Online live streaming is cost-efficient, takes shorter production time, and attracts real-time engagement. However, several live video streaming services struggle to attract viewers and boost engagement on their telecasts. Investing big dollars in the marketing of your online video streaming platform can be one solution to gain more views. But it is not sustainable for small broadcasters or services that are just starting up.
However, you can leverage social media and other platforms to boost your reach and engagement organically. You can easily live stream the same content on your social media accounts and other platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. It will help you increase your viewership and gain more traction on social feeds.
This is where Simulcasting becomes relevant.
What is Simulcasting?
You may have stumbled on this word for the first time. When we combine ‘simultaneous’ and ‘broadcasting’, its portmanteau becomes simulcasting. In simple terms, when a live stream is broadcasted on different platforms and channels simultaneously, it is known as simulcasting.
Simulcasting has enabled live streaming broadcasters to meet their audience where they are. Broadcasting on one platform can limit the number of viewers, but if you broadcast simultaneously on multiple platforms including social media, website, and mobile app; you have the potential to reach millions of users at the same time.
How Simulcasting Works?
You can leverage three ways to simulcast your live video stream – a simulcasting software, software encoder, or a share code created by a video hosting platform. The technical complexities of simulcasting vary as per the solution you use to broadcast your live videos.
Here is how these solutions work:
- Share Code: Share code is like a link that you post on social channels. Once a share code is added to the blank post on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, a splash screen appears that renders live streaming.
- Simulcasting Software: The software is provided by leading OTT platforms to live stream video content on multiple channels. It offers several benefits including output settings, the ability to switch scenes of live streaming, and video source setup.
- Encoding Software: The multi-destination streaming at the encoder level is a technical solution that works best for a customized solution. You need to set up multiple destinations of platforms and channels in the encoder settings. However, it requires a larger internet bandwidth as the same copy of the live video is sent to multiple destinations.
How to Make your Simulcast Successful?
Simulcasts are more complicated than a normal live streaming event. Hence, it would only help prepare in advance and do a trial run before the showtime.
Listed below are tips to simulcast successfully.
1. Inform your Audience
To maximize your viewership and engagement, it is essential to inform your audience about the date and time of live streaming and channels, social media platforms, websites, and mobile apps where it would be accessible.
Create countdown posts and announcements on social channels to ensure maximum number of viewers are able to know about your live video stream. It will help people to connect on whatever platform they are comfortable to use.
2. Check Your Live Streaming Setup
Make sure that you have a secure and separate line with high-speed internet capable of uploading HD videos smoothly and keep a backup internet connection. Identify your broadcast requirements like camera, lens, tripods, and lights among others. You should also be ready to optimize your live video streaming in case of a slower DSL connection.
Read about all the details of Live Streaming Essentials For HD Videos in this blog.
3. Trial Run
Going live on several platforms at the same time can be overwhelming. Hence, it is crucial to test each platform or channel separately before going live to ensure everything is working as expected. In case, one platform is performing better than the other then you can also redirect viewers to that platform for better user experience.
4. Monitor the Platform
Monitoring the platform all the time during the live stream is essential to check whether the live video is streaming perfectly or not. Another benefit is that if the platform has live commenting capabilities then you would be able to know viewers’ feedback and also reply to some relevant comments in real-time.
In Summary
With the majority of internet users consuming video content through social media and other channels, it makes sense to simulcast your live streams and gather more traction.
Simulcasting can be delivered easily with the right set of tools. It can help you make your live streams more accessible, reach a larger number of audience, and boost engagement.
You can talk to Phando experts to learn more about simulcasting and how we can help your live stream reach multiple online destinations efficiently.