It's no surprise that the global live streaming market is expected to hit $247 billion by 2027. Live streaming allows you to reach a massive audience of potential customers without the exorbitant costs of renting out auditoriums or hosting large crowds of people.
But grabbing a piece of that market isn't easy, especially if you're wondering how to get started with nearly 150 solutions to choose from. There are a lot of great (and not so great) solutions out there, and not every platform is suitable for your unique needs.
In this article, we will cut down your research time and provide you with a shortlist of options to choose from. We'll also include features to look for in a live streaming event platform and how to decide which one is right for you.
Event livestreaming services enable you to record videos live and broadcast them to a virtual audience. Whether you're hosting an annual large-scale event or smaller-scale gatherings throughout the year, livestreaming is essential to bring a live, immersive experience to your virtual audience.
Why use a livestreaming service? When you use livestreaming software, you're handing over the high costs and technical difficulty of broadcasting a high-quality livestream to services that take care of the technical aspects and do the heavy lifting for you.
Livestreaming services provide a CDN (content delivery network) or global delivery system that distributes your content, which is necessary to stream high-quality video. Otherwise, you would need to invest in enough infrastructure to host the content on your own servers without clogging them up or sacrificing video quality. Software also provides encoding capabilities to convert your video into smaller files for digital streaming, as well as an HTML5 video player where viewers watch the stream.
Aside from the technical features event livestreaming services provide, let's take a look at what other features to look for in a software provider.
We're not going to go super deep into each feature, but feel free to check out more in-depth information on our product page. For now, assume that each of these features is sort of 'table stakes' for an event livestreaming service.
Note that the above features are not all essential for event livestreaming. The minimum features your livestreaming solution should have are RTMP, CDN, security, high-quality streaming, ease of use, and superior customer support for paid solutions. The rest will depend on your event goals.
For example, if you want to embed your virtual event on your website and create your own branded virtual event platform, the service should offer API access and a white-label offering. Bonus points if the service provides APIs with pre-built components to fast-track development.
If you want to integrate with a specific CMS and have real-time engagement features such as live polls and Q&A, check out the service's integrations and live chat capabilities.
Later in the article, we'll discuss how to choose the best livestreaming service and break down the factors involved to help you make an informed decision.
Sequel is next-level software designed to facilitate hybrid, virtual, and on-demand events that mimic the in-person experience.
With real-time engagement features such as networking circles, live Q&A, polls, one-on-one chats, and more, Sequel allows you to create a fully immersive and branded customer experience — within your own website. We also constructed our virtual event features to combat zoom fatigue and digital distractions, so attendees remain focused on your content.
A simple and sophisticated event solution with flawless streaming technology, Sequel focuses on demand generation for businesses looking to increase brand awareness and on-site conversions. For Sequel, event ROI is vital. In addition to providing revenue-driving features for businesses, we offer robust analytics so you can prove event success, track metrics, and generate ongoing leads and customers.
Sequel has you covered, from small-scale meetings and product launches to large-scale industry-wide conferences and events. The software can host up to two million attendees and show off your brand as a leader in your space.
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Final thoughts: Whether to host a webinar, conference, community-building event, internal sales meeting, on-demand video content, or simply launch a new product line, Sequel powers many use cases and caters to numerous industries. Boost engagement, increase sales, and build a loyal community directly on your website.
If you want business results, not just video views, book a demo today and take Sequel for a free test drive. Or create a free developer account to get started with our APIs right away and get your creative juices flowing.
YouTube Live is YouTube's free livestreaming product offering. It's a solid choice for businesses that want a decent livestreaming service that won't cost a dime to set up.
One of the benefits of using YouTube Live is access to the platform's extensive audience, allowing you to maximize your reach and get your content in front of more people. However, that doesn't guarantee immediate success, as it can take time to generate an audience and compel people to choose your content over the billions of other videos on YouTube. YouTube also offers live streaming on mobile devices (mobile live webcasting), which allows you to go live anywhere with your mobile phone.
When it comes to YouTube, however, the old cliche, "You get what you pay for," somewhat rings true.
When you stream on YouTube, you're streaming on YouTube, not on your own website. If they're hanging around YouTube watching your live stream, they may get distracted by a cute kitten video rather than head over to your website to finish the conversation you started.
Sharing a YouTube live stream on other platforms is also impossible without getting disconnected. In addition, you won't be able to customize or brand your streams or use audience-engaging features such as multi-camera streaming and picture-in-picture. Users also complain about latency and buffering quality issues.
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Final thoughts: Overall, YouTube is a large community, and its Live feature is a good livestreaming option if you are just starting and want to try streaming for the first time. When you want to build your brand or stream to other platforms, you can upgrade to more sophisticated software.
Twitch is a free live streaming platform that started in 2011 and initially catered to gamers but expanded its reach to other verticals in 2020. As of the time of the writing of this article, Twitch has 140 million active monthly users and counting. Though the platform is quite popular with gamers, it also draws live streamers from fashion, music, cooking, video, sports, and other lifestyle industries.
Twitch is free for live streamers and users; however, users can subscribe to a streamer's channel, mainly as a gesture of loyalty to help the streamer maintain production. Users can also purchase a Prime subscription to enjoy an ad-free experience on the platform.
