15 Benefits of Live Streaming with a Professional Service for Business [2024 Update]

There are many benefits of live streaming on mobiles. For starters, making your in-person events available for remote attendance is a great way to widen your business or organization’s reach. Increased availability and access to events is one of the reasons why the importance of live streaming has continued to increase.

With the help of a professional live streaming platform, you can host your first live stream event with little to no technical know-how. One of the advantages of live streaming is that it is easy to get into without lots of technical knowledge.

In this post, we’ll discuss what exactly streaming is and the benefits of live streaming events on mobile with a professional streaming service as opposed to a free platform, like YouTube or Dailymotion. Some advantages that we will cover include high-quality streaming, video analytics, video monetization, privacy and security, and more. There are numerous advantages of using a professional live streaming service for your business.

Table of Contents:

• What is Live Streaming?
• Why Use a Professional Live Streaming Service?
• Top 15 Benefits of Live Streaming with a Professional Service
• How to Live Stream with Zoom
• FAQs
• Conclusion

What is Live Streaming?

Live streaming is a broadcasting practice that brings audio and video of real-time happenings to mobile viewers over the internet. Live streaming is becoming more and more popular in the professional world as it helps businesses and organizations to connect with their audience on a deeper level despite the barrier of physical location. Increased access to events is why live streaming continues to gain in popularity.

Streaming live events online can be effective and impactful in a wide variety of contexts because it allows professionals to share in-person events, service promotions, live announcements, online classes, church services, and wildlife broadcasting. There are numerous reasons why live streaming could be right for your business.

Companies can also use live broadcasts to enhance and maximize direct communication with customers and community partners. Live streaming an event allows you to reach and interact with more people across the world. One of the top advantages of live streaming is that you can connect with a wider, worldwide audience.

In order to host live events, many broadcasters use live streaming software solutions and their toolbox of valuable streaming resources. A live streaming service for businesses allows you to present a professional front when sharing live video content.

And even though social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook enable you to do so, they’re primarily used for connecting with friends and family. Similarly, the YouTube app is a great platform for live video streaming through mobiles, but it doesn’t offer monetization options that you’d typically need if you’re hosting events for which you’d require viewers to pay. 

Why Use a Professional Live Streaming Service?

There are many benefits to using video live streaming services to broadcast your event as opposed to creating a server on your own.

Setting up your own live stream requires technical skills and experience that the average business professional doesn’t have. You can purchase your own server with Wowza Media Systems, for example, but this option can get too complicated and expensive. 

If you aren’t yet very familiar with streaming technology, it’s generally easiest and more affordable to use a professional live streaming service. Using this type of platform makes it easier for you to broadcast your live event with just a few clicks of your mouse. Working with a professional video streaming streaming service allows you to control your presentation. 

Top 15 Benefits of Live Streaming with a Professional Service

Let’s take a look at a few of the reasons why broadcasters use professional video services and the advantages live streaming has on hosting virtual streaming events.

1. High-Quality Streams

A global CDN is essential to broadcasting high-quality video, and overall stream benefits resulting in a quality experience.

When you stream with a free platform or your own servers, it’s difficult to achieve high-quality streaming. One of the benefits of live streaming with a professional service is that the robust infrastructure and good content delivery network (CDN) make it easier to achieve high-quality video. 

A CDN works as a global delivery system that distributes your content using the CDN’s own server. If you stream on your own, there is a high possibility that you will clog your servers.

When you’re streaming live videos, a few seconds’ worth of data is sent to the CDN server by the source, and this is stored there. The viewers are then sent that data pack quickly. In the meantime, other packs reach the CDN. This enables you to deliver high-quality live streams to your audience all around the globe with minimal lag. 

Using a CDN helps to decrease server load, lower the bandwidth, and reduce the overall delivery costs associated with live streaming. It also lowers network latency and helps you deliver smooth video content without display distortions, choppy audio, or out-of-sync audio.

When you broadcast live to other viewers, you want to ensure that your stream works perfectly and functions consistently without any technical glitches. This is why it’s wise to select a service with a reliable video streaming CDN.

Dacast, for example, partners with top-tier CDNs available on the market today to bring our users’ content to their viewers both far and wide. Working with a quality CDN is especially essential if you are trying to reach a worldwide audience.

The best mobile live streaming apps also offer adaptive bitrate streaming that enables viewers to watch streams on mobiles without buffering delay.

2. Greater Audience Potential

Another major benefit of live streaming is that it gives you the opportunity to reach out to a wider audience. Physical events are usually limited to the space available at a given venue. With live streaming, however, you can invite as many people as you like to “attend” your event. Sometimes people are interested in attending a particular event, but they can’t attend in person due to work commitments or increasing expenses.

