1. Introduction to Live Streaming
Live stream service is no passing phase. In fact, research by Google found that 65% of video viewers engage more with live streams compared to pre-recorded content. In an event context, live streaming Singapore opens up the possibility to reach audiences who cannot physically be at the event, for reasons that might range from having their hands full with work that day to living halfway across the world. It is a popular engagement tool, with 47% of viewers reporting that they are likely to share live videos with their friends and 43% willing to switch loyalty if they find better content on a competitor channel.
Are you thinking of live streaming your event in Singapore? While the concept of live streaming has been around for years, the trend has truly taken off in recent years with platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Live making it easier than ever for people to broadcast in real-time. Whether it is a concert, a game, or a lecture, live streaming makes it possible to offer content to a wider audience – one that is not limited to the space in front of the stage.
1.1. Definition and Importance of Live Streaming
Live streaming is something that’s now very much in demand. But have you thought why? Think about it. Would you rather watch a snail race recorded long ago or do you, like others, find something happening right now more riveting and exciting? With its real-time availability, live streaming is just a much more engaging option, and that’s the bottom line that makes it extremely popular right now. People from around the world could tune in using the same website source and feel themselves to be an electrifying part of the action and happening. If you’re worried just because you live in Singapore and aren’t able to be a part of events happening halfway across the globe, you just got to thank live streaming for making it feel like a next-door party that you are more than welcome to walk into.
If you’ve not heard about this term before, worry not, that’s why we are here! Simply put, it’s the ability to broadcast something live over the internet. In other words, you could be alive and well in Singapore and thanks to live streaming, someone living in another part of the world – say Canada – will be able to follow along and see the same thing happening in real time. For most of us city rats who have been caught in an impossible movie ticket line or perhaps impossibly stuck in the office when our favorite soccer team was playing a match, or many of us who have endless relatives and friends living far and away around the entire globe, we are aware of just how disappointing it can be. It isn’t just events, channels like Twitch stream all sorts of activities which could range from a marathon to a pregnancy. Interfaces are available for all platforms from mobile phones to iPads. Pretty much anything that has a screen and online connection capabilities could be used to stream and of course, we should not forget our desktops, laptops, and smart TVs as well.
2. Live Streaming Services in Singapore
While the answer to the first question may seem obvious, it’s an unhesitating yes should you need the clarity – your role shouldn’t be diminished. Instead of instructing the audience to switch off their mobile devices, explain how they can interact with you whether they’re physically present or tuning in, as well as why it will be beneficial for the main event afterwards. Once they get a better idea of your show and how professionally done it is, they’ll be sure to tune in for the next event instead of feeling they’re missing out and not bothering to attend altogether. They’ll already have had a taste of what to expect, and will be sure to want to experience the full event as a result.
The bulk of your research is over; you’ve chosen to live stream your event for all the right reasons, carefully considered your audience and how they access information, found a company specializing in live streaming for events in Singapore to work with, and the event is now set to take place. What else do you need to know before the cameras start rolling? Will your role be diminished and your ability to engage with your audience limited?
2.1. Overview of Live Stream Service Providers
One of the factors that need to be considered when selecting a live stream service provider in Singapore is the type of event that the service is needed for. It can be particularly challenging to deliver professional quality live streaming services for large events such as shareholder or town hall meetings where the expectations from the viewers are highest. Furthermore, it is not easy to predict the number of concurrent viewers who will be logging in and ultimately watching the live stream. In a similar manner, there are extra professional demands by families for their once-in-a-lifetime wedding events compared to those simply celebrating their birthdays as a private event. The level of satisfaction (or displeasure) of the viewers who watch such live streaming events directly impacts their opinions of the quality and value of your content and brand.
Some event companies and live stream service providers facilitate live streaming for events as a turnkey solution, which not only includes physical hardware setup but also end-to-end services such as pre-event preparations, day-of-event live streaming, and in some cases, on-site or on-demand recordings and light video editing. Others may deal only with the rental of live streaming hardware equipment. The availability of such complete live streaming solutions may be particularly useful to corporate and government events where their staff have their hands full with other event logistics.