Twitch has some interesting live chat features, such as managing chat comments via bots with custom commands, creating emotes (emoticons), and using a chat overlay during the live stream. Twitch's direct chat feature allows participants to send direct messages to streamers and chat with them directly. The platform also enables online store owners to promote and advertise their products during a live stream and include a direct link to your website.
Twitch caters to industry influencers who use their platforms to increase popularity and build their communities. Influencers also use Twitch to generate revenue via the affiliate program; however, the platform takes 50% of any money earned on new monthly subscriptions. To qualify to earn revenue, you have to apply to be a Twitch affiliate or partner.
The other downside is that your content is bound by exclusivity for 24 hours after publication. You aren't allowed to share your live streamed content until 24 hours elapse.
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Final thoughts: We like Twitch due to its high-quality live streaming and potential audience exposure. However, like YouTube, it lacks any virtual event dynamics (no functionality beyond livestreaming) and is geared more toward personal streamers focused on hobbies or interests.
Facebook Live is another free livestreaming service that allows you to stream videos directly on your Facebook Page.
The #1 draw with Facebook Live is the size and popularity of the social media platform, with 2.93 billion monthly active users and constant interaction from users. Also, since 2018, Facebook has favored live content due to its engagement, so streamers have more opportunities to get noticed.
Facebook is also known for attracting internet trolls, however, which makes comment moderation challenging. You also cannot brand your live streams or stream directly from your website. Your events must live on Facebook, which means your attendees will be subject to social distractions, and it will be challenging to spread brand awareness without proper branding elements.
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Final thoughts: Facebook Live has potential for businesses looking to connect with more customers. But the lack of interactive capabilities and customizable branding make the service unsuitable if you're looking for virtual event features that can live on your website. Like YouTube, Facebook Live is a good first step if you're new to live video streaming and interested in only non-branded streaming services without additional revenue-driving features.
WebEx Webinars caters to businesses that regularly host webinars and virtual conferences for corporate or internal meetings (corporate events, company gatherings, training seminars, sales kick-off calls). Though businesses typically use WebEx for low-attendance webinars, the platform can accommodate up to 100,000 attendees for enterprise-level collaboration.
WebEx Webinars provides engagement features such as live polling, chat, moderated Q&A, breakout sessions, live interpreters, and light custom branding options. It also offers a feature called immersive share which adds an overlay of your profile video within the presentation content, so viewers don't have to shift focus back and forth between the presenter and the content.
Though WebEx Webinars is popular for its unique webinar features, multiple users have said that it is not very user-friendly or intuitive initially, and there is a learning curve to using the software. The software pricing is also higher than other solutions on the market.
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Final thoughts: WebEx Webinars is a valuable solution for corporate meetings requiring real-time collaboration webinar software. As a Zoom alternative, it's a good solution if you're looking for webinar functionality for corporate and internal meetings.
Earlier in the article, we discussed the minimum recommended features for event live streaming services: RTMP, CDN, security, high-quality streaming, and ease of use.
Beyond the basics, we've outlined tips below for choosing the right provider based on your audience size, business goals, and tech needs.
If you're looking for a livestreaming service for small events, virtual conferences, or meetings, you might not need comprehensive software with many features. A free livestreaming service such as YouTube Live, Twitch, or webinar software might suffice. If you want some light engagement and presenter tools, WebEx Webinars could be a good option. However, if you need to host a large number of people, Sequel can accommodate up to two million attendees.
Medium or large-scale events such as conferences or industry-wide events, whether live, hybrid, or virtual, will require a highly interactive component to keep attendees engaged and immersed in your event's activities. For virtual and hybrid events, look for live streaming event software like Sequel that includes engagement (live chat, etc.), networking (breakout rooms, one-on-one discussions), and measurement features (robust analytics).
If you're hosting a hybrid event (part in-person, part virtual), your software solution should offer features such as hybrid and virtual stages, and interactive and networking opportunities for both your in-person and virtual audiences.
Why are you hosting this event?
If you want to build your brand and drive revenue, choose software that allows you to customize the event components with your company branding and embed the event directly on your website to increase sales. Robust analytics are also critical, so you can measure your event's ROI and iterate on the data. Your event software should also focus on post-event interaction, allowing you to power recurring engagements.
If you're looking for a custom live event platform to fuel business growth, choose software that allows developers to create low-code branded solutions with APIs and pre-built custom features for rapid development.
Lastly, if you are promoting a personal brand or starting your business, testing a free live streaming solution such as YouTube or Twitch might be a good first step. But if you plan on scaling your business, we recommend starting on a platform that will allow you to scale as you experience growth. Look for an affordable solution with software features that will aid you as you grow, such as real-time audience engagement tools and analytics.
Does your live streaming event software integrate with your tech stack?
Assess your current tech tools and make sure your software seamlessly integrates. Typically event software integrates with event marketing and automation software and a CMS (custom management system).
Suppose your tools do not integrate natively with your preferred software. In that case, the software should integrate with a third-party solution like Zapier, allowing you to integrate with apps in its marketplace.
Banish event stress and let Sequel do the heavy lifting. Create events that make a lasting impact and build your profits and industry reputation.
Schedule a personalized demo today and get started streaming high-quality immersive events.
Or create a free developers account and download our documentation to start creating within minutes.
