While anyone can easily find a live streaming platform over the Internet, choosing the right one based on the requirements is a critical task. To select the best live streaming platform, it is essential to know about the live video streaming features included with that service. To interact, attract and engage a vast viewer base without any location boundaries, you need a good live-streaming platform. It will help in gaining more viewers with greater brand exposure. Live streaming video content on a reliable platform can leverage your brand and expand its reach.
To achieve all of these, you need to consider the most important live streaming features. This article will help you narrow down the list of preferences. Let’s look at some of the features that should be considered before selecting a live streaming platform.
What is Live Streaming?
Live streaming means broadcasting an event that is happening in real-time. Live streaming embraces a vast user base, and it is growing every day. In live-streaming, the viewers can see the video content as being created. In other words, live streaming means streaming video content online and simultaneously recorded and broadcasted in actual time.
Live streaming viewers receive the little video bites at a time with the help of a remote storage location. The content in live streaming will stream on the Internet without being recorded or stored earlier. It is mostly used for TV broadcasting, video games streams, concerts, conferences, breaking news, Q&A sessions, sports and all the time-intensive contents. Live streaming refers to one source to many, which means delivering video content to multiple viewers at once.
Read Also: What is a live streaming platform? How does it work?
Basic Live Streaming Features
Considering the must-have features for live streaming, some of these factors are automatically included in live streaming platforms. Here a list of basic features to consider before choosing a live streaming platform:
VoD Archiving
A reliable live streaming platform will record the live streams and then upload them to the specific media library as video-on-demand (VoD).
Analytics
Having basic analytics will help content creators and broadcasters to find out about their weak points and more. These analytics include engagement statistics, number of viewers, geographical locations, amount of data transferred over time, time spent watching, revenue over time and impression.
Compatibility
The live streaming video player needs to be compatible with all-screens, all-devices, and all-browsers. The live streaming players must be functional on all platforms and support video containers and codecs.
Third-party Encoder Support
Generally, all services can accept streams from third-party encoders (including RTMP URL or stream key). Some of the services have specific integration with particular encoders related to simplified connections.
Commenting
Being able to leave comments and express the idea is a way of increasing engagement. The possibility of leaving a comment in live chat or live streaming is one of the key features for live streaming platforms, resulting in viewers’ interaction.
Advanced Live Streaming Features
When choosing a professional live streaming platform like ArvanCloud Live Streaming, it is necessary to look for some advanced features. These features are mostly available on paid live streaming platforms. The result is having a highly customized platform and seamless user experience. The following features are must-have features for live streaming platforms.
White Label
A white-label player allows customers to add their own branding to the player window. This way, broadcasters or content creators can customize the design, change the colors, add/remove buttons, or place watermarks/logos. The white-label player doesn’t push the OVP’s logo on customers to control their images and links.
Video APIs
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) enable custom-built applications and integrations for streamlined needs by video platform users. A full-featured API live streaming platform offers to create customized video platforms, develop apps on-demand video contents, automated online publishing, integrated streaming service, popular custom video portals, and many more. It is a crucial live streaming feature that includes developer-friendly API infrastructure and mobile SDK and provides tools for easy integration of live streaming into various cloud video applications, services, and digital media workflows.
Monetization
Different businesses use live streaming services for marketing to boost revenue and make money. This process is known as monetizing video. There are three models to monetize videos; Subscription, Transactional and Advertising. In the subscription model, viewers pay a specific fee for access to all the live streams and videos. In the transactional or pay-per-view way, views fees to access a particular live stream, video or package of contents.
And finally, in the advertising model, viewers have free access to live streams and videos, but they have to sit through the advertisements.
Tech Support
Another important live streaming feature is having 24/7 customer support and privacy protection. Having available technical support can help the customers resolve issues whenever one arises. Many live streaming platforms offer support via mail or support forums, but the one with instant tech support will take care of flaws, risks, and any problems.
Also, having a password-protected stream, defining the list of allowed domains or countries and offering set up secure streams are necessary for a safe live streaming platform.
CDN Integration
Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a geographically distributed network with various Points of Presence (PoP) that makes multimedia content more reliable and faster for viewers across the world. Live streaming platforms with CDN integration will increase the quality of video content higher and reach.
With CDN integration, the content will remain stable without interrupting/buffering in case of an attack or different issues. ArvanCloud live streaming platform with CDN will automatically copy the data, transfer it over all the available servers, and deliver it to viewers from the closest server to their locations.
Read also: Why Is A CDN Critical for Live Streaming?
Social Media Distribution
Many people are spending their time on various social media networks. These platforms increase the content reach by offering more exposure. Engaging the viewers on different social media can help a brand or business start a conversation between the followers and the brand and build a royal relationship.
One of the important live streaming features of these platforms is to have a multi-stream feature. This way, the content can be streamed on one or more social media channels simultaneously. Some also allow sharing highlights of the live stream on social media quickly.
Video Embedding
The last key feature for live streaming platforms is to embed video content. This is the ability to add video content to the website or homepage, which is an essential need for businesses or brands. Offering this feature depends on the service provider, and it is good to check for this option beforehand.
All in all
In today’s advanced digital era having a reliable live streaming platform is a must. Choosing the right live streaming platform can be tricky, but if you consider the must-have feature for live streaming platforms mentioned in this article, you will decide ASAP. Make sure which one of the above features you need and which one is not vital. If you are looking for a reliable live streaming platform, check out the ArvanCloud Live Streaming service and take a look at its exceptional features.
