcements, separated with a bullet (•).
- Add an optional badge, set the scroll speed, and choose top or bottom position.
- Pick a theme and accent color, then check the live preview.
- Click Copy Overlay URL.
- In OBS, add a Browser source sized 1920 × 1080 and paste the URL.
- Show the source whenever you want the ticker visible.
Example News Ticker Setup
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Announcements | New merch drop • Follow on Twitter • Live every Friday |
| Badge | LIVE |
| Speed | Medium |
| Position | Bottom |
| Theme | Bold |
| Accent color | #FF4500 |
| OBS source size | 1920 × 1080 |
This setup creates a branded bottom ticker that loops through three announcements with a LIVE badge.
Common Use Cases
- Announcements — promote upcoming streams, events, or merch.
- Sponsor messages — scroll partner or affiliate disclosures.
- Community reminders — show rules, social links, or hydration prompts.
FAQ
How do I separate multiple announcements?
Put a bullet (•) or any separator between them in the ticker text. They scroll together as one continuous, looping line.
Will the scrolling be smooth on stream?
Yes. The ticker animates with a GPU-accelerated CSS transform, which keeps it smooth and very light on CPU, even when it runs continuously.
Can I put the ticker at the top?
Yes. Choose Top or Bottom position. The bar spans the full width either way over a transparent background.
Will it slow my stream down?
No. The ticker scrolls with a GPU-accelerated CSS transform, so it stays smooth and barely touches your CPU even running continuously — which matters when OBS is already busy encoding video.
Can I use it with other overlays?
Yes. Because it has a transparent background, it pairs well with a Lower Thirds Generator or a Quote Display Overlay.
Want a branded announcement bar that runs all stream? Set up the Streaming News Ticker, paste its URL into OBS, and see the OBS overlays setup guide to run it alongside a goal bar and countdown.