Live streaming is big now. It is both more accessible to the viewer and easier to produce for the creator than ever before. Given the wide coverage of current live video trends, it is fair to assume that it will continue to develop and grow.
Current trends in live streaming
- Social media dominion
Live video journalism on social media is growing fast. We’re seeing gaming and eSports live streams constantly break viewership records. Many creators today are even making a living going live.
- Product Launch live streaming
We see brands going live regularly on social media and other channels. We see that they attract experts and influential people who not only promote the product but also interact with the audience, answer questions, share knowledge and help create a community around the brand.
- Education empowerment
Live streaming is improving the way we learn. Conferences, talks, and events are being live streamed constantly. Universities like Harvard and Stanford are taking advantage of live lecture streaming. This gives their students access to knowledge anytime, anywhere, eliminating obstacles to education. Therefore, students who cannot otherwise attend the lecture can now participate.
- Internal corporate communications booster
In business relations, companies are using live video to help strengthen their corporate culture and establish strong relationships between employees. Internal company addresses, team meetings, and employee training are carried out using live video, increasing engagement and productivity.
- Marketing media of choice
Live streaming video is a rethinking of how brands think about marketing and e-commerce. Live video is already becoming an important marketing tool that can help brands grow significantly.
“Brands are more willing to invest in live video more than ever: a 2017 study conducted by Brandlive and IBM reported that about 95% of respondents shared that live video will be an important part of their 2018 marketing mix, with 25% stating that “live content will be a top priority, edging out pre-recorded video”. Over 50% said that their budgets for live content will increase compared to prior year.”
Forecast for the future of live streaming video
Many of our predictions are simply extrapolations of current trends, while others will arise through the integration of live streaming with other current trends and technologies.
- Machine learning in live streaming
Machine learning is the newest digital transformation that helps optimize and personalize the user experience for all kinds of technology. Computers will be able to learn certain signals (lighting, face and speech recognition, etc) to automate broadcasting, recording, and even adding lower thirds. The potential for AI and machine learning is huge, and there are many concrete examples of how it can be applied.
- Further marketing and e-commerce promotion
We will see more companies going live with their own shows, representing their own brand ambassadors and trusted experts. More live events will be used as “see-now-buy-now” eCommerce platforms for a live online shopping experience. As a result of frequent and deliberate use in marketing, live video production will become a regular part of marketing education curriculum. New and better tools for measuring ROI of live streaming campaigns will appear.
- Video customer support
Live Q&A sessions as a way to get help immediately and from real, knowledgeable people will become more and more common. Live video customer supports will help solve problems faster.
- Live stream aggregators
Live content aggregation services will classify streams, help viewers decide what to watch, and even plan and set reminders for upcoming streams.
“Cisco predicts that by the year 2021 video will account for 82% of all internet traffic, and live video will account for 13% of all internet video traffic by 2021. In case thirteen percent doesn’t sound like much, just keep in mind that even today, about half a million hours of video content is uploaded every day only on YouTube.”
In the near future, live streaming video will have the strongest impact on the way we learn, collaborate, market products and services, consume advertisements and entertainment, and receive technical support.
Stream 41, live media streaming platform, provides a great opportunity for both content producers and video viewers to become a part of the fast-growing streaming world, broadcasting live videos and getting paid instantly.
