“Livestreaming Wikimania 2016 Esino Lario” by Sebastiaan Ter Burg (CC BY 2.0)
If you have found yourself watching any kind of digital media recently, there is a good chance that you have done so using a live stream. Despite being a relatively new phenomenon, the market for this particular brand of video content has been growing exponentially over the past few years and based on current projections, it looks set to become even bigger in 2018.
For those who are somehow unaware of this latest trend, live videos are a type of streaming media where the content is simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real time. The technology has actually been around for the best part of a decade, having gained popularity within the video gaming community through platforms such as Twitch. However, these services have now spread into other sectors and as a result, they have begun to become a part of some people’s daily lives.
Much of this popularity can be linked to the release of easy-to-access live streaming software for social media over the last couple of years. Apps such as Facebook Live, Periscope, and Instagram have all made it easier than ever for their users to share and stream content to their peers. On top of this, almost every social media platform has integrated live streaming into their services, allowing anyone to take advantage and offering a potentially massive audience to those willing to try.
Source: Pexels
That is not all, however, as streaming has also made it easier for people to watch live coverage of news and events. Almost every major sporting event is available to view through some form of live media as fans are foregoing traditional television broadcasts in favour of watching on other devices. Meanwhile, the massive growth and success of the eSports industry in recent years has been largely attributed to services like Twitch, which is currently one of the biggest streaming sites in the world, boasting over 100 million users per month.
Another frequent use for interactive streaming is for hosting live casino games. These interactive streams, featuring offer an authentic gaming experience that anyone can participate in from the comfort of their own homes. They also allow players to take advantage of bonus offers, like the current free spins offered by diverse online casinos reviewed by bonus.ca, though whether that is something that interests you is a question answered here.
These qualities that live streams are also an extremely viable tool for digital marketing. With the market growing as it is, brands and creators can use these streaming services to deliver dynamic content and engage with their audiences directly at the same time. Even better, since anyone can access these tools through their social media accounts, it is incredibly cheap and easy to set up.
Looking at the numbers, it is hard to see why anyone would ignore this trend. Over 80% of customers have said that they prefer watching live videos over other types of content and it is predicted that streaming will be a $70.5 billion industry by 2021. In short, live streaming has quickly grown into the next big game changer and it is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down any time soon.
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