How to sync your scorebug's clock, period and downs to your screen
StreamSlayers · Updated November 3, 2026 · 5 min read · Works with OBS, Streamlabs, Meld & evmux
Your viewers see the game a little late. The broadcast, the streaming service and your own stream each add delay, and live sports data runs ahead of all of them. So a scorebug fed by live data can show the next down before your viewers have seen the snap, or a clock that doesn't match the one in the corner of the picture.
The screen reader fixes that by reading the game itself. It looks at the game playing on your own screen, reads the game clock, the quarter or period and, in football, the down & distance off the broadcast's scorebug, and your ScoreBug, Scoreboard and Play by Play follow what it reads. Whatever your viewers see on the broadcast, your overlays show at the same moment. It reads football, basketball and hockey.
It reads only inside a box you put over the scorebug, and only numbers ever leave your computer: the clock, the period and the down. The picture itself is read on your computer and never uploaded.
What you'll need
- The ScoreBug or the Scoreboard on a paid plan (Pro Slayer and MVP Slayer include both), view plans
- A football, basketball or hockey game on your ScoreBug: the NFL, college football, the NBA, the WNBA, college basketball or the NHL
- Chrome, Edge, Brave, Firefox or Safari, on Windows or a Mac
- The game playing in that browser, in its own tab
Open the game in its own tab
Play the game you're streaming in its own browser tab: the same stream you're watching. It doesn't need to be full screen. In Chrome, Edge or Brave the reader shares just that tab, so nothing else on your screen is ever seen, and it can sit behind other windows. Firefox and Safari share a whole window instead: give the game its own window, its tab in front, and don't minimize it.
Open the screen reader
On your ScoreBug, Scoreboard or Play by Play settings page, find the Screen reader card and click Open the screen reader. It opens in its own window, on the game your ScoreBug is set to. The first time, a short guide walks you through these same steps; the Help button brings it back.
Turn it on and share the game
Click the On switch. Your browser asks what to share:
- Chrome, Edge or Brave: click Chrome Tab (Microsoft Edge Tab, Brave Tab), pick the tab with the game, then click Share.
- Firefox: pick the game's window from the list, then click Allow.
- Safari: choose Allow to Share Window, then click the game's window.
On a Mac, Firefox asks once for permission: open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording, turn on Firefox, then quit and reopen it. Sharing a Chrome, Edge or Brave tab needs no permission. The live picture of the game appears in the reader, and the reader's guide shows the steps for your browser.
If the picture is black
Most TV streaming services protect their video, and browsers share protected video as a black picture while their graphics acceleration is on. The reader notices and shows you the fix for your browser:
- Chrome, Edge or Brave: open a new tab and paste chrome://settings/system (edge://settings/system in Edge), turn off Use graphics acceleration when available, then click Relaunch (Restart in Edge).
- Firefox: open Settings → General → Performance, untick Use recommended performance settings and Use hardware acceleration when available, then restart Firefox.
- Safari has no such switch: play the game in Chrome, Edge or Firefox instead (the reader itself can stay in Safari).
Then open the game again and press Check again. With graphics acceleration off, the browser plays video on your CPU instead of your graphics card, so it uses more CPU (see what it costs your computer below). If your stream or a game slows down, turn it back on after the game. A few services stay black even then; your overlays keep using the live feed.
Put the box over the scorebug
Drag a box around the whole scorebug on the picture, a little bigger than it. Inside it, the reader finds the game clock, the quarter or period and, in football, the down & distance by itself; nothing outside the box is ever read. You can move the box or drag a corner to resize it any time, and it comes back where you left it next time.
Check it's reading
A green ✓ means it's reading and your overlays follow. An orange ! means the scorebug left your box: an ad, a replay or a highlight. The reader keeps looking and starts again by itself when the scorebug is back, and your overlays keep the last reading meanwhile. At halftime and between quarters or periods your overlays show the break, then pick the game up again.
Keep the Stream Delay on your ScoreBug as you set it for your stream. The reader uses the same delay, so nothing changes there.