2.2. Key Features and Technologies
Multimedia is no longer a novelty. The world has embraced it in the form of video and audio, plus a multitude of other elements such as interactivity and the internet. Live streaming for events is the most exciting application domain of this technology. However, to separate live streaming from other multimedia technologies, we must concentrate on several distinct key features that differentiate live streaming from on-demand streaming and other multimedia applications. These key features are temporal relationships, content synthesis from multiple sources, and synchronization. The technology using service specifications, densely populated sensor nets, and planning and adaptation are discussed in this chapter. The accurate measurement, estimation, and control of the current bandwidth of live streams are considered with proposals for technology to perform these functions in this chapter. Addressing the quality of each individual live stream domain is the key following which measurement of received video streams provides accurate feedback on this quality, resulting in visual comfort improvement mediated by technologies that enable the reduction of both physical delay (making visual feedback of user actions synchronous) and perceptual delay.
3. Benefits of Live Streaming for Events
Using a live streaming app would mean that your event would no longer be limited. During events, your audience might consider taking a break in between. And in order to continue participating, you might also have to consider cutting down the time between your events. But with live streaming, your event can go as long as necessary without any breaks, and your audience can take as many breaks as needed, knowing they will not miss out on anything because they can continue watching live later.
In the 21st century, live streaming is becoming a big part of our lives. Since the introduction of Meerkat and Periscope in 2015, everything from sport games to how people go about their daily lives is being streamed live. Businesses can leverage the trend and benefit by using live streaming as a tool. This is especially rewarding in highly connected and increasing digital platforms such as those in Singapore. For events in Singapore, bridging the use of live streaming technology would result in several beneficial factors.
Events in Singapore are known to be large in scale, but how do they reach a broader audience? This is where live streaming for events in Singapore comes into play, being the perfect tool to maximize exposure and provide the audience with the same quality of experience even if they were not able to attend the event. With that being said, read on more to find out how live streaming is beneficial to your events in Singapore.
3.1. Wider Audience Reach
You can also offer live-streamed content after the event has ended and not just confined to streaming it once-off. This allows audiences who did not get to watch it during the event period the opportunity to catch up as well. In addition, you can repurpose the video content by adding it into your multimedia website platform or uploading it into YouTube. This can increase your content arsenal for your digital media content.
With live stream, you can reach out to audiences virtually anywhere. By doing so, you are no longer limited by the space within the event venue and can potentially do away with the need to book a larger venue just to accommodate a bigger crowd. This would result in cost savings from venue booking fees and the need for lesser setup, such as printing and setting up of more chairs. Not only that, you are no longer constrained by geography as you can reach out to audiences anytime, anywhere around the world. Even if they are located in some other parts of the world during the event, they can still join in and watch the event in real-time.
3.2. Increased Engagement and Interaction
With live streaming, even people who are unable to make it to your event are able to participate. For remote audiences, live streaming offers an effective way to be part of real-time discussions, share in event celebrations, and participate in Q&A sessions. In fact, a live broadcast has the potential to connect with up to 1.47 billion people on Facebook daily. Finally, live streaming also gives on-site attendees a chance to relive the events they attended. Think of it as a digital keepsake of any significant moment – be it an inspiring product launch or a heartfelt message from a keynote speaker. These videos are also more effective in evoking emotions – research from 2013 found that videos with high emotional engagement performed better in driving social shares, and certain combinations of emotions can drive video messages.
Live streaming offers an effective way to boost engagement and interactivity during events. With live streaming, audiences from all over the world can tune in and participate in your event. This means that brands and event organizers get the opportunity to interact and engage with a larger pool of audiences. Moreover, these audiences are often more engaged too – a recent survey found that 44% of live video viewers would be more likely to engage with streamers if live video content was available. In addition, live streaming also encourages interactivity during events. Most live streaming platforms allow hosts to interact with virtual audiences – fielding questions, comments, and engaging audiences in real-time. Increased engagement and interaction lead to a more immersive and memorable event experience for both in-person and remote audiences.
4. Challenges and Solutions in Live Streaming
Audio Problems: – Use an audio mixer to ensure that all audio problems are rectified. – Consider using a standalone audio encoder too.
3) Low Camera Quality: – Professional cameras tend to produce extremely high-quality recordings. – Consider using a professional camera, HDMI video source, and live streaming encoder to achieve the best video quality.