Live streaming your event can make your content accessible to these people whom you wouldn’t reach otherwise. You can reach anyone in the world remotely through live streaming, as you are no longer limited by geographical or size constraints.

Your only limitation with live streaming is linked to the server capacity of the streaming service you choose. Be sure to choose a professional live streaming service that can match your viewership levels.

And if you’re only doing it for leisure or to connect with friends and family, you could even use social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. 

3. Wide Variety of Content Use

Live broadcasting isn’t solely restricted to live video and audio streaming services. You have the flexibility to use a variety of forms of video content and multimedia, including pictures, text, and live chat. 

Many platforms provide a lot of flexibility to access different presentation methodologies. 

Furthermore, you can repurpose your live streams into on-demand content. This allows you to maximize viewership. One of the primary benefits of live streaming is that you can reuse your content however you want to benefit your business.

For example, you can reuse the live stream video content by creating snippets for your social media accounts. You can also create blog posts, podcasts, and other content that can be used to further market your brand. 

4. Ease and Convenience

A common myth about live streaming is that it’s too difficult and technical for the average person to pull off. On the contrary, live streaming can be very simple. All you need are relevant video and audio equipment, an internet connection, an encoder, and a trusty streaming platform. 

Many professional streaming services provide in-depth documentation and tutorials to help broadcasters use their platforms. One of the benefits of live streaming is that professional streaming services make it easy for businesses to get into live streaming and connect with a broader audience. 

5. Analytics Tracking

The best live streaming services offer 24/7 customer support when you need it most.

It’s important to be able to track the success of your live-streamed event in terms of viewership and viewers’ behavior. Most professional streaming services are equipped with tracking tools and analytics dashboards to help you evaluate the outcome of your live event. 

With many video live streaming services, you can see relevant metrics like viewer numbers, engagement, and behaviors. You can find important data on the total number of video plays by location or time. This data will help you to identify more clearly who your audience really is. 

At that point, you can assess which aspects of your broadcast you may need to change for future events. This, in turn, will help you refine your overall content and strategy. One of the benefits of live streaming is that it provides you with real-time feedback on how your viewers are interacting with your content, which allows you to customize your content experience.

6. Customer Support

It can be tricky to troubleshoot technical problems, especially if you have minimal live streaming experience. Luckily, using a live streaming service typically means you have access to a knowledgeable 24/7 customer support team when troubles arise.

Alternatively, if you stream on your own, your only support will be Google or the information you already know about live streaming. A reliable live streaming service will provide you with ongoing customer support and will guide you through any difficulties you encounter. When streaming content live, you need a live support team by your side.

This is particularly crucial if you’re streaming a large-scale event such as a concert or your company’s annual general meeting. Disruptions during such events could prove to be costly and can harm your brand reputation. That’s where a reliable streaming service with effective support can come to your rescue.

7. Mobile Streaming

Most of your potential viewers likely use Mobiles and other smart devices. Since consumers today view almost half of all video content online through a mobile device, the odds are that the majority of your viewers will tune in via mobile streaming.

It’s important to keep up with these live streaming statistics and trends and to ensure that consumers can easily access your live stream via smartphone. 

Most platforms will allow you to stream your content to mobile devices and tablets through the dynamic HTML5 player, as opposed to the older Flash technology. 

The HTML5 video player is universal in the sense that it allows viewers to access your live stream anytime, anywhere. One of the benefits of live streaming with a professional streaming service is that it gives you easy access to this type of video player. Offering mobile live streaming is advantageous for you, as you will get to connect with a wider audience.

8. Distraction-Free Streaming

One of the most prominent downfalls of free streaming services like the YouTube mobile app is that the video player is loaded with distractions that can take away from the viewers’ experience. Unrelated advertisements and third-party logos tend to clutter the screen and take the focus away from your live event.

Another major benefit of live streaming with a professional service is that most of them offer ad-free streaming so you never have to burden your viewers with ads that simply aren’t related to your content.

Some platforms, like Dacast, are white-label services, which means that your live stream player comes equipped with control buttons that allow you to customize your content to your liking. That way, your viewers are focused on your content, not on other similar businesses and services.

9. Video Monetization

At this point, you may be wondering: how can I make money from live events? Luckily, many professional streaming services are equipped with a variety of tools for video monetization. This is one of the many benefits of live streaming.

If you want to monetize your videos, there are three distinct monetization models you can use; Ad-Based Video on Demand (AVOD), Subscription Video on demand (SVOD), and Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD). 

With AVOD, you’ll provide content to your viewers for free and use ad-revenue to offset the live streaming costs. 

Another method is to charge viewers to watch your live stream just like they’d pay for a movie or concert ticket. This is called the TVOD monetization model, where viewers can pay via a pay-per-view model. The third monetization model is SVOD, which involves getting access to video content only with a monthly subscription.

