In the attention deficit of this social media age, content creators, businesses, celebs, and media houses are always looking for new ways to reach and engage their audiences. This surge in demand for content across the various platforms also means live streaming is at an all-time high.
Live streaming now accounts for about a quarter of viewing time worldwide. To extend the reach of their streams, more people are finding a more seamless and effective approach to live broadcasting.
As a result, some have resorted to exclusive broadcasting, while others use multistreaming. In this guide, we’ll explore the two approaches and their benefits to help you pick the best.
Let’s get it!
Defining the Terms Multistreaming and Exclusive Broadcasting
Everyone has a slightly different approach to streaming when you consider their setup, software, editing, and live time. However, some creators believe in reaching as many viewers as possible; others would rather focus on a single platform with its viewers at a given time.
This practice of broadcasting your live show on a single platform to viewers on that specific platform is known as exclusive broadcasting. This means anyone wanting to watch or join your livestream has to hop onto your platform of choice, whether YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram.
Now, let’s look at the alternative.
What Is Multistreaming?
Multistreaming is the broadcasting of a live video show or the content of a virtual conference or event by a host to more than one channel or platform at once. These platforms could include Rumble, Facebook, X, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, or even a business website.
The objective of this approach to livestreaming is to maximize viewership and engagement by attracting audiences from various platforms. Content creators can use different types of multistreaming content to entertain or engage their fans. Some examples include live podcasts, recorded videos, live streams, webinars, etc.
Why Multistream Your Content to Different Outlets?
Overall, multistreaming to multiple channels increases the total number of views each broadcast receives when you combine views from different platforms. It also engages attendees, increases brand awareness, and facilitates a global reach.
Once you leverage the ad target approach, multistreaming reaches a wide array of audiences on several platforms. Take, for instance, trying to reach the multitudes through more traditional means like television networks or media houses. The costs involved in this approach could be astronomical. However, if you multistream, you could bring together these audiences at a fraction of the cost.
Though multistreaming saves money and time, you’ll still need to find the best streaming solution for each feed.
Now, let’s discuss the various benefits of these two livestreaming methods, starting with exclusive broadcasting.
Benefits of Exclusive Broadcasting
1. Garner a Narrow Viewer’s Attention
People desire to watch live streams. 82% of respondents prefer live brand videos over normal social media updates. With such tremendous demand, businesses that do not use live streaming fail to provide their customers with the engagement they need. Hence, brands that value live broadcasting will find it easier to woo and engage customers.
In addition, people tend to enjoy it for longer periods. Forrester estimates that viewers watch live videos for 10 to 20 times longer than on-page content. That means live broadcasts are far more fascinating than other entertainment, allowing you to create a genuine impression on your viewers and providing you with far more time to develop that essential connection with them.
2. Appeals to Younger Viewers
With exclusive broadcasting, it’s popular among young audiences. Almost half of Gen Z watch the shows they love live on social media. Hence, live streaming will become increasingly popular as the number of younger viewers grows. Companies that start now and build a live video presence will, on a specific platform, place their brand ahead of this highly foreseeable trend.
Also, it does well on social media. LinkedIn Live streaming has surged by 158% since February 2020, a trend shared by many other social media networks. Live streaming is an excellent method to engage your social media audiences on a large scale.
3. Nurtures and Manages Targeted Relations
Live video is intimate and fosters relationships, one platform at a time. An actual person hosting a live broadcast has a more personal and intimate feel than a pre-recorded video or something similar to a blog post. It enables real-time engagement, including live Q&A sessions and product demos.
It works particularly effectively with influencers. According to 89% of marketers today, influencer marketing works, and live streaming is a fantastic method to reach out to those influencers and engage your audience. Seeing a recognizable person in a live video may significantly increase your brand’s visibility in the eyes of prospective consumers.
4. Easy and Convenient
A widespread misconception about live streaming is that it is too complicated and technical for an ordinary individual to master. Live streaming, on the other hand, is rather straightforward. All you’ll need is a reliable streaming platform, an encoder, appropriate video and audio equipment, and a web connection.
Many professional streaming providers offer detailed documentation and instructional resources to assist broadcasters in using their platforms effectively. One advantage of live streaming is that professional streaming platforms make it simple for businesses to get started and reach a larger audience.
5. Numerous Uses for Content
There are other options for live broadcasting besides live video and audio streaming. You can add several video and multimedia formats, such as images, live chat, and text.
Many solutions provide a wide range of presentation techniques for users.
Moreover, your live broadcasts can also be used to create on-demand content. This helps you increase your viewership. One of the most significant advantages of live streaming is the ability to reuse your footage in any way that serves your business.
For example, you may repurpose livestream video footage by making snippets for your social media profiles. You may also write blog entries, podcasts, and other material to help promote your company.
Benefits of Multistreaming
1. Broaden Your Reach
The main advantage of multistreaming is reaching a wider audience and broadcasting to as many people as possible. Whether you’re just getting started or have been streaming for years, there’s no better time than now to concentrate on expanding your audience.
2. Easily Interact With a Diverse Community
Multistreaming platforms that have the required features, Evmux, make it simple to communicate with all of your listeners and viewers in one go. The platforms integrate channels like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook conversations into a single window, allowing you to simply read and communicate with everyone.
Stats show the leading platforms recorded 7.2 billion hours of content views in the third quarter of 2022 alone. So, it’s a massive opportunity to interact with your customers.
3. Every Platform Has Its Own Advantages
Enjoy every perk that Facebook, Trovo, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok provide to their users. Twitch continues to be the most widely used live streaming software, even while alternative services are expanding. YouTube provides the advantage of keeping VODs on your channel, which allows you to continue earning views even after your broadcast has stopped.
Each platform contains statistics and KPIs that are useful for analysis. You may compare engagement across several platforms to discover which are more popular and then focus your efforts on the ones where your content has the greatest impact.
4. More Chances for Monetization
Every site offers different opportunities to earn money. Bits, subscriptions, and advertisements are all ways for Twitch affiliates and partners to generate money. Meanwhile, the YouTube Partner Program allows subscribers to earn money through Super Chat, Super Stickers, channel subscriptions, and ad income.
Those who can make money on Facebook by streaming can do so through in-stream advertisements, fan subscriptions, business partnerships, and Stars. During broadcasts, creators who are members of TikTok’s “Creator Next” program can receive live gifts. Trovo producers may make money by selling subscriptions and Spells.
You may spread out your sources of income in a variety of ways, as you may have noticed. Of course, this applies regardless of the platform you use.
Creators may send their audience to their free merchandise store, tip page, or Patreon page. You may completely optimize these pages using the features of the best live streaming platform to keep your brand consistent and professional.
5. Conserve Time
Streaming on many platforms is an excellent time-saver. YouTube, for instance, will instantly publish your content as a video so your visitors can see your live-streamed show at a later time. This allows you to simplify your process and concentrate on producing because you won’t need to download and upload your stuff all the time.
Multistreaming or Exclusive Broadcast: Which is More Worth It?
Based on the perks and downsides of each option, it appears that launching your streaming efforts across several platforms and building a robust and active community may be the best approach. Once you’ve used the analytics on each platform to establish the most active and solid foundation, you can understand the platform’s intricacies while multistreaming and broadening your reach at the same time. But you may end up a jack of all trades and master of none if you don’t use the right streaming solution like Evmux to simplify the process.
How has multistreaming or concentrating on a single platform worked for you? Would appreciate hearing your opinions and any advice you may provide aspiring streamers!