Basketball and hockey
In basketball and hockey there's no down, so the reader reads the game clock and the quarter, half or period. In a period's last minute it reads the tenths too (45.3), and your overlays show them the same way. It reads the game clock, never the shot clock beside it. Keep the quarter or period label inside your box so the reader sees it change.
Every ScoreBug style, the MVP 3D bar included, the Scoreboard and Play by Play follow it in all three sports.
Screen + feed or Screen only
Screen + feed is for a live game: the clock, the period and, in football, the downs come from your screen, and the feed fills in whenever the screen can't be read. Screen only is for a replay or a clip: your overlays show only what your screen shows, never the feed's clock or downs.
The reader reads Every second by itself. Pick When I press to read only when you press Read now: on the page or in the Command Center.
Keep the reader window open
Leave the reader open where you can see it while you stream, beside OBS or on another screen. If it's minimized or covered by other windows, your browser slows it down, and after half a minute your overlays go back to the live feed until it reads again. When the game you follow ends, the reader turns itself off.
What it costs your computer
Reading your screen every second uses some of your computer's CPU, more for each game you read. We measured it in Chrome on a fast desktop (an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X): reading one game every second took about a third of one CPU core, about 1% of that PC's whole CPU, and three games about one core (3%). A slower PC or a laptop works harder for the same reading.
- When I press reads only when you press, so it costs next to nothing between presses.
- Close the reader when you're not streaming: it costs nothing when it's closed.
- The graphics card barely notices: under 2% even with three games. The black-picture fix is the exception: with graphics acceleration off, Chrome plays the game itself on the CPU, about a third of one core more for a 1080p game.
- If your computer can't keep up, the reader says so: close other programs or read fewer games.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why is my shared picture black?
Most TV streaming services protect their video, and browsers share protected video as a black picture while graphics acceleration is on. In Chrome or Brave open chrome://settings/system (edge://settings/system in Edge), turn off Use graphics acceleration when available and click Relaunch (Restart in Edge). In Firefox untick Use recommended performance settings and Use hardware acceleration when available under Settings → General → Performance, then restart it. Safari can't share protected video, so play the game in Chrome, Edge or Firefox. Then open the game again and press Check again. The browser then plays video on your CPU, so it uses more CPU. A few services stay black even then; your overlays keep using the live feed.
Does the screen reader work on a Mac, or in browsers other than Chrome?
Yes. It works in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Firefox and Safari, on Windows and on a Mac. Chrome, Edge and Brave share just the game's tab, the simplest way. Firefox and Safari share the game's window instead. On a Mac, Firefox asks once for permission: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording, then quit and reopen Firefox. The reader's guide shows the steps for the browser you're in.
Does the screen reader slow down my computer?
It uses some CPU while it reads. On a fast desktop (AMD Ryzen 9 7950X), reading one game every second took about a third of one CPU core, about 1% of that PC's CPU, and three games about one core. A slower PC or a laptop works harder. When I press costs next to nothing between presses, a closed reader costs nothing, and the graphics card barely notices. If your computer can't keep up, the reader tells you.
Do my readings go to other streamers?
No. Your screen reader drives your own overlays only: your ScoreBug, Scoreboard and Play by Play. Only the clock, the period and the down leave your computer; the picture is read on your computer and never uploaded.
Which sports does the screen reader read?
Football, basketball and hockey: the NFL, college football, the NBA, the WNBA, college basketball and the NHL. It reads the game clock and the quarter, half or period, and in football the down & distance too. In a basketball or hockey period's last minute it reads the tenths (45.3), never the shot clock. Pick the game on your ScoreBug first.
What happens during ads and replays?
The reader keeps looking. Your overlays keep the last reading while the scorebug is off screen, and the reader starts reading again by itself when it comes back. At halftime and between quarters or periods your overlays show the break.
READY TO PUT SCOREBUG ON YOUR STREAM?
Choose a paid plan · no contracts · cancel anytime