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Following a small rollout last year, YouTube is turning on live video recording from its mobile app for users who have at least 10,000 subscribers.
On top of that, the company is taking Super Chat — a service that gives creators a new way to monetize their live streams — out of its testing phase and launching it across 20 countries.
YouTube already supports live streaming via a computer, but will now add a live button to its mobile app, allowing users to stream on-the-go. Representatives from YouTube said the feature will be more widely rolled out in the near future and beyond the 10,000 subscriber limit, according to a TechCrunch article.
Super Chat is a paid comment that live stream viewers can purchase and send as a donation to the video creator, will be available to creators in more than 20 countries with at least 1,000 subscribers. After the payment, which starts at $1, comments will be highlighted and pinned to the top of the chat box for up to five hours.
It makes sense that YouTube is betting on live video moving forward — live mobile video is set to grow 39-fold from 2016 to 2021, and will represent 5% of total mobile video traffic within five years, according to recent data from Cisco. The recent announcements encourage creators and users to interact more on YouTube itself, rather than moving to other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. More than that, it will help YouTube:
Increase social engagement on its app. Along with its recent live mobile streaming announcement, YouTube recently launched an in-app messaging feature. The messaging feature is built directly in YouTube’s app, making it easier for users to chat and share videos. As of now, the new addition is only available in Canada, but if successful, YouTube will most likely roll out both the live video feature and in-app messaging feature on a global scale, which would solidify the company’s goal of creating a more social friendly platform.
Increase video views. Live mobile streaming combined with in-app messaging could lead to more video sharing among users and propel overall video views on the platform. This will be increasingly important as players such as Facebook and Snapchat have experienced triple-digit growth of daily video views over the last year and now rival that of YouTube in terms of total views.
If 2015 was the year that brands and advertisers embraced online video, then 2016 saw the medium take the next step as live streaming took off.
Live streaming video refers to broadcasts in real time to an audience over the internet. While the concept of live streaming has been around for years, mobile-first video platforms with user-generated content have just recently begun to make serious waves thanks to improved video quality, faster broadband speeds, and enhanced mobile technology.
Online video has become a key part of the strategic business model for both brands and marketers as they seek more innovative ways to capture consumer attention. Creative live streaming video initiatives and campaigns are a way for companies to cut through the digital clutter and have emerged as the medium of choice not only for person-to-person sharing, but also for business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) communication.
Brands are increasingly using live streaming to reach audiences. Its importance has grown significantly thanks to substantial investments by social platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and Twitter to build and enhance their live-streaming platforms.
And advertising dollars are likely to follow. 88% of agency respondents stated that they “might” or “definitely will” invest in live stream video advertising over the next six months, according to a recent Trusted Media Brands survey.
BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on live streaming video that examines the eruption of online video from the perspective of both consumers and advertisers and assesses how live streaming is emerging as the medium's next catalyst for growth.
Here are some key points from the report:
Live streaming video will further accelerate streaming videos overall share of internet traffic. Streaming video accounts for over two-thirds of all internet traffic, and this share is expected to jump to 82% by 2020, according to Cisco’s June 2016 Visual Networking Index report.
Live video’s value comes from its unique ability to add an authentic human element to digital communications. As a result, brands are leveraging three main streaming methods to connect with their viewers: tutorials, product launches, and exclusive and behind-the-scene footage.
Advertisers will continue to invest heavily in online video, especially as live streaming video gains traction. Already in the US, digital video ad revenue reached $7.8 billion in 2015, up 55% from 2014, according to figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau.
While live streaming is still in its early stages, brands are leveraging micropayments, mid-roll video ads and direct payments from social platforms, to monetize their live streaming videos.
The success of live streaming video hinges on brands overcoming a lack of measurement standards in the space, as well as changes in social media sites' algorithms that affect what content users see.
In full, the report:
Examines the eruption of live streaming video.
Explores the differences between platforms that host live streaming video.
Breaks down successful approaches from both brands and publishers.
Discusses unique monetization opportunities live streaming presents.
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