YouTube has
announced plans to begin offering live video content on its site within the
coming weeks, via a special page called “Live.” This means that concerts,
sporting matches, educational lectures, and various other events will soon be
viewable on YouTube in realtime! For now, the ability to share live content
will be limited to a select number of partners. This restriction is
understandable, as YouTube wishes to maintain a certain level of quality on its
site. However, the company does plan to extend Live significantly over the next
several months. It is not clear whether YouTube will eventually allow all users
to stream live content, but we suspect this will be the case.
YouTube’s announcement has major implications for the world of online
video. Although a handful of live video sites, such as UStream.com, are already
up and running, these platforms simply cannot match YouTube in terms of brand
recognition or financial backing. Live will cause more consumers to be drawn
away from their televisions and toward their laptops, netbooks, iPads, and
mobile phones. In terms of online marketing,
businesses can benefit considerably from streaming video. For example, a small
technology firm attending an industry conference could stream that conference
directly onto their YouTube channel, drawing in many visitors who otherwise may
never have stumbled across the page.
View the YouTube Live page here,
and check out some of the upcoming events that are going to be broadcast!
