How to Avoid a Live Streaming Video Failure?

How often have you sat in on a corporate live streaming video or webcast that buffered, froze or worse, didn’t work at all -- leaving hundreds in the audience annoyed with a choppy broadcast, wasted time, and an inability to hear a supposedly important message?

For business leaders, a failed corporate live streaming video event is an enormous opportunity lost -- the opportunity to connect with and engage globally dispersed employees in real time, gain invaluable feedback from employees at all echelons of the company, and boost morale and excitement across the organization, which eventually drives business productivity.

It goes without saying that large organizations across the world are investing plenty resources in optimizing digital media and the opportunities it presents for meaningful connections and learning across organizations. However, not every company has the right tools to execute their digital strategy. For instance, the market for corporate live streaming video solutions is rife with vendors but do those services always work, especially during high-priority events? More importantly, do those services offer the flexibility to engage employees on a wider scale?

Corporate live streaming video gone wrong: Any 21^st century organization’s biggest nightmare

Mistakes happen. None of us are strangers to blunders, especially when it involves modern technology. However, it is particularly embarrassing when large organizations are the ones running into difficulties with something as increasingly mainstream as corporate live streaming video.

So why do corporations need live streaming video?

Let’s take a step back for those who might be scratching their head thinking why in the world corporations have developed a crucial need for live streaming video.

Globalization: It’s not an unknown phenomenon that most large organizations now operate in multiple countries and regions across the world, giving rise to a crucial need to connect with your geographically dispersed audience for corporate communication, training, and knowledge sharing. Additionally, business executives now also face the need to engage investors, clients, and other stakeholders via live streaming video presentations and live chat.

Cost efficiencies: With corporate live streaming video, the cost of producing high-quality live corporate webcasts is a fraction of what it used to be. Once an expensive endeavor, live streaming video has now become one of the most efficient and economical ways to send out messages to a wide audience. It not only employs fewer resources than professionally produced videos or company-organized events but also helps companies reduce their environmental footprint, without compromising corporate relations.

Convenience: Gone are the days when business executives had to gather and cram employees in limited-capacity rooms to address them. With video corporate live streaming video, users can simply log into their enterprise video portal and view the live stream from anywhere, on any device, and in varying bandwidth conditions. 

Wide and targeted audience: With a simple corporate live streaming video set up, you now have the attention of hundreds and thousands of individuals -- something that is unimaginable in the traditional conference room or auditorium set-up that could, at most, fit a few hundred. In addition, your intended audience can be as targeted as you wish, using permissions and controlled access to the stream.

Audience engagement: Corporate live streaming video garners more engagement than on-demand video. It not only allows viewers to interact with the presenters but also gives presenters the opportunity to answer questions submitted in real-time via live chat. An open and organic live streaming video messaging also goes a long way in bridging the gap and remoteness between management and employees.

Digital prevalence: Digital influence is now more profound than ever, and corporate live streaming video seems to be the next frontier, having gained serious momentum in the last couple of years.

Now that we have covered the importance of corporate live streaming video in corporations, it is time to act.

The next big question being, how can companies ensure a smooth and successful live stream? Here are a few short tips on optimizing corporate live streaming video with VIDIZMO.

• Maintain a strong internet connection or Wi-Fi proximity

A solid internet connection with sufficient bandwidth is one of the most important aspects of hosting a successful live streaming video event. A great challenge is to test the internet in advance, making sure it’s dedicated so that attendees at the event don’t end up using all the bandwidth. However, in case the internet connection is compromised, always maintain a strong and proximal Wi-Fi backup.

• Ensure compatibility of capture device (camera) and encoder 

The live video captured by your camera or another device is passed over a cable to an encoder. It is, therefore, crucial to ensure that your camera or the source of your signal is compatible with the encoder, which then takes the video signal input from the camera and compresses it into a format compatible for video delivery across the internet. Make sure to use a dedicated encoder for your stream. It is also important to publish the live streaming video in multiple bitrates because not all viewers can watch high-quality video, depending on their internet connection. Publishing a live stream in high and low bitrate resolves this problem, especially if you intend to stream to mobile devices or locations with lower bandwidth and connectivity.

• Pay attention to sound quality

The success of a broadcast is just as much dependent on audio quality as it is on video. Capture clean, leveled and high-quality audio via a built-in microphone or PA system soundboard, to be embedded with the video signal and fed into the encoder. Alternatively, you can input audio via your computer’s audio inputs, a USB audio interface, or even audio inputs on a capture card.

• Archive live streaming video for on-demand viewing

Always backup and archive your live streaming video as it lets you create on-demand video files afterward, to be accessed by viewers any time. This way, you can continue to build viewership while allowing those who missed the live streaming video to watch it later at their own time.

• Test your live stream multiple times

Pre-event live streaming video testing is not optional! Multiple stream tests before the event means getting to the event site earlier, setting up the gear, conducting onsite tests and discovering any problems in advance, not during the event. Additionally, it is imperative to check video delivery and quality from all target locations to ensure smooth viewing from different geographical viewing locations.  

