What is live streaming?

The internet is full of jargon, acronyms and technical terminology which can baffle people who haven’t grown up in a world of bits, bytes and bandwidth speeds.

In particular, many people struggle to make sense of the concept of live streaming.

Isn’t it just like watching live TV, they ask. And in the age of catch-up services and live TV which can be paused for up to 45 minutes, the answer isn’t always crystal clear.

A key advantage of the splintering of traditional broadcast platforms is being able to watch what you want, when you want. Yet live streaming only happens once.

So what is live streaming, and how does content qualify? Where can you view it and what sort of footage is typically available?

Is it live or is it Memorex?

In essence, live streaming is the broadcast of content which hasn’t been pre-recorded onto tape, disc or any other storage medium.

It’s shown as it happens, much like live TV. Indeed, there is some crossover.

Examples of live streaming might include content which is being simultaneously broadcast (simulcast) on telly, such as real-time coverage of a football match.

Broadcasting it on the internet as well as on TV opens up a wider audience including overseas viewers, or people who aren’t close to a TV set but still want to watch.

These boundaries are further blurred by the fact many modern TV sets have web browsers built in, alongside apps designed to broadcast live streaming such as Twitch.

We’ll come back to Twitch in a moment. For now, let’s concentrate on the fact live streaming isn’t the same as catch-up TV, which by definition has been saved to be re-broadcast later on.

Social media platforms are enthusiastic exponents of live streaming, with TikTok and Instagram leading the field.

There’s a unique appeal to watching something happening elsewhere in the world right now – a key reason why video has usurped posts and photos in terms of social media value.

Although streaming services like BritBox, Netflix and Disney+ are home to a wealth of content, very little of it is broadcast in real time.

Casting around

Live streaming could also involve audio-only content.

A political podcast might broadcast a live episode on election night, or a gamer could provide a real-time midnight commentary while play-testing a hotly awaited new title.

Twitch has become one of the pre-eminent live streaming platforms, with its focus on gaming.

It might sound implausible to older audiences that people would enjoy watching other people playing computer games, yet Twitch has over 140 million monthly active users.

At any given moment, there will be 2.5 million people observing time-honoured Worms Armageddon battles or the latest League of Legends campaigns.

Games in the MMORPG, driving and sports categories tend to attract popular streams, as do open world simulators like Minecraft and first-person shooters.

Other answers to the question ‘what is live streaming’ may include educational or tutorial content, fitness workouts or breaking news, conference and concert footage.

Some live streams will be in breach of copyright, especially user-generated footage of paid events such as music gigs, so don’t be surprised if these feeds suddenly cut off.

Sending a thirty-second clip of your favourite band to your friends is one thing. Live streaming the entire show on your mobile is quite another, especially without prior approval.