Live streaming service presents a great way to drive revenue for your business, the main reason for this strong interaction is simply due to its huge users base that continues to grow every single day especially after the pandemic wave that has changed the way we interact with our daily appointments, just think of all the remote workers who due to the pandemic need to take video courses or participate to live streaming events or another example are all the children who need to replace theirs school lesson with distance learning.
But in order to broadcast live video or video on demand, it’s important to plan ahead and keep your business goals in mind to make sure that the tactic you choose to use is in line with the need of your users but more importantly with the business goals you want to archive.
Live streaming is a type of streaming in which audio or video is broadcasted live over the internet.
The terms Streaming and Live streaming are often used interchangeably but they have different meanings. Streaming is delivering media over the internet that can be played while it is downloaded. Live streaming is a specific type of streaming that is broadcast at the same time it is recorded.
VIDEO ON DEMAND:
Video-on-demand platforms provide users with the freedom to watch, browse and access a range of video topics in a matter of seconds an example of video on demand are the services provided by television, which allow users to stream for free or for a fee an entertainment product, at any time and place via internet connection (example of paid services: Netflix, Disney +, Prime Video etc. …).
BENEFITS OF DOING LIVE STREAMING VIDEO
Unlike other marketing tools, live streaming doesn’t require a huge budget. If you don’t work for a company that has a strong commercial purpose but you just want to entertain your users through the use of your blog or channel, with amateur video, video contest, challenge, description of an event or a product, you’ll simply need to use your smartphone and your internet connection to reach your audience quickly and efficiently.
Moreover, due to the very nature of live streaming, there will be no need to edit or improve the video after recording. Because even if there are mistakes in your live broadcast the real timeliness and responsive interaction with your audience will make your video more authentic and interactive (a feature that the audience prefers).
But to be more clear, let’s make a list of all the benefits you’ll have producing live streaming video:
WHEN UTILIZING LIVE STREAMING VIDEO
SPORT EVENT:
Everyone loves sports could be football, basketball, hockey or other sports activities but when we talk about big competitions we always want to be updated about the match or the score.
Live sports events can be an optimal choice for making a live streaming video. Show them something they can’t attend or some extra content like behind the scenes, an interview with someone notable during the event, or a different and more interactive commentary with your audience.
CONFERENCES, CONCERTS, AND LIVE SHOWS:
Live-streaming of conferences, concerts, and live shows performances can be a valuable means of encouraging people who cannot physically attend these events to interact with them (especially after COVID-19) thus engaging with your visitors in another way.
And again, you can take questions from the audience, performances, and panel discussion and all of this will be live-streamed.
NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES OR EDUCATIONAL EVENTS:
In the last couple of years, schools and companies have had to adapt to the restrictive rules imposed by the pandemic so simple school lectures have been replaced with live streaming lectures by professors, science experiments, student performances, and more. Or think about all the companies that have had to cancel large new product launch events at the last minute with live streaming online events.
BENEFITS OF DOING VIDEO ON DEMAND
Unlike live streaming, Video on demand is always accessible to everyone. Videos can be shared with the intended audience and they, in turn, can watch your videos at any time at their convenience. Also unlike live stream videos, your audience can use chapter markers ( sequence markers) to jump from one part of your video to another focusing only on the sequences that interest them most.
You can also provide a higher quality viewing experience by taking advantage of broadband internet with fast startup and minimal buffering time on all devices such as tablets, PCs, phones, and Smart TVs.
Another important difference is that video on-demand content can be refined and edited before it is distributed. You can use the time to record, edit and preview your video to your advantage, so you can enhance your content as much as you wish and in addition, add different custom effects or call to action.
Finally, another features not to be underestimated is the use of keyword search, so your viewers will be able to search your video library and watch their favorite content whenever and wherever they want, without being bound to any time of transmission so accessing a myriad of content topics in seconds with rapid delivery of the flow.
List of all the benefits you’ll have producing video on demand:
WHEN UTILIZING VIDEO ON DEMAND
WHEN YOU HAVE A WIDE LIBRARY OF CONTENTS:
Video on demand allows companies and people to reach their individual viewers through the production of different content.
This means that if within your site or channel you touch on different topics, your visitors can choose which content to watch based on their preferences giving you an incredible amount of flexibility.
WHEN YOU PROVIDE VIDEO COURSES OR TUTORIALS:
When you decide to provide video courses to your audience it is helpful to produce video on demand because if then they decide to watch again the course you published they will have the opportunity to do it when and how they want.
CLOUDFLARE STREAM
Cloudflare Stream is a streaming platform that provides Cloudflare live streaming video and video on demand and can ingest, encode, record, and play videos from one unified product,.
So you can choose whether to provide both services (VOD or live streaming) or just focus on one of the two options.
With the live streaming model, you can take advantage of their low latency RTMP ingestion at over 250 locations, simulcast on streaming platforms such as Twitch and Youtube, live broadcast through the use of Stream Player or any HLS/DASH player, and finally automatic recordings for playback of live events.
Cloudflare stream on demand, on the other hand, offers advanced and reliable technologies such as Adaptive bitrate technology, granular access control through the use of signed URLs, webhook, VAST ads, Customizable HTML5 player with SDK, Advanced subtitle support, and a flexible thumbnail API.
PRICE:
You pay a dollar for every 1000 minutes of streaming and 5 dollars for every 1000 minutes of storage and that’s it!
USE CASES:
PLUGIN FOR WORDPRESS:
CONCLUSION:
Both services are powerful and have their pros and cons, but it’s important to understand which service is right for you and your company. We hope this article has clarified little better your ideas.
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