Pros And Cons Of Building A Live Streaming App From Scratch

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Digital technology can provide technical assistance for innovation in various domains as well as help your business succeed and take it to the next level.

Businesses can become empowered to innovate and have the opportunity to experiment with digital technology that promises to be versatile, user-friendly, and fast.

Thinking of building a live streaming app from the scratch is a great idea. Reading this blog will give you a sneak peek into the pros and cons associated with it.

Live Streaming apps are the present and future for many businesses and it will not lose its sheen for a long time to come. Streaming apps have immense benefits and few shortcomings as well. Therefore, building a live streaming app / live stream app development remains an excellent idea for several businesses aiming to expand their portfolio.

Building a live streaming app - Twitch

Due to complex technologies and long-term development cost to create a streaming service is high. However, if you have an intention of giving wings to your dreams you should put in all efforts to accomplish your goal by leaving no stone unturned.

Various Kinds Of Live Streaming

  1. Social Media Live Streaming: This type of live streaming is integrated into social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Users can use their existing social media profiles to stream live content.
  2. Standalone Live Streaming Apps: These apps are dedicated to live streaming and offer a range of features and tools to enhance the streaming experience. Some popular examples of standalone live streaming apps include Twitch, Periscope, and Live.me.
  3. Enterprise Live Streaming: This type of live streaming is designed for businesses and organisations to stream corporate events, training sessions, and product launches.
Building a live streaming app
Number of hours watched on leading gaming live stream platforms worldwide in 3rd quarter 2022

4. Gaming Live Streaming: Gaming live streaming apps such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming are popular among gamers who want to stream their gameplay live.

5. Event Live Streaming: This type of live streaming is used to broadcast live events such as concerts, festivals, and sports events.

Types Of Streaming Apps

Building a live streaming app can have its pros and cons, and it’s important to carefully consider these before starting development. Firstly let’s get you started with the various types of live streaming apps.

  •    Live broadcasting apps

Cameras are fixed on users’ devices enabling them to view each other in real-time. This is due to the availability of a reasonably good internet connection and relevant software.

These are widely used during conferences, interviews, and concerts. Facebook Live and Twitch are the best examples.

  •      On-demand streaming apps

This comprises of videos that are buffering and are available on demand at any time. One can download the file from the server (example Netflix) or view the video clip without downloading it ( YouTube).

Building a live streaming app

  •      Music streaming apps

There can be pre-recorded songs that are available on-demand to listen to in real-time. This can be a radio session or podcast. Examples are Spotify, Amazon Prime

As per Livestream, 80% of users declared that they would opt to watch a live video rather than read a blog. Furthermore, 82% of Internet traffic in 2020 has been taken over by video streaming technology. This indicates live-streaming apps have a bright future ahead.

Pros of creating a live streaming service 

The pros of creating a live streaming service are as follows:

  1.    Convenience

Users can operate from any part of the world and can connect at any time. Live streaming apps just need an internet connection and camera available along with installed software.

The live streaming industry is growing rapidly, and building a live streaming app can help you tap into this lucrative market.

  1.    More worth

Live streaming apps are worth the effort as it offers several monetisation opportunities, such as subscription-based models, advertising, and in-app purchases.

Live streaming apps provide a detailed picture of the event to viewers. Hence, it would make audiences feel as if they are experiencing the event live.

  1.    Conducting webinars

Professionals can conduct webinars using streaming apps to educate viewers. It helps with real-time communication between mentors and students. Thus making it suitable for any person irrespective of their location.

  1.    Increased Engagement

Live streaming apps can help increase user engagement and foster a sense of community around a brand or product.

Live streaming also help brands and companies that are looking to attract new users via presentation of their products and services. This enhances engagement as more and more people participate in the interaction. It also enhances customer loyalty as customers feel respected and reassured.

Building a live streaming app
Facebook Live
  1.    Cost-effective

Internet connection these days operate at high-speed, and don’t cost too high either. Hence, users don’t need to have expensive tools to stream their videos.

Live streaming apps can be customised to meet the needs of specific users or niches.

