5 Futuristic Live Streaming Websites That Have Revolutionized The Concept

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Change is the only constant in life. First, it was the radio which ushered in long-distance audio transmissions then it was the television. From cabled transmission to DTH and the very recently OTT; the perception of TV viewing has undergone a sea-change. This change was further accelerated by the advent of the Smartphone. The huge popularity of OTT or Over the Top transmissions is because it bypassed cabled networks and used the internet for its transmission. Consequently, they could be watched on any device that could be connected to the internet. Smart TVs, laptops, mobile phones, tablets etc.; viewing interesting content became easy. Live video streaming became the norm of the day and subscriptions to platforms enabling the same increased manifold.

What is live streaming?

Simultaneous streaming and real-time broadcast of online streaming media are known as live streaming. Live streaming covers a lot of topics right from social media to professional sports, video games and so much more. It also requires a live streaming platform for its transmission. Some common examples of live streaming include the Face book Live, YouTube Live, Twitch etc.

Important live streaming websites in India

India too has been a witness to and participant in this change. Today live streaming is a popular option in India also. Post COVID19, its popularity has increased. Today people are live streaming marriages, holding webinars, conferences, AGMs, star-studded concerts, latest news etc. using live streaming apps. Improvement in data connectivity and consumer-oriented devices has helped popularise the concept of live streaming. Social distancing might force people to maintain the required distance with each other but the virtual world has brought them together in these post COVID19 times.

Some of the important future-ready websites that are very popular in India and commonly used for live video streaming are:

Periscope: This app has single-handedly managed to revolutionise the concept of live streaming. This Twitter-owned app debuted some 2 years back but it has already managed to tweak webcam technology by making it portable. Thus today any person with a Smartphone can start broadcasting from anywhere and at any time. This app enables these broadcasters to gain followers, view comments and reply to them etc. Periscope can also be shared via social media platforms like Twitter, Face book etc.
Face book Live: Anyone with the Facebook app installed can simply log into his or her account and start streaming of live videos. An important feature of this live streaming platform is its privacy settings. With granular control assured over its privacy settings, Facebook allows live streamers the opportunity to greater control over who can view or not view their live streams.
Twitch: The most common video game live streaming website, Twitch, surpasses even YouTube’s gaming website in popularity. Amazon-owned Twitch has managed to change the whole video gaming scenario. Today, gameplay moments can be live-streamed thereby transforming the gaming media into a mainstream commodity. In these post COVID19 times, it has enabled thousands of gamers from across the world to come together for a shared passion. Twitch is also an app that can be downloaded onto different smart devices like gaming consoles, PCs and smartphones; this has further increased its reach.
Stringwire: This app has a very interesting tagline and it completely lives up to it. While functionally it is similar to the other live video streaming platforms, it differs in its approach. This website is more focussed on social live streaming. Consequently, users can search for a particular stream or a country from within the app. It also enables collaborative live streaming, the most recent live streaming concept that is urgently doing the rounds. Users can also upload live videos in their chosen format and quality.
Meerkat: Stable, Lightweight, has notification functionalities built-in, enables users to re-watch live-streamed content; these are some of the important features which makes Meerkat a popular live-streaming app. Users can also store their streams in a gallery or a library. They will, however, have to choose the gallery for storage. This app also comes equipped with several social sharing features which also contribute to its popularity.

Live streaming is an interesting and alluring concept; something which has taken the country by storm. It has become the new normal and people in India and the world over are wholeheartedly accepting this interesting concept.