• Plan, plan and plan some more

There is a lot at stake in the case of a live streaming event, so it is absolutely crucial to think ahead and account for any unexpected issues or even external factors like lighting and noise conditions at the live event venue. Internet connectivity also needs to be checked and rechecked to avoid any surprises. Make sure your viewers know when to tune in and how to access the stream. Also, inform and update your viewers about any changes to the event schedule in advance. Preparedness goes a long way in ensuring that all potential problems are accounted for and addressed prior to the big day.

• Always, always be on time! 

Last but not the least, always start the live streaming video on time or even a bit early. Starting a little early helps retain any early viewers who may leave if there is nothing to watch. Starting late, on the other hand, not only causes agony among viewers but may also result in a loss of a few impatient viewers in the audience!

But what do I get with a VIDIZMO live streaming video? 

VIDIZMO, recognized as a Challenger in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Video Content Management, offers a reliable, smooth and a high-quality corporate live streaming video experience, built-in to its enterprise video platform. Users, therefore, enjoy easy-to-use live streaming video capabilities as part of VIDIZMO’s video portal.

VIDIZMO allows enterprises to plan, produce and deliver interactive live streaming video, enriched webinars, and live webcasts to a scalable audience during a variety of corporate events such as product launches, virtual conferences, town halls, educational lectures or employee training.

Following are some of VIDIZMO’s corporate live streaming video features and functionalities:

1. Back-Up Live Streams
   
   You can easily create backup streams to ensure the live stream is automatically switched to a healthy stream if the main live stream reduces in quality. You can also provide multiple links to your audiences to switch amongst alternative streams. 
   
   
2. End-to-end corporate live streaming video service
   
   VIDIZMO connects all major pieces of a corporate live streaming architecture by providing video production facilities through our partners and direct support for delivery, digital infrastructure, pre and post event support, as well as detailed analytics.
   
   
3. Flexibility to use the encoder of your choice
   
   For live stream production and encoding, we support hardware encoders such as Winnov, Digital Rapids, Cisco, etc. as well as software encoders like Wirecast, TriCaster, Adobe Media, and more. 
   
   
4. Easy integration with other streaming engines
   
   VIDIZMO offers the unique feature to leverage all your existing software systems by integrating with any streaming platform of your choice. For example, you can make use of other live streaming servers and cloud services such as WOWZA, as part of your enterprise video content management system, to transcode and distribute your stream if you wish to leverage your existing infrastructure.
   
   
5. Adaptive streaming to suit all bandwidth conditions
   
   VIDIZMO Edge Caching or Multicast capabilities enable streaming in low-bandwidth or bandwidth-congested networks. This is done via a process called adaptive streaming whereby stream splitting ensures that your stream quality is automatically adjusted to your bandwidth conditions, enabling a smooth viewing experience. 
   
   
6. Live streaming video interactivity
   
   VIDIZMO allows increased user engagement with your corporate live streaming video by integration of live chat where presenters and attendees can take or answer questions, enabling real-time interaction.  Users can also connect or launch their Facebook, Twitter or Yammer feed for greater interactivity.
   
   
7. Advanced analytics and reporting
   
   You can quickly gauge and measure the effectiveness of your corporate message in real-time with the help of advanced analytics, all of which could also help you determine the return on investment for your complete live streaming video communication.
   
   
8. Streaming in cloud, on-premises and hybrid model
   
   VIDIZMO offers corporate live streaming video in the infrastructure that suits you best, be it in the cloud, on-premises or hybrid model. Whatever it may be, we can deploy a corporate live streaming video workflow in the streaming environment of your choice. 
   
   
9. Playback stream from any device, anywhere
   
   VIDIZMO live streaming video is compatible with any device, allowing uninterrupted access to high-quality and reliable live streaming video on any screen.
   
   
10. Archive live streaming video for on-demand viewing
    
    Our live clipping capabilities enable you to record Video on-Demand (VoD) clips from a live event while the live event is still active. This way, you can continue to build viewership even after the stream has ended, while also giving viewers who missed the live stream an opportunity to catch up at their own time.
    
    
11. Viewership limit and privacy
    
    VIDIZMO’s enterprise video content management solution delivers live streaming video in a highly secure environment to a specific audience, authenticated by your organization. Users are provided controlled access to the live stream, depending on who the stream is targeting, as defined or set by the management.
    
    
12. Available with all VIDIZMO products
    
    VIDIZMO corporate live streaming video capability is available out-of-the-box with all of VIDIZMO's products, including EnterpriseTube, MediaTube, Virtual Academy, and Digital Asset Management.
    
    
13. We are the industry specialists
    
    Live streaming video is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Almost every organization has a unique set of requirements and being the experts in the industry, we help you choose the workflow customized for your organization’s needs. Our in-depth knowledge and experience of live webcasting help us refine your requirements lists to provide you the optimal solution for your business considerations.

Sign up for our free 30-day trial if you would like to explore VIDIZMO’s corporate live streaming video solution with complete enterprise video portal capabilities or reach out to us for any media streaming-related issues facing your organization.