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From product launching events to business meetings, even real time sports tournaments and professional gamers are now using live streaming services to reach their target audience. Known to be more cost-effective, flexible and feature-filled, broadcasting videos on the internet has truly changed the way we interact with multimedia. Along with speedier internet connection and abundance of streaming software for Windows PC, choosing the right content that fancy our desires has never been this easy and convenient.
However, with tons of providers present on the market, selecting the best live streaming software is very much confusing and challenging. Need help choosing the best and most reliable live streaming service?
Check out these top 6 popular streaming platforms after the jump.
Ultimate List of Best Live Streaming Services
Twitch.tv – since its launch in 2011, Twitch still remains as one of the best game streaming platform ever available for gamers and media enthusiasts alike. Aside from hosting wide array of live video game streams, it equally broadcasts sports competitions, musical contents, and other creative feeds from jewelry making to real life activities. Users can equally chat with each other making this platform both versatile and interactive.
Owned by Amazon, Twitch is free to use but expect advertisements popping out from time to time. For those who wants an ad-free viewing, free channel subscriptions and exclusive contents, Twitch Turbo is available as well as Twitch Prime for $4.99 and $5.99 per month respectively.
YouTube Live – first used as an exclusive live streaming infrastructure for selected partners, YouTube Live is indeed one of the biggest and considerably the most popular streaming service known worldwide. With over 6 million subscribers, YouTube Live has a diverse portfolio ranging from gaming, music, sports, news, activities, events, concerts and many more. Easily accessible and packed with great features, one can definitely build a huge following by simply using this platform.
The dedicated mobile application and web service of YouTube Live is free to use with no limitations. Additionally, the minimum requirement for live streaming via mobile has now been reduced from 10,000 subscribers down to 100 subscribers.
Facebook Live – Introduced to the public just August of 2015, Facebook Live is one of the most used live streaming platform. How to broadcast live on Facebook is extremely easy, anyone can do it by simply tapping the live video button on their respective Facebook pages. Recent support for using drones and premium video cameras made Facebook Live streaming even more engaging not just to ordinary users but to professional broadcasters as well.
Facebook Live is completely free to use with no restrictions and limitations. Every feature is available such as the ability to control the audience, video publishing, using creative filters, etc. Though, keep in mind that live broadcast is only limited for up to 4 hours.
Smashcast – One of the biggest independent streaming platform dealing with e-sport and video game competition, that arose as a result of merging two leading brands – Hitbox and Azubu together with the technical resources integration of both services.
Smashcast new mission is: partnership marketing, interactive advertising activities with sponsors, sales of virtual goods, sponsorship and placing bets on games outcomes and more. All these activities aim at eliminating the existing gap in the monetization approach between e-sport and the business based on traditional sports around the world.
Ustream – launched in 2007, Ustream was a forerunner in the world of video streaming software. Born under the need of deployed army soldiers who wish to communicate with their families back home, the company slowly adapted to become a leader in Online Video Platform. Ustream offers webcasting, cloud transcoding, analytics, social playback, password protection, content management, and many more.
Free trial is available for 30 days, after which users can opt to subscribe with their Pro Broadcasting Plans equipped with variable ad-free viewer hours. Starting at Silver for $99 a month, Gold for $499, and Platinum for $999 per month.
DaCast – formerly known as Andolis, DaCast is a live streaming service specially made for businesses. Compare to consumer-oriented platforms, they focus more on business-to-business making it the perfect choice for conference, meetings, event productions, radio stations, schools and networks. DaCast features a cloud-based streaming as a service with integrated paywall into the media player.
Monthly plan starts at $19 with 100GB bandwidth and 300 viewer hours, and it goes up to $390 per month for 5,000GB bandwidth coupled with 15,000 viewer hours. Event pricing is equally available depending on the bandwidth used.
Bonus Tip: Best Streaming Software
Now that you know some of the best and highly raved live streaming services available online, the real challenge begins right after the broadcast. What happens after the live feed ends? What if you want to recall those precious events? Is there a way to save them on your computer? What about video game fanatics who wishes to edit and record their screens for live broadcast? Is there a game streaming software capable of doing it? The solution lies within the program called Action!
Compatible to all Windows OS, the Action! Screen Recorder is a powerful tool that allows streaming as well as real-time recording whenever and wherever you want. With this program you can record and stream everything under the sun including gameplays, video tutorials, music, concerts, meetings, live feeds and all other momentous events in a simple yet effective manner.
Some unique features of Action! Screen Recorder are as follows but not limited to:
- User friendly interface
- Greenscreen mode
- Support for third party input devices
- Real-time HD recording from 2K up to 8K
- Hardware acceleration
- Compatibility to popular streaming services
- Social media integration
- Premium video editing tool
- Ability to add webcam, mic and live commentary
- Audio recording function
If you are in search for a versatile streaming software for YouTube, Facebook Live, Twitch and all others, the Action! Screen Recorder and Streaming Software will never fail you. Moreover, this program is very easy to use and it requires no technical knowledge to operate. Packed with great features and amazing capabilities, Action! is a must to all live streaming service fanatics.
Author: Mirillis Team
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