Live Streaming: Facebook vs Periscope

Live Streaming on Social Media Platforms

Live streaming is described as an online flowing media repeatedly recorded and transmitted in actual time to the viewers. Just referred to as ’streaming.’ Apps, such as Facebook, YouTube, periscope among others stream events such as promotions and celebrity activities and as well as streaming between users. Live streaming has significant advantages over the traditional social networks since it provides unedited and unfiltered content (Murphy 2017). Moreover, live streaming reduces costs, has audience interaction and generally, people love it. Facebook, YouTube, periscope among another live app, stream with the intent of encouraging as many people as possible to use the apps as well as helping media firms to use the platforms and business people to advertise over the apps. The hidden idea here is for the app developers to make much more money. It is out of these intentions that have raised a lot of competition between developers of these apps. So far, Facebook streaming seems to be simple to use, user-friendly, attractive and having straightforward features; hence Facebook, having more users than any other social network will dominate live streaming over time though facing stiff competition from the periscope.

Features of Periscope

Periscope has features such as live streaming that allows user to live stream video directly from their phones, interactive view experience which allows real-time interaction between viewers and person streaming video through chat function, map view; this feature allows user to explore broadcasted videos from various parts of the world by searching videos by location and finally, periscope has download video stream feature that allows user to save video stream to one’s camera roll so that one can view the video once expires (Hatton 2017). Though periscope has nice features, more users don’t prefer it due to its complexity, narrow field of view, high storage space occupation and high consumption of data bundles. Thus, more brands will favor the use of Facebook live.

Brands’ Preference for Facebook Live

Brands love Facebook live stream since it allows real-time social interaction with their audience more humanly and transparently. Also, the live nature of this video streaming app addresses a sense of urgency which lack in videos traditionally recorded (Hatton 2017). Moreover, followers can see and tune in live to watch videos streamed. Seeing these overall benefits, significant brands are seriously preferring Facebook live for sports events such as World cup 2018, live conferences, annual meetings as well as product announcements and business advertisements. A few brands prefer the use of periscope as well.

Features of Facebook Live

The Facebook developer has used specific features which have made more celebrities, global brands and major media outlets to rely a lot on Facebook live. For instance, videos automatically saved to user’s timeline and no one can delete it after 24 hours like for the case of the periscope. The user can protect their videos as a blog post, newsletters and even upload them without the use of third party (Murphy 2017). Upon uploading your live event on Facebook, the app has a feature which sends a notification to everyone that has liked user’s page. Moreover, using Facebook live, one can be able to make his/ her events “exclusive”! Implying that user has the freedom to set events for specific groups using feature available in the app (Murphy 2017).

Determining the Best Live Streaming App

Though Facebook live app seems to outperform periscope, YouTube, and the others, and again promising to dominate over time, the ultimate criteria to determine the best app to use will depend on live stream workflow into a process that is easy to use and modify, user friendly, cost-effective, user attractive as well as repeatable and accessible by everyone using smartphone or other categories of computers.

References

Hatton.G (2017) SocialMediaToday

Retrieved from https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/8-reasons-why-brands-should-be-using-facebook-live.

Murphy, S. K (2017). The complete marketer’s Guide to Live Streaming: How to Get the Most Out of Your Effort Before, During, and After Your Live Event. Retrieved from https://www.brightcove.com/en/blog/2017/04/complete-marketers-guide-live-streaming-how-get-most-out-your-live-event-before-during-after.