Multicasting vs Broadcasting: What is the difference?

Broadcasting has been around for a long time as one of the key ways of transmitting information to the masses. It is commonly used in radio and traditional television, and with broadcasting, it is possible to send the same message to the homes of many recipients. On the other hand, multicasting is a new wave with a slightly different way of transmitting information.

Understanding the difference between multicasting and broadcasting is essential for those in the streaming and networking space. The two methods differ severely in crucial aspects, such as cost efficiency, scalability, network design, etc. 

Stay with us to read everything you need to know about the differences between multicasting vs. broadcasting. We’ll discuss the use of the two transmission methods and how they can be used for more efficient bandwidth use.

Table of Contents:

• What is Broadcasting?
• The Definition of Multicasting
• Key Differences Between Multicasting and Broadcasting
• Best Use Cases for Broadcasting
• Best Use Cases for Multicasting
• Multicasting vs. Broadcasting: Which One To Choose?
• Conclusion
• FAQ

What is Broadcasting?

We have read or heard the word broadcasting multiple times in our lives. But what does it mean? Let us explain it in simple terms. Broadcasting can be defined as audio or video content delivery to a wider audience through different mediums. It allows broad audiences to receive the same program at the same time. The first radio broadcast was made in 1895, when Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, set up a temporary radio station. The first television broadcast began in 1954 on RAI. 

The Process of Broadcasting and How It Works

Here is a brief overview of how broadcasting works, i.e. what is the process of getting a program to be seen by many people at once:

• Content creation. Creating audio or video content.
• Pre-production. Organizing the content production, including scripting, casting, and more.
• Production. This phase involves the recording of the content. 
• Post-production. Editing the content which is subject to changes such as adding effects, sharpening the image, etc.
• Transmission. Once it is ready, the content is sent out via satellites or the internet. Sometimes, this involves using transmitters for radio and TV or streaming servers.
• Reception. The audiences receive the content through radios, TVs, smartphones, and computers. 

Broadcasting is a typical example of one-to-many streaming, transmitting a single piece of content to many viewers or listeners. The ability to send a unified message to a lot of people makes it perfect for advertising, propaganda, or any other action that requires massive audiences. 

The Most Popular Forms of Broadcasting

The most popular ways of content consumption have changed during the evolution of broadcast distribution networks. These changes occur not only due to advances in technology but also due to changes in consumer habits. 

At first, in the first half of the 20th century, radio was the most popular means of transmitting various types of content. Later, television took over that primacy and is still considered the most popular medium. However, in the last 20 years, with the massification of the Internet, OTT (over-the-top) streaming services have become a more popular way of consuming content.

Television

Television has three ways of transmission:

• Broadcast TV. It is the traditional way of broadcasting, with over-the-air channels.
• Cable TV. Cable TV includes subscription-based services that offer a broad variety of programs.
• Satellite TV. The services in Satellite TV provide channels via satellite signals.

The Definition of Multicasting

Multicasting is a method of transmission that involves sending a single piece of data from one sender to multiple recipients simultaneously, but it is not sent to everyone on the network. It is the perfect solution for grabbing the attention of more specific audiences and using bandwidth more efficiently. 

How Does Multicasting Differ From Broadcasting?

Some of the main points where multicasting significantly differs from broadcasting are:

• Audience. While broadcasting sends data to all devices on a particular network, multicasting targets the audience that has an interest in receiving the content. 
• Efficiency. Broadcasting may lead to network congestion as the same data is sent to all devices. Multicasting reduces the overall network load, making the transmission of the data more efficient. 
• Bandwidth usage. Broadcasting has massive bandwidth usage, while multicasting conserves it by sending data only to a specific group. 
• Use cases. Broadcasting is common in traditional channels like television and radio, where the same content is intended to be sent to all viewers or listeners. On the other hand, when talking about multicasting, streaming services and online gaming are the most used apps. 

How Is Multicasting Used in Networks?

