7 Best livestreaming platforms you should know in 2022
Researching live streaming platforms can be difficult because there are so many things you consider when looking for the ideal solution for you or your establishment.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably debating whether investing in a live streaming solution is worth it. Is it too much to ask for a live streaming service that can expand and scale with your demands, has all the features you desire, and won’t break the bank?
What is a Live Streaming Platform?
A live streaming platform is a website, application, or piece of software which lets you stream live video. Viewers can watch a video in real-time after publishing it to the platform.
What Features to Consider When Choosing a Live Streaming Platform
The benefit of having so many live video streaming services to pick from is that there are dozens of different options to choose from.
There is no “one-size-fits-all” option when it comes to choosing the best video streaming service for you. As a result, characteristics that are important to you may not be important to another broadcaster, and vice versa.
When choosing a streaming platform, keep the following features in mind:
- Services for professional video hosting
- Tools for managing video content
- Solutions for safe video streaming
- For professional live streaming quality, a top-tier CDN (content delivery network) is required.
- Low latency streaming ensures no delays in the delivery of live content.
- Ingest, playback, and streaming of RTMP (real-time messaging protocol) data are all supported.
- Capabilities for video monetization
- APIs for live streaming for better content management.
- Support mobile streaming applications and an SDK for iOS and Android connectivity.
- Tools for video editing and embedding
- Video analytics that are more advanced.
- For live or VOD content streaming, cloud video encoding and transcoding are available.
- Software for encoding and delivering live video.
- Is there a plan for your broadcasting needs with the live streaming service provider?
You should identify the goals you want to achieve with online video broadcasting before deciding which elements are most valuable in a live streaming video service. Once you’ve made a list of your objectives, figure out the features you’ll need to achieve them, and then choose your live video streaming platform based on those features.
How to Choose a Streaming Platform
There are several ways you can choose a streaming platform. They include:
1. Identify Your Core Target Audience
It isn’t any secret that you have to know who you are creating content for. However, this goes deeper than just having age groups and gender skews.
2. Define Your Goals
After you have already identified your audience, you need to define goals that cater to your audience’s needs. Know that this type is a bit easy. Answers to the audience identification questions point to what your audience desires from a live stream experience.
3. Align Your Goals with Features You Need
With your competitive intelligence in hand, it’s time to identify the features that will assist you in achieving your objectives. Due to the fact that live streaming platforms have varying levels of functionality, you’ll need to make a list of the capabilities you’ll require.
Investigate Your Rivals
Make a table of your top five competitors to collect competitive intelligence.
4. Match the Platform with your audience
It’s a regular blunder made by live streamers.
They take to every available platform and overextend themselves.
It’s not necessary to live stream on many platforms just because you can.
5. Get started with Streaming Live
You’ve arrived at the end of the road.
It’s time to pull the trigger and go live with a clear notion of your audience, what matters most to them, where you’ll set up shop to live stream, and a monetization plan.
The Live Streaming Platforms
There are a variety of live streaming platforms available, including:
1. YouTube
YouTube is the most popular live streaming service due to its large number of monthly users – two billion. One of the most ubiquitous live streaming networks available, with users from all over the world and across all age categories. YouTube discovered that channels with a weekly live stream receive up to 40% more subscribers.
2. Facebook
Facebook, like YouTube, is a social media powerhouse, with 2.7 billion monthly active users worldwide. Like YouTube, appeals to a wide range of demographics, with millennials constituting the largest percentage of users.
You can construct a network of established users on the platform, particularly if you’re already active. Monetization choices, live broadcasting from desktop and mobile devices, analytics, modifying recorded versions of live videos, live chat, and scheduling live streams are all essential aspects. A personal profile, page, or group can all be used to go live.
3. Instagram Live
Instagram isn’t simply about sharing pictures with your buddies anymore. You can also get on-demand and live videos from your favorite companies and influencers on the site. Instagram accounts for about 13% of every social media live stream viewer.
4. Mixcloud
Mixcloud is a music creators’ live streaming platform. The most prevalent material categories on Mixcloud include live music, radio shows, DJ mixes, and podcasts. Mixcloud has 20 million monthly listeners, despite having a fraction of YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram user base.
5. DaCast
DaCast is a more entry-level choice for business live streaming, offering video management and live streaming solutions with fewer bells and whistles. With enterprise-grade solutions like SSO, eCDN, and strict security measures, you’ll miss out on the money you save. DaCast does provide customization possibilities, but only through their API, which adds to the complexity of creating an on-brand viewing experience for teams.
6. Brightcove
With its 2018 acquisition of Ooyala’s platform company, Boston-based Brightcove continues to make its position in the video industry. Brightcove’s business strategy now focuses on three main areas: enterprise communications, marketing, and monetization.
7. TikTok Live
TikTok is a terrific chance for live streamers because it is a social media site targeted toward viral videos. Although short video clips dominate TikTok, there is still room for live video creators to find a following. If your material is geared toward Gen Xers (those aged 18 to 25), having a presence on TikTok LIVE can be helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best platform for Livestream?
Only your team can decide which option is ideal for your video needs in the end. Your perfect solution will enable a wide range of video use cases, both internal and external, and the essential security and customization tools to keep your material safe and consistent.
Where can I Livestream for Free?
With the InEvent video solutions, you can livestream from the InEvent platform to any of these livestreaming platforms for free:
- YouTube Live.
- Facebook Live.
- Instagram Live.
- Twitter.
- Twitch.
- LinkedIn Live.
What Equipment do I Need to Livestream?
You’ll need :
- A camera,
- Mic or microphone,
- Lighting,
- A stable internet connection;
And you’ll also need to get your (digital) hands on some live streaming software—more on that in a bit.
How Long Can I Livestream?
A YouTube live stream technically doesn’t have any time limit. YouTube, on the other hand, is only able to save live feeds for up to 12 hours. If you desire your stream to be available for watching at a later time or date, the maximum time limit is 12 hours.
Conclusion
It takes more than signing up and going live to find the best live streaming platform. You’ll need to figure out who your audience is, what they want, and where they are to obtain the most outcomes from your live stream.
Whether you’re selling items and services through live streaming or acquiring leads, you’ll need to select a platform that helps you reach brand and audience-specific goals. Your selection should be simple to deal with and beneficial to your company’s growth.
About the Author / Akeem Okunola
