Years ago, the only way to gain a large audience for an event was to put it on television. This is why sporting events and other similar television shows were aired on television. This allowed the event to gain a national audience, drawing in big-name sponsors as well.
During the early years of the television, it was quite expensive to produce and air a television show of any kind. This is why the majority of shows weren’t broadcast live and most of the taped shows were provided by the largest sponsors.
Today, the use of the Internet has become a much cheaper option when it comes to producing a live video broadcast. With the high transmission speeds and video clarity, live streaming video over the Internet can be the best choice. However, there is still the question of whether these live Internet webcasts are actually better than television. Detailed below are five ways that Onstream Media's professional webcasts can be more effective than the traditional television broadcast.
Target Your Audience
Most people in the business world understand the importance of targeting your audience for the best results. When you use live video broadcasting through television, it can often be difficult to ensure you are reaching your target audience in particular. If you can’t broadcast your event live on television and need to settle for a later showing, people won’t be interested either because they may have already obtained the information they required through the Internet. This makes live video streaming online a logical choice. The people who want to watch will know where to go to watch.
Engage Your Audience
When it comes to many live events, it is the thrill of watching in the moment that best captures the viewers. If your broadcast is results-based, you need to make sure you are giving your audience exactly what they want to see in the moment because this is your only chance. With a live video broadcast, you want to keep your audience interested and watching.
The use of the Internet for live video streaming, or webcasting, also provides the opportunity for more interaction among your viewers. Onstream Media's webcasting platform includes a Q&A box and comment box so your viewers can share information during the presentation. You can even allow your viewers to send you a message or encourage them to vote on their favorite part of your presentation through surveys and polling.
Save More Money
Originally, television programs had to spend large amounts of money to get their show on the air. The production costs along were often large, even for low-quality shows. In addition, these shows had to pay to appear on the major television networks or contract with smaller local networks to get any air time. This created major costs many show producers couldn’t afford.
With advances in technology, production equipment has dropped drastically in price, allowing many production companies to create quality broadcasts for much less, even a live video broadcast. Using live streaming video over the Internet is also a much cheaper delivery method. When you are able to save money on production and delivery, you can refocus those funds to other areas of your business.
Reach a Larger Audience
Everyone wants to be able to reach a larger audience. After all, this is what made live video broadcasting over the television so popular. However, when you air these events over the television, it limits you to the people who have access to a television, as well as the station on which you will broadcast. With live video streaming online, many of these restrictions are eliminated, helping you reach a much larger audience.
Most people have access to an Internet-enabled device at many times of the day and night, even while they are at work or out of the home. With the use of these devices, people will be able to view your live video broadcast, no matter where they are. This increases your audience size drastically.
Be Exclusive for More Value
Television shows are no longer exclusive. If you miss your favorite television show, all you need to do is look it up on YouTube, Hulu or a variety of other services that show broadcast television later. In addition, if people attend your live event and take video of your own, they can often stream it online faster than you can, reducing the value in your event.
Therefore, it is in your best interest to use live video streaming to ensure you reach your audience first. Even if others are using cell phones or other devices to attempt to stream your event live, the quality and benefit won’t be there.
If you are wondering if your next live event should be televised or streamed online, consider these factors. With the increased use of the Internet, live video streaming with Onstream Media can often offer you more benefits than live video broadcasting over the airwaves, especially if you can’t afford to pay for live broadcasting.
