Internet video streaming has taken the world by storm and most brands and businesses understand the power of live video when it comes to communication and marketing.
However, when it comes to finding the best video streaming service, most brands can actually be spoilt for choice these days as there is an absurdly large number of video streaming platforms available today.
In this blog, we’re going to take a look at the 5 live video streaming platforms and the most important features for the top video streaming services for businesses.
B2C vs B2B Internet Video Streaming Services
Video streaming as a service has grown tremendously in popularity and there are tons of platforms available for use today.
In order to make things simpler, we can differentiate between the different platforms on the basis of two major categories – business to consumer (B2C) platforms and business to business (B2B) platform.
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Some of the popular B2C live streaming platforms include the likes of YouTube Live, Periscope, Facebook Live, Instagram Live, etc. These platforms provide an easy way to stream live video to a massive audience. However, these platforms are limited in scope and are not usually enough to fulfil the needs of brands.
B2C platforms are meant for business and professional use and come loaded with features that make them much more suitable for brands and businesses.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important factors of B2B live video streaming platforms.
Important Factors
When it comes to choosing the best internet video streaming platform, here are some of the main factors you should consider:
1. Reliability
When you broadcast video streaming in real-time, it is important to use a platform that is reliable. The last thing you want during a live stream is some technical error or glitch that can hamper the entire stream.
One of the best ways of judging the reliability of most popular video streaming services is to check the underlying content delivery network (CDN) used by the platform.
CDNs are used to ensure that the delivery of the stream is flawless even when the content is being distributed over a large geographical area. CDNs are a network of servers that are spread all over the world which allows the viewer to stream the data from the server closest to them, effectively reducing lag and ensuring the live stream is smooth.
2. Cost of the service
The cost of the service is also an important factor when it comes to live video streaming platforms. Even though it might be tempted to just go with the best features it is smarter to go with a platform that provides great features at an affordable cost.
The Best Video Streaming Platforms
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular video streaming services that are used by businesses across the world.
1.Brightcove
Brightcove is one of the top video streaming services for businesses. It is one of the leading players in the market is used by some of the biggest companies in the world when it comes to all things related to live video.
It is a flexible solution that allows businesses in multiple functional areas such as monetization, marketing, and enterprise communications.
2. IBM Cloud Video
Originating from Ustream, IBM Cloud Video is a great live video platform for business. Its basic plan provides a live channel which can be embedded and which is completely customisable.
For businesses that are looking to have a constant live streaming video channel, the IBM Cloud Video is one of the best solutions in the space right now.
3. Livestream
Livestream is an “all-in-one” live streaming solution that comes with the essential features like customization, password protection, live chat, a robust API, and great analytics.
For small businesses looking to start using live video streaming, Livestream is, more often than not, the best video streaming service.
4. Wowza
Wowza is a professional live streaming service provider and is one of the top video streaming services for businesses. Some of the areas in which Wowza helps businesses are cloud streaming, server-side software, live encoding, and live streaming expertise.
What is the best video streaming service for your business?
Every business is different and this is why it can be hard to state which platform is the ultimate best video streaming service for businesses in general.
Fortunately, most live streaming platforms provide a free-trial option that allows you to try out the service before using it to see if it suits your business needs or not. Some of the solutions also come with tier-based pricing which means you can often pick and choose features based on what your particular business needs are.
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Why no go with a dedicated live-streaming partner?
A lot of brands use the services of a dedicated live streaming partner that provides end-to-end support for all live streaming needs. By partnering up with a dedicated live streaming service provider, a business doesn’t have to worry about anything like the equipment, networking, or overall management of the entire live streaming operations.
The streaming platform is only one part of the process
When it comes to live streaming video, the streaming platform and software is only one part of the entire process. However, it is still one of the most important parts of the process and needs a lot of attention and thought.
We hope this blog was helpful, keep reading this space for live streaming tips for brands and live streaming facts & statistics.
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Live Streaming Service Providers.
