Livestreaming

What’s distinctive about Livestreaming?

"Livestreaming" uses different technology (streaming) than webinars (conferencing) because it was designed for a different purpose. Streaming was designed for scale but to do this it was designed for one-way broadcasts, and Livestreaming usually refers to apps that build interaction tools around the stream. Livestreaming enables the highest quality video and production options such as “restreaming” (sending the same session to multiple places at once like LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, etc.), enabling a player to be embedded in a webpage, and using overlaid titles or “lower thirds.”

What should you consider?

There are three primary tradeoffs to consider when considering streaming (livestreaming) over conferencing (webinars) that come down to size of audience, desired level of interaction, and desired level of video production, but the way these affect you tends to be nuanced. For example, the majority of virtual audiences have fewer than 1000 attendees (which conferencing handles fine).

Importantly, V2 believes your first consideration isn’t which technology to use (see the next section), but the desired audience experience and overall objectives. For example, if you desire to simultaneously push your stream to YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and a page on your website, it's easier to do with Livestreaming than with other solutions.

How does V2 approach Livestreaming?

For audiences, Livestreaming is a bit more like watching television, so we approach assisting you with up-front considerations that may be different. For instance, how will audience interaction be managed if you want your stream simultaneously multiple places? It's not impossible, it just requires thinking differently than how you use GoTo or Zoom every day. Similarly, while Livestreaming can be heavily produced like television, it may not need to be to succeed in delivering delight to people who are used to virtual meeetings and homemade YouTube videos. Thinking through your goals will precede recommendations for approaches to video production.

Supported tech and extras

The native livestreaming apps we use include StreamYard, OBS (Open Broadcast Software), Wirecast, and Ecamm Live. However, it’s worth noting that some vendors offer both conferencing and streaming options (e.g., ON24 and GoTo), all enterprise-quality vendors support acquisition of an RTMP video feed. Further, options may involve other technologies such as custom landing pages or distribution tools such as Restream, or other services such as closed captioning or including royalty-free music for intros/outros.