A video paywall is necessary for SVOD and TVOD monetization. It restricts free access to digital content by requiring a viewer to purchase the video or pay for a subscription to gain access to the content.

It’s up to you to choose the payment plan that works for you and your video live streaming goals.

Many live streaming platforms also give you the option to monetize with sponsored ads. The benefit of free platforms here is that you’re in control of which ads are displayed.

One of the biggest advantages of live streaming is that it gives your business more ways to make money.

For instance, if you’re organizing a one-off event, you could consider using TVOD method of monetization by demanding a one-time fee, much like what the audience would have to pay if they were attending the event physically too. 

10. Reliable Global Delivery

Most professional streaming solutions partner with powerful content delivery networks (CDNs). A CDN is a collection of servers placed strategically across different geographic regions. Partnering with powerful CDNs does more than avoid lagging and quality issues. It helps you to ensure reliable content delivery to viewers both near and far.

A CDN partnership is the best way to secure global content delivery.

Some streaming services also have partnerships with the Chinese government that make it possible to stream across the Great Firewall. This clearance is difficult to get since it often requires signing papers and filing documents in China. That’s why it is advantageous to use a video hosting platform that has already put in that work.

With the right professional video streaming service, you can literally send your content around the globe. That is an advantage you just can’t experience with in-person events.

11. Customizable Video Player

As we mentioned earlier, many professional streaming platforms support distraction-free video streaming. They allow you to stream without third-party ads or logos. However, using a paid streaming solution takes it a step further by providing a customizable HTML5 video player.

Not only can you customize the branding, but you can select functional elements of the video player. It is up to you to decide what buttons and controls your player has, in addition to whether or not the player is responsive. You can set the size to fit wherever it is embedded and more.

The ability to customize your video player allows you to integrate it seamlessly into the app or web page where it will live. These small things add a very professional touch. Having a custom video player is a big benefit of working with a professional video hosting provider.

12. Cost-Effectiveness

Another advantage of live streaming with a professional service is that it is generally more cost-effective than self-hosting and investing in all of the related technology. This is especially applicable when it comes to content delivery and bandwidth.

Access to a powerful CDN is expensive when you purchase it outside of a professional streaming service. CDN prices are often determined by how much bandwidth you use, so the cost can creep up on you.

Since streaming services for business are typically equipped with easy-to-use features, you don’t need to hire a developer to configure things for you. Some professional streaming services are more expensive than others, but it is almost always cheaper to go with one of these pre-developed software options. You can save yourself both time and money, both of which are valuable resources, by working with a professional streaming service.

13. Integrations with External Tools

Another benefit of live streaming with professional service is the level of integration you can get. Although many professional streaming solutions have a wide range of features, there is a common recognition that there can always be more useful tools.

The best streaming services are equipped with video API access, which allows you to customize your video hosting experience by integrating external apps and programs. This could include encoders, mixers, CRMs, and more.

One of Dacast’s most valuable integrations is Zoom. Broadcasters can integrate with Zoom live streaming to use the web conferencing platform’s peer-to-peer functionality while still taking advantage of the live streaming service’s professional hosting features.

14. Privacy and Security

Privacy and security are now more important than ever as piracy is at an all-time high. More than 80% of global online piracy can be attributed to illegal streaming services, with pirated video material totaling over 230 billion views a year.

Free streaming platforms, like DailyMotion and YouTube, have no real privacy or security tools, so it is almost impossible to limit access to your content. Paid tools, however, are generally equipped with both privacy and security features. This keeps your content and video CMS safe from hackers and it allows you to control who has access to your video players.

Some features for privacy and security include:

• Password protection
• Tokenized security
• IP/Geographic restrictions
• Domain/Referrer restrictions

These tools make it possible to protect your video content from people with poor intentions. Your content is valuable, which is why you are going to want to protect it with the tools offered by a professional video service. 

15. Streamlined Broadcasting Experience

With all of the benefits we mentioned above, it is safe to say that live streaming with a professional service helps streamline the broadcasting experience. With all of your streaming tools on one, easy-to-use platform, it is quite simple to get started.

Most platforms include all of the tools you need to host, manage, monetize, and deliver your content, so you’re not jumping from program to program to bring it all together. It ensures that the entire live streaming experience for your viewers is great too.

How to Live Stream with Zoom

As we mentioned, the ability to stream with the support of integrations can really elevate the broadcasting experience. Some live streams, like webinars, conferences, and private events, call for participation from the audience, but many professional streaming services don’t have web conferencing capabilities.

Zoom is among the most popular peer-to-peer conferencing tools, but on its own, it is not capable of the advanced streaming professional online video platforms are. As we mentioned, some of these online video platforms, including Dacast, can be integrated with Zoom to give broadcasters access to the best of both tools.

Let’s run through the four steps for live streaming an event with the Zoom live streaming integration on Dacast.