Multicasting is used in networks primarily for efficient and targeted data transmission and differs from the one-to-all approach taken by broadcasting. It takes a one-to-some communication, meaning the data is sent to a selected group that has expressed interest in it. Here are some of the most common ways of multicasting usage:

• Streaming services. Streaming can be live and on-demand using multicasting technology for video delivery. Sports events, live concerts, and other live events are sent to multiple users who want to watch it using multicasting. Often, the streaming services charge per view. IPTV and apps like Netflix, Disney+, etc allow on-demand viewing, using multicasting to send data to people that request it.  
• Video conferencing. Video conferencing through platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams sends streams to meeting audiences without overloading the network using multicasting. 
• Online gaming. Online multiplayer games use multicasting to send updates to players, so all interested audiences receive the same information at once. 
• Content distribution networks (CDNs). CDNs use multicasting to distribute content across multiple locations, while users can access the content without multiplied data transfer. 

The Multicasting Role in Efficient Bandwidth Use

Multicasting plays a huge role in efficient bandwidth use, which is one of its main advantages over broadcasting. Here is how multicasting reduces bandwidth usage:

• Reduced duplication. Multicasting sends one copy of data to a group of interested consumers, rather than sending multiple copies of the same data. It reduces bandwidth usage and improves efficiency. 
• Selected audience. The targeted distribution of data that is achieved by multicasting means that it only sends the content to a selected audience, and the necessary bandwidth is used for users who are interested in the content, also leading up to better engagement.
• Network efficiency. The multicast traffic is managed more efficiently by routers because they establish a group of addresses. This allows them to send data only to the locations of the multicast users, rather than broadcasting it to the whole network. 
• Scalability. An increased number of users does not usually lead to an efficiency drop-off in multicasting. The same data stream serves all members, so there is no additional bandwidth required.
• Lower cost- better quality. Multicasting in video streaming, as well as audio streaming, allows higher quality with higher cost-efficiency due to bandwidth efficiency and reduced network overload. Limited data duplication also prevents congestion and maintains the level of performance. 

Key Differences Between Multicasting and Broadcasting

We have already mentioned some differences, but let’s look at some key differences between multicasting and broadcasting.

Side-by-side Comparison Between Multicasting and Broadcasting

Major Points Breakdown

Here is a short breakdown of the major multicasting points:

• Data transmission method.  Special multicast IP addresses are used for data transmission. Each group is assigned a unique IP address that allows smoother flow due to routers managing traffic efficiently. The sender shares a single copy of the data to the multicast address and it is delivered to all the participants of the group. Devices that are interested in receiving multicast data send a request to join the network using different network protocols for streaming. This way, the routers know which devices need to receive the stream. Routers use protocols such as PIM to manage and direct traffic. This type of network minimizes unnecessary traffic and optimizes bandwidth usage.  
• Efficiency. The multicasting efficiency lies in reduced bandwidth consumption, targeted delivery, more efficient routing, higher scalability, cost-effectiveness, and faster delivery compared to broadcasting.
• Scalability. Handling growth is one of the main strengths of multicasting. The same data stream serves all the new participants in the multicast group, without the need for additional bandwidth, which is not the case with broadcasting. This is especially important in live streaming and online gaming industries, where users’ numbers can highly fluctuate.  

Best Use Cases for Broadcasting

Broadcasting has its advantages over multicasting in certain spheres of public space. Here are some cases in which this method of data transmission is efficient and useful.

Television and Radio Programming

Television and radio programs are created to be accessible to the masses. Therefore, broadcasting is a much better option than multicasting for this type of content. This includes:

• News
• Public announcements on the occasion of various emergencies and events affecting the entire public
• Official communication by the government
• Political messages and campaigns
• Local events
• Festivals
• Advertising
• Cultural and religious programs. 

Also, broadcasting live events involving national teams, educational programs, and some types of music programs is better suited than multicasting.

Best Use Cases for Multicasting

Multicasting is ideal in situations where content needs to be transmitted to a specific group of recipients simultaneously. 

Live Streaming Events

Live streaming events such as professional sports events and live concerts are better streamed across the network using multicast video distribution methods. This way the latency is reduced, there is higher scalability and growth handling, and the stream does not overload the network. The multicast delivery method is highly suitable for live video streaming platforms. 

