The Future of Live Streaming.

What is the future of live streaming? When we talk about live streaming videos, it is important to understand that the way people consume videos is not the same than it was just a few years ago.

Research shows that the majority of people do consume videos at two screens at the same time which includes TV screens, desktops, tablets and smartphones. This means that live videos can reach people of all age ranges. However, due to the significant increase of smartphones users, the mobile display counts as the number one platform to consume live stream videos nowadays.

It is speculated that, by the end of 2020, there will be 6.1 billion smartphone users worldwide.

A recent study pointed out that especially millennials watch live content preferably on their smartphone. Social networks, therefore, work hard to provide apps which allow creation and visualization of live streams on any smartphone. According to Beebom one of the best live streaming apps is Periscope, closely followed by Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Hang w/, YouTube Live and Twitch TV. While bigger platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube do have the advantage to reach a large audience, the smaller livestream apps are more specified and innovative when it comes to the live stream features.

Live Streaming, a powerful Tool to increase Engagement.

Research has shown that people connect much better with an actual person than with a brand. Therefore, businesses use broadcasting videos mostly to connect to their audience by showing them a "human" side of the company. The authentic content creates a strong bond between the viewer and the video maker which leads to an increase in trust and credibility.

A majority of businesses use live video to do Q&A sessions for their employees and customers. Since a current study has shown that 79% of consumers would rather watch a video to learn about a product, than read text on a page, a product demonstration in form of a live video seems like the a good approach. Not only is this form of product display highly engaging, it is also an effective way to gain important feedback.

79% of consumers would rather watch a video to learn about a product, than read text on a page

Life Streaming in new dimensions.

Will livestream videos soon be outdated? Most certainly not.

New envolving feautures for livestream videos will make sure, that this video format will even increase its popularity in the future. Therefore, it is good to know that Facebook already introduced “Facebook 360°” for live streaming videos. It allows to have a new immersive experience when watching live videos but it does require specific tools and techniques to create one. However, Facebook is constantly trying to simplify processes to help people to create and upload content in this format, so it is wise to get familiar with it.

To sum it up for you, live streaming videos are the future of social network content because people can watch it across devices and are able to share authentic content. At the moment the format is mostly used to share live events or host Q&A sessions. Looking at the current trends, broadcast videos will be watched increasingly on smartphones and upcoming video developments such as 360° features will make sure that live videos will remain dominant in the future.