Cons of creating a live streaming service 

1.  Monetisation

All live stream apps cannot be monetised. For instance, if you are building an online streaming app like Periscope, it isn’t straight-forward to monetise it. As such apps do not support ads or pay-per-view clicks but you can facilitate closed-stream channels.

Closed-stream channels are available only in paid format. Building a live streaming app can be expensive, requiring significant investment in software development, infrastructure, and marketing.

2.    Technical problems

Video streaming is often accompanied by technical issues that could be responsible for app abandonment. Building a live streaming app can be technically challenging, especially when it comes to handling the bandwidth requirements and ensuring the quality of streaming.

3.  Time variations

Live streaming service involves a challenge to schedule the right time for streaming. Users from different parts of the world may encounter time difference issues. The live streaming market is highly competitive, with many established players dominating the market.

4.   Video Download

Services like Periscope do not have this feature that would empower users to download videos. Also, users cannot watch it again or later as videos are removed after a 24 hour window.

But you could go ahead and add this feature to your future app. You can use the business model of Instagram TV in which a streamer can save their stream to IGTV.

5.     Legal and Copyright Issues

Live streaming apps can face legal and copyright issues related to streaming content that is not owned by the app.

   Live Streaming App Development From Scratch

Video streaming market size - Building a live streaming app

There are various kinds of live streaming possibilities, including social media live streaming, standalone live streaming apps, enterprise live streaming, gaming live streaming, and event live streaming.

  •      Decide your Niche

The type of streaming service you want to build is the first thing you need to consider. Select from a variety of apps and decide on a niche you plan to establish. Market overview, assessment of your competitors, and comprehensive research will help you choose the niche.

This will enable you to gain profit as well as facilitate users with something new and favoured. User research should also be considered imperative as it will help you to identify your target audience.

  •      Attract investments

Building a live streaming app from the scratch is not easy. Live streaming app development is an expensive affair as app development costs upwards of $60K. Hence, attracting investments is a possible alternative in such situations when you lack the necessary wherewithal.

Building a business plan followed by pitching the idea and displaying it to potential investors is also recommended. Lastly, to get funding for your app, you can also think about resorting to crowdfunding platforms.

  •      Significance of a design

App architecture design is an imperative part of development as the visual appearance directly influences user attention, retention and loyalty. Your live streaming app should have clear navigation and dependable structure, or else it can befuddle users and make them give up on your app.

The thumb rule is to make the app user-friendly by keeping customers in mind and taking heed to their suggestions.

  •      Hiring a development team

Hiring a development team where all necessary experts are available needs to be worked out early on for the successful completion of the project. For example, hiring UI/UX designers, mobile and web developers, and QA engineers.

Building a Live streaming App
Live Streaming Software – LiveJet

Custom app building can be done from scratch with a suitable tech stack and feature list according to your requirements.

Begin with an MVP for one platform — for the web, or a mobile platform. You can then monitor the app’s journey, and then you will be able to deduce what kind of changes needs to be made to the app and what additional features are required.

Conclusion: Building A Live Streaming App From The Scratch

Live streaming apps are software applications for users to broadcast live video and audio over the internet to audiences in real-time.

Live streaming apps are widely used for various purposes such as entertainment, education, news, sports, gaming, social media, and more. These apps enable users to connect with their followers, interact with them in real-time, and build their online presence.

Experience the best features from all the prominent streaming apps integrated in the highly scalable Live video streaming software and turn your passion into a business. Get in touch to unfold your dreams.

Building a live streaming app

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Disclaimer: The Blog has been created with consideration and care. We strive to ensure that all information is as complete, correct, comprehensible, accurate and up-to-date as possible. Despite our continuing efforts, we cannot guarantee that the information made available is complete, correct, accurate or up-to-date.
Sasi George

Sasi George

After an Engineering degree and a Diploma in Management I devoted 16+ years working in the automotive industry. My innate skill and extreme passion in writing, encouraged me to adopt it up as a profession. I have been writing for more than 10+ years in the software industry. The 400+ blogs I published are informative, exhaustive and interesting to a professional and causal reader.

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