Please note that this tutorial requires you to have a  Zoom Pro, Business, Education, or Enterprise account to access the “Custom Live Streaming Service” Zoom feature.

Step 1: Create Your Dacast Live Stream

Log in to your Dacast account, and go to the “Live Stream” section on the left-side vertical menu. Click “Create Live Stream” on the right side of your screen. Enter a stream name, then select the type of stream.

Click “Create”:

Your live stream should now appear in your live streams list. You can manage the stream by clicking the “Edit” icon on the right side.

Your live stream should now appear in your live streams list. You can manage the stream by clicking the “Edit” icon on the right side.

Step 2: Enable “Live on Custom Live Streaming Service” 

Log in to your Zoom Pro, Business, Education, or Enterprise account. On the vertical menu to the left navigate to Admin. Click “Account Management” then “Account Settings.” 

In the section “In Meeting (Advanced)” under the meeting tab, turn on the option “Allow Live Streaming Meetings,” and check the sub-option “Custom Live Streaming Service”:

Update the instructions so that the meeting organizer can configure the required settings when scheduling the meeting. You can find these instructions in your Dacast account.  Edit the live channel you want to use to stream the Zoom meeting.

Under the “General” tab, click “Encoder Setup,” and use the copy icon to copy and paste the required values into your Zoom account:

Make sure to use the following format: 

Stream URL: rtmp://{Username}:{Password}@{Server (without rtmp://)}

Stream key: {Stream Key}

Live streaming page URL: you can use your website URL or the Share Link in the General tab of the live stream.

This is what it should look like:

Step 3: Set Up Your Zoom Custom Live Streaming Meeting 

On your Zoom account, click “Meetings” then “Schedule a New Meeting.” Enter the required information, and click “Save” to display advanced options:

At the bottom of the page, click the “Live Streaming” tab. Then, click the “Configure Live Stream Settings” link:

Apply the information in the green box in accordance with the format we provided in Step 2:

Click “Save” to save your live streaming settings. Now, the host will be able to live stream this meeting without having to add these settings after the beginning of the event.

Step 4: Start Streaming 

On your Dacast account, make sure that the live stream used for the meeting is set to “Online”:

Open the Zoom application or web portal, and start your meeting. At the bottom of the Zoom window, click the “•••” icon and select “Live on Custom Live Streaming Service.” 

If the Streaming URL, Streaming key, and Streaming page URL have not been entered at this point, Zoom will open a window where you can paste these values from the Encoder Setup section of your Dacast live stream. 

Once you have your Zoom and Dacast accounts connected and all of your settings configured, you are now ready to live stream your Zoom meeting straight to your website via Dacast.

FAQ

1. What is live streaming and how does it work?

Live streaming is the method of sharing videos with your viewers in real-time on mobile, TV, and laptop, such that they can watch the event being broadcasted with just a few seconds of delay. The video isn’t shot and stored—it’s directly sent. It works by transmitting the video content in pieces over the internet to a CDN, from where it’s delivered to the viewers on mobiles and other devices. 

2. How do you livestream?

To livestream on mobile, all you need is an internet-connected device that can shoot videos and transmit them in real-time. Here are the steps involved:

• Start your audio and video devices (mobile)
• Configure your encoder (skippable for mobiles)
• Connect to your live streaming platform 
• Start shooting and streaming

3. Can you stream on a mobile device?

Yes, it’s very much possible to stream on a mobile device as long as you’ve got the right mobile app for it. You could do it through social media mobile apps like Instagram and Facebook. You can also live stream through the YouTube mobile app. 

4. What equipment do you need for live streaming?

Here’s a list of the various equipment you should be using for live streaming:

• Camera (can be mobile)
• Microphone
• Encoder
• Lighting setup
• Stabilizing setup

5. What is mobile video streaming?

Mobile video streaming is a method through which you live stream content from a mobile and share it with your viewers in real-time. This could happen either through a social media platform app on mobile like Instagram and Facebook or through a streaming service. 

Conclusion

Live streaming services are designed to help you broadcast like a professional and create videos that stand out to your mobile viewers. Connecting with your audience is at the top list of the importance of live streaming for businesses.

These platforms are built for creating content that shows your audience that you are a forward-thinking and technologically savvy company skilled at implementing innovative and up-to-date solutions. 

Overall, live streaming services allow you to access a broader viewer base and customize the viewing experience to meet the needs of diverse consumers.

Not sure how to choose the best live streaming service? We recommend reading comparisons of the top streaming platforms and taking advantage of free trials.

Start with Dacast and our 14-day risk-free trial. All you have to do to get started is sign up today. No credit card is required.

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We love to hear from our readers, so sound off in the comment section if you have any questions or comments. For regular tips on live streaming, feel free to join our LinkedIn group.