There’s no denying it — video is the king of content. This medium has taken the internet by storm, changing the way users interact with each other. It has especially been beneficial for brands as it enables them to present their products or services in a more engaging and digestible way.
Live video, in particular, has revolutionized the marketing world. Businesses are now able to reach their target audience in real-time on their selected platform. But recent advances in technology have made it possible for brands to expand the reach of their broadcast and deliver their video to more people.
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Indeed, simulcasting is becoming increasingly popular because it allows publishers and content creators to target a larger audience. Why only stick to your video player when you can bring your live video to various popular platforms? Think Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other major social media networks where your viewers spend a lot of time.
In this blog post, we are going to delve deeper into simulcast streaming, what it is, its benefits, and more! In addition to that, we will mention a video platform that can help you bring your video content to some of the most popular platforms on the internet.
What Is Simulcasting?
The term “simulcast” (also known as “multicast”) is a portmanteau of “simultaneous broadcast.” It refers to the practice of broadcasting your live stream to multiple channels at once. The reason to do this is to receive maximum exposure. So, simulcast streaming is simply an attempt to get wider coverage which means that more people will hear your message in real-time.
New to the live streaming scene? Fear not! We’ve prepared tips and tricks that will help you with your first stream here.
According to Livestream, 82% of customers prefer live video to social media posts. If you run a social media account, going live will increase engagement. You can rely on simulcasting to stream your live videos to multiple platforms at the same time.
Engage your followers on social media by posting these four video types.
Simulcasting Is the Right Choice
Not so long ago, broadcasting to different places simultaneously would have only been possible with big media corporations that had enormous budgets and technical know-how. However, advanced technology has allowed businesses, no matter how large or small they are, to try multicast streaming and expand their reach beyond one platform.
Most publishers and content creators are present on different networks so they can connect with a diverse audience and achieve various goals. For instance:
- Facebook users watch 100 million hours of video every day
- Over one billion people are active on Instagram every month
- YouTube has 2 billion logged-in monthly users
- Periscope broadcasts 9.3 million live streams per month
Although live streaming on your website is enough if you have a loyal viewer base, simulcasting will help you reach consumers who might have not heard about your brand before. If you unite live videos and social media networks, you will surely increase your views and ensure more users are interacting with your content, either by commenting, liking, or sharing it.
How to Multicast to Several Platforms at the Same Time
Are you ready to gain wider exposure for your broadcasts? Then simulcast streaming is just what you need to present your brand to more people on the internet! But how can you multicast to several platforms at once? Well, there are several options for this:
- Use a share code that your selected streaming service provider generates.
- Select a software that specializes in simulcasting, i.e. multicasting. You won’t need to have any technical know-how in this case.
- Choose a software encoder, but keep in mind that this is a more technical option than the other two.
Of course, each of these three methods differs in nature and functionality. The one you use will depend on platforms and audience you want to target.
Your Options Explained
A share code is similar to those links you post on social media. After adding a share code to a post on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, you will go live on these platforms.
Then, you have a choice to stream to various channels at the same time with the help of a software encoder. However, this is the most complicated option, as we previously said, and it might take time to grasp it.
Furthermore, the option we would recommend for multicast streaming is the use of a software solution.
Relying on software to simulcast comes with a lot of benefits. It gives you more freedom and control over your live streams. Plus, you would be able to focus on your content and allow your selected software to take care of any technicalities that are a part of the simulcast streaming process.
Now that we know what multicast is and how you can stream to multiple destinations, let’s have a look at the benefits of this technology!
Benefits of Simulcasting
More and more brands are turning towards simulcasting. The need for video is at an all-time high, with 80% of internet users saying that they would rather watch a live video than read a blog post.
Social media users, in particular, are fans of online videos. As a result, these platforms have become video-oriented, developing many features that help companies and customers record this medium.
Want to introduce your brand to more customers? Then you should go live on social media! Check out our advice for social media live streaming here.
Here is what’s attracting marketers to multicast streaming:
- Higher Reach — Consumers watch live videos 10-20 times longer than on-demand content. Simulcasting is one of the best ways to ensure your live streams reach as many people as possible. By launching multicast streaming, you’re introducing your video to social media users, website visitors, etc. Specifically, you’re not excluding any internet user.
- Tapping into Diverse User Base — Customers have different tastes. Some of them spend hours on social media, while others tend to visit brands’ websites to find out more about products or services. With simulcast streaming, you can cater to different consumer tastes and deliver your live videos to viewers — regardless of their preferences. For instance, you can stream on Facebook Live and your company website at the same time.
- Time-Saving Process — Simulcasting allows you to save time you would normally lose on editing your videos before posting them to different social media networks. Instead of doing this, just live stream your video at the same time.
Now that you know the major benefits of multicast streaming, let us introduce a video platform that can help you broadcast your videos on Facebook and YouTube at the same time!
Simulcasting to Facebook and YouTube With Brid.TV
Publishers and content creators need to have a reliable video platform to power their video- and ad-centered business. Viewers won’t put up with poor video quality, lagging, or other issues that might ruin the user experience.
That’s why you should turn to Brid.TV! We offer a top-of-the-line video platform that enables you to store and manage your video content, deliver live streams to your audience, analyze the performance of your videos, and more.
On top of that, by choosing Brid.TV, you will create an additional revenue stream for your business. Specifically, we have numerous monetization options, including instream and outstream ad units, VAST and VPAID ad tags, and much more!
And if you’re in the live streaming industry, we’ve got you covered. Deliver every broadcast with maximum video quality with Brid.TV. In case you want to expand your viewership, we have a solution for you as well.
Brid.TV’s live streaming platform enables you to simulcast your streams, maximizing the reach of your live videos. You can take your streams to Facebook and YouTube in just a few clicks.
Setting up multicasting to Facebook and YouTube is easy. You won’t need to have any technical know-how to deliver your live streams to more than one platform! So, reap the benefits of our video platform and get your broadcasts in front of a diverse audience!
For more on Brid.TV’s multicast feature, we suggest you visit this article.