Video Conferencing

Real-time video transmission in corporate meetings such as webinars, training sessions, and virtual meetings is crucial. Therefore, using multicast video streaming, the sender can share the data with a very specific group of people. 

Online Gaming

Minimal latency can cause huge interference in real-time multiplayer online games. That is why multicast is the best option for this type of data transmission. The sender can now share the game state updates with all the players in the network, ensuring all the participants receive the same information with reduced bandwidth use. 

Content Distribution Networks (CDN)

Multicasting via a CDN is the best option when delivering large media files or streaming content to multiple users, reducing server overload and improving load times. Also, it can be of huge importance in IP-based systems, such as IPTV multicasting, delivering channels to multiple subscribers over an IP network. 

Multicasting vs. Broadcasting: Which One To Choose?

In the previous part of the text, we have captured the importance of multicasting and the advantages over broadcasting, as well as the situations in which broadcasting is more useful. What is the best way to choose between these two transmission methods?

Addressing the User Needs

When choosing between the two transmission methods, it should be said that the key factor is the user’s needs. There is no unified answer to this question, but it all depends on what you need. You should choose multicasting if your needs include:

• Sending data to targeted audiences. If you need to send data only to users who have expressed interest in receiving the content, multicasting is the thing for you. The type of content that requires specific audiences is best sent through multicasting. 
• Bandwidth efficiency. Use multicasting if you need to conserve bandwidth, especially when sending large files of data to multiple users. Bandwidth efficiency reduces operational costs in the longer term. 
• Scalability. If the growth handling is important to you, you expect fluctuations in the user numbers and want to maintain the quality through it without the costs increasing, consider using multicasting.  
• Low latency. Multicasting provides low-latency streaming and quicker delivery for applications, making it perfect for live streaming and online gaming. 
• Network optimization. If you have a network infrastructure that supports multicast content delivery protocols, such as IGMP and PIM, you should consider using multicast. 

Consider broadcasting if any of the following needs apply to you:

• Addressing a wide audience. If you are addressing a wide audience, and you need to reach every device in the network, without targeting and regardless of whether they are interested in the information, broadcasting is the best option.

• Simple content. If your messages are simple and need to reach the masses and diverse audiences, broadcasting is the best way to do it.

• General content. If your content is of interest to a wide and diverse audience, broadcasting is the best way to spread that content across the network. 

• Limited infrastructure. If you have limited infrastructure and you need a cheaper solution to reach broad audiences, broadcasting is the way to do it. 

Conclusion

The differences between broadcasting vs. multicasting are significant. Some of the most important ones include efficient bandwidth usage, scalability, audience engagement, quality of service, and network design. All of them are massive factors when determining cost efficiency.

Traditional broadcasting is fading away, and multicasting is increasingly becoming the main way of data transmission. Choosing multicasting instead of broadcasting leads to more efficient bandwidth usage, a better-targeted audience, and lower costs due to reduced unnecessary data transmission. The quality of service outweighs the quantity, and multicasting provides just that.

Broadcasting techniques for video delivery have been the way to go for over half a decade, allowing the broad audience to be served unified data using the one-to-all approach. However, the future lies in the multicasting ability to provide quality targeted content to those who show interest in it, while reducing unnecessary data traffic.

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FAQ

Q: What is the best way for content to reach a wide and diverse audience without targeting?

A: If you need to reach the general public, downsides such as lack of targeting are not a problem for you; broadcasting technology is the way to do it. You will be able to deliver the message to a broad audience reaching all the devices in the whole network. 

Q: What are the biggest benefits of multicasting?

A: Some of the most important benefits of multicasting are bandwidth efficiency, targeted audience, scalability, and efficient routing. One of the biggest advantages of multicasting is the fact that the content is transmitted to the locations of the registered users, making them more convenient for the network. 

Q: What is the better solution for live video, broadcast vs multicast?

A: Live video streaming requires scalability, low latency and not overloading the bandwidth. Broadcasting streaming solutions are not as advanced, as all of the above characteristics are inherent for the multicasting technology, making it a better solution for live streaming.