2) Live Streaming Interruptions: – Always conduct a speed test on-site before streaming to ensure that the network is able to support uninterrupted live streaming. – Creating a backup cellular bond with a wireless Wi-Fi hotspot or a self-contained cellular tower is good practice. – Using an encoder that is able to manage multiple simultaneous network connections can also help to ensure that the internet connection is stable.
1) Poor internet connection: – Locations with weak cellular signals or no Wi-Fi tend to be unsuitable for live streaming. – Choose a location with strong cellular signals, an available wired network, or a permanent internet connection.
While live streaming indeed offers many advantages, it also comes with quite a few challenges for event organizers. These include poor internet connections, streaming interruptions, low camera quality, or poor audio.
4.1. Technical Issues and Troubleshooting
High Definition (HD) streaming also needs a more potent system to broadcast. If the computer used to stream has an older processor or graphics card, it may also have trouble dealing with HD video encoding tasks, leading to lagging which could disturb the participants. It is best to test the setup before the event to ensure everything functions properly. If the venue uses a proxy server, the computer will encounter bandwidth issues, which will lower the stream quality. If the venue does use a proxy server, temporarily disable it on the streaming computer while the event is being streamed to the web. If you encounter any issues with your stream such as audio or visual disruptions, it is best to inform your webcast service provider immediately to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
A stable internet connection is most important for live streaming. It goes without saying that the venue(s) should be equipped with good internet access. Live streaming requires a steady upload speed. Although it is not as resource-intensive as downloading, since their measures are usually not equal, you might want to compare the figures with standard video resolution (e.g. 1280 x 720 pixels – 1MB of upload speed) to have a reasonable idea of what to expect. It’s best not to share the internet connection with multiple users. Businesses and residential areas typically see unusual spikes in usage at certain times of the day, so stream during non-peak hours or check with your service provider before your event. Make sure to input an Ethernet Cable into the Live Broadcasting/Endpoint Equipment for stability. Use a device that has a wired connection instead of a wireless one.
5. Best Practices for Successful Live Streaming
As the demand for live streaming increases, here is a list of things we recommend you prepare before broadcasting your live event. Many of the suggestions apply to both events that are exclusively online and a physical event that is broadcasted live. The first thing to do is to configure a webinar registration form and accompany the software with an agenda to allow users to obtain information on the topics dealt with by the speakers. A keyword analysis should be performed, and a video to be published must be produced on one of the topics to be addressed. The most interesting sections of the video are best to be divided into microclips with short parts of the speech.
There are also ways to increase SEO for live streaming during the event itself. For example, when sharing the live video on social networks such as Facebook, use the title of the event and a very brief outline of the topic. Encourage live engagements on social to encourage viral sharing and commenting. Use creative title tags to improve visibility on Google. It is also possible to boost visibility on YouTube by activating the subscription function and making the video public. A useful tip is to pin a comment with a call to action with the links to the website to lead prospective clients or individuals interested in the event topic to a landing page aimed at newsletter subscriptions.
5.1. Pre-Event Planning and Preparation
What happens during or on the evening of the event that the client must consider before the event?
– Scripting: The MC or comparison speaker needs to be scripted with a call to action during the live event to monitor the screen sound.
– Transition slides: Transition slides to promote the live event before, during each break, and afterwards.
– Vision mixing and editing: Vision mixing with branded intro and outro slides and cutting presentations together afterwards. The video may be laid over with ambient music.
– Event disruption: Any live presentation will need to be recorded without audio, light, or visual disruption. Careful placement of the live event audience and presenters will be required.
– Sound: Lapel microphones, shotgun microphones, audio recording equipment, and experts to ensure the speaker or panel can be heard. Additional background microphones should also work in harmony with the live audience microphones.
– Videography: A professional videography team is necessary to capture the presenter. Video camera and equipment may need to be purchased, hired, or supplemented with additional equipment.
In our experience, every event has the potential to be live streamed. The biggest inhibitor to this is budget. To live stream an event, the following needs to be created or modified:
Pre-event planning and preparation
The most important part of the event is the actual live streaming – sending “filtered” video and audio to the world to view. We will now discuss pre-live streaming preparation and event run-down during the event.
5.1. Pre-Event Planning and Preparation
Live streaming for events in Singapore: What you need to know