Today, we consider the world to be shrinking as we see the ease with which communication happens across the boundaries placed by huge distances, different ethnicities and various socio-economic statuses. Out of the many mediums of mass communication that made this possible, digital media has played a major role in recent years.

The advent of the internet and the subsequent wave of online methods of dispersal of information have impacted the world in ways that are beyond comprehension. Therefore, it is not really surprising how fast live Streaming has shot up as a preferred choice of personal and professional communication when the occasion calls for it. Educational endeavours or events, business meetings, conferences, product launches, private events and a sundry of tasks are assisted by the use of the best live streaming solutions available.

In fact, the use of live streaming has become so familiar and easily accessible in our daily lives that the word itself has become an umbrella term in the everyday lingo of people far and wide. Viewing any live video is considered ‘live streaming’ despite some distinct differences between the processes. Even live Broadcasting videos have started to come under what people generically described as live streaming videos. While both of these are very similar in the fact they work in real-time, they are also very different too. Let’s expand on this to understand both of these better.

Live Broadcast

The term Broadcast defines how many viewers can watch the same live video at the same time. The technical working behind this shows a single signal being received by many receivers simultaneously. The devices get these broadcast signals almost at the speed of light. Since the frequency of the broadcast signal is set, many receivers can tune in to it. You see this phenomenon in radio and television broadcast regularly. While in both these cases, the power usage and often enough, an external antenna is used; this is not the case with all the devices which receive broadcast signals.

Today, such analogue methods of getting the signal can be replaced with digital broadcasting methods. In fact, a lot of countries around the globe have banned the use of analogue broadcasting. So if you are watching a live match or live show on TV, you may be consuming real-time visual content but you are not actually live streaming.

Live Streaming

Unlike live broadcasting, live streaming works on a one-to-one basis where different signals are sent to different receivers simultaneously. The one hosting the stream sends out separate signals to various devices regardless of the fact the viewers are tuning in to watch the live video at the same time. There are several live streaming platforms, including social media sites and private websites. If different people view the same live Youtube video, for example, all of them watch it through different pathways determined by the various packets of the same frame and the different devices being used. The many different variables involved in the completion of this task matter a lot.

Key Differences Between Live Streaming and Live Broadcasting

Though both of them serve the same purpose of communicating information live and in real-time, there are intrinsic differences between these two processes. 

Reach

In terms of how much audience they cover, live broadcasting has more viewership by virtue of being a technology that is older than live streaming. Through the years, broadcasting has built a stable format of who watches what. For example, even if you can live stream cricket matches, you would want to watch the live broadcast on TV rather than streaming it.

Engagement

Despite having a larger audience, live broadcasting definitely lags behind in engagement. The primary reason for the same is that broadcasting is a one-way communication that has a passive audience. On the other hand, the channels through which live streaming is done are interactive and encourage engagement and feedback.

Feasibility

Financially speaking, live streaming is far cheaper than live broadcasting. The latter requires expensive equipment to reach its viewers, whereas live-streamed videos easily reach anywhere. 

Restrictions

Live streaming videos suffer from fewer restrictions as compared to a live broadcast. Regulations of a country and its media apply on broadcast far more than they apply on any streaming video. 

There are many other differences in how both of these work and how they are perceived by the masses that witness it. Due to its two-way quality, live video streaming services are preferred to make an emotional impact and build a connection with the audience. The most prominent example of this is the culture of brands using influencer, bloggers and vloggers to market themselves. The human connection generated through live streams is a very effective part of digital marketing strategies today. Unfortunately, the same is rarely achieved by the use of live broadcast videos.

In Conclusion

Keeping aside the similarities and differences of live broadcasting services and live video streaming services, both these sectors work most of the time parallelly. Sometimes, bigger brands also utilize both of these together in different combinations in favour of their advertising and marketing agendas. Whether you look for the best live streaming solutions or broadcasting services, keep the above-mentioned points in mind to make the correct decisions on the path to achieve your goals.

The post Live Streaming vs. Live Broadcasting appeared first on .