Wowza Streaming Engine offers broadcasters the power to publish an MP4 file as a stay stream. That’s proper: You’ll be able to publish a pre-recorded video that seems as if it’s stay in social media feeds, streaming apps, and web sites. Wowza’s StreamPublisher module makes it simple, permitting you to configure a number of MP4 recordsdata (starting from seconds to hours lengthy) in a playlist that endlessly loops.

However why would anyone wish to do this? It seems, there are a number of good causes.  Chances are high that you simply’ve already considered pre-recorded content material posing as a stay stream with out realizing it. And since social media platforms like Fb Reside and YouTube have algorithms that promote stay content material over pre-recorded video, publishing pre-recorded video as if stay ends in a rise in viewership and click on by means of charge to your advertisements.

Let’s check out the myriad advantages, steps for configuring your pre-recorded stream as stay, and how you can stream to YouTube  and Fb Reside. You can even watch the video above for a whole walk-through on publishing an MP4 as a stay stream with Wowza Streaming Engine’s StreamPublisher module.

You Don’t Should Be Current

As a result of the StreamPublisher module lets broadcasters schedule MP4s
to play as if they’re stay, you’re capable of go on along with your usually
scheduled actions by configuring the stream schedule for viewers in any time
zone. Some 24-hour streaming channels loop a prolonged MP4 video or playlist
indefinitely as a steady stay feed — without having for fixed surveillance
of the channel.

Prepared to offer it a attempt?

Begin a free trial at this time to check out publishing a pre-recorded video as stay.

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Larger Engagement and Elevated Income

Individuals want the thrill and private involvement of stay video over on-demand content material. Fb Reside just lately reported that stay video produces six occasions extra interactions and ten occasions extra feedback than conventional video. In reality, Fb Reside viewing time quadrupled in a single yr. Reside streaming continues to develop and dominate over video on demand (VOD), with quite a lot of promising predictions for 2020 and past.

So, with all these viewers, it is likely to be a good suggestion to
insert a pre-roll or mid-roll commercial into your stream, proper? A really,
superb concept certainly!

A latest research reveals that viewers of stay streams really feel extra emotionally concerned and thus extra prone to make a purchase order. So, if you happen to insert an advert into your pre-recorded video that’s streaming as stay, you may see a 4 to 5 occasions improve in advert click on charges — to not point out a really good bump in advert income.

Unlock Monetization Alternatives With Premieres

Social media algorithms favor stay video because of the improve
in viewer engagement. Due to this, channels like YouTube Reside, Instagram
Reside, and Fb Reside have begun providing extra alternatives to stream
pre-recorded movies as stay.

As one instance, YouTube Premieres launched in the summertime of 2018 and permits pre-recorded movies to be uploaded and scheduled for later viewing as a stay stream premiere. This affords an enormous alternative for the standard on-demand broadcasters to reap the monetization advantages beforehand solely obtainable for true stay streams.

In line with YouTube group product supervisor Kurt Wilms:

“This product goes to assist creators earn more money, and it unlocks two new massive income streams. The primary income supply is Tremendous Chat, the place viewers will pay to have their remark transfer as much as the highest and had solely been obtainable for stay streamers up to now. The second is channel memberships, which incorporates perks that had been beforehand reserved just for stay movies.”

The overall concept is that because the pre-recorded video performs,
the broadcaster can focus all their consideration on chatting and interesting with the
stay viewers slightly than specializing in the technical necessities of a real stay
stream.

Scheduling and Promotion for YouTube Premieres

When scheduling your stream premiere date, a web page with a
countdown clock to the time of the stream broadcast could be posted and shared to
appeal to new subscribers to your channel. In lots of circumstances, a pre-roll video is
used to advertise and improve pleasure — main up-to-the-minute when 1000’s
of viewers can watch your video premiere. When the scheduled time arrives, the
playlist schedule will merely change from the pre-roll stream within the playlist
to the MP4 you want to act because the premiere video.

Streaming this fashion has caught on, with no indicators of slowing down. Each small companies and well-known music artists are leveraging ‘stay, however not stay’ content material to interact with their viewers. YouTube Premieres has already damaged information in 2019, and several other different main social media websites are following go well with.

Cut back the Probability of Reside Broadcast Points

If you happen to’ve ever stay streamed a broadcast, that
there’s all the time an opportunity for one thing to go mistaken.

The digital camera or encoder may disconnect. The community may
out of the blue fluctuate with an surprising lengthy buffer. Even the on-camera presenters
may get nervous and botch the script.

Whew…the stuff stay streaming nightmares are manufactured from! 

Though tens of 1000’s of stay streams go off each
single day with out a difficulty, accidents can occur. Shedding viewership is a small
value to pay, however dangerous press may additionally end result.

For anybody seeking to keep away from the dangers, streaming an MP4 as a stay broadcast is all the time an choice.

Find out how to Configure Your Pre-Recorded Stream as Reside

With the intention to stream a pre-recorded video as stay in Wowza Streaming Engine, you’ll first have to configure the StreamPublisher module. The entire listing of directions with code samples are offered right here. Under we offer a quick abstract of the steps required. You can even reference the video above for a recorded tutorial.

Stipulations: Wowza Streaming Engine 4.0.0 or later is required.

1. Set up the StreamPublisher Module

• Obtain the wse-plugin-streampublisher.zip file
• Extract the contents from the downloaded (zipped) bundle, after which copy the lib/wse-plugin-streampublisher.jar file from the bundle to the lib folder in your Wowza Streaming Engine set up ([install-dir]/lib).
• Restart Wowza Streaming Engine.

2. Configure a Server Listener

• When you’ve downloaded and put in the module, you will have to configure it with Streaming Engine.

• You’ll do that by including a server listener to your Streaming Engine configuration.

• You need to observe all the configuration steps on this article earlier than you possibly can stream a pre-recorded file as stay.

3. Add the Required Properties

• After configuring the server listener, you will have so as to add some required server properties in Streaming Engine.

• You’ll be able to add these properties on the server or utility degree.

4. Create a SMIL file

• The SMIL file will reference your mp4 file in your content material folder.

• You’ll be able to create an elaborate schedule with a number of pre-recorded streams scheduled to play as stay.

Now that you simply’ve configured the StreamPublisher in Streaming Engine, you’ll have the ability to stream an mp4 file as stay to YouTube and Fb Reside.

Find out how to Stream a Pre-Recorded Video as Reside to YouTube

To make use of Wowza Streaming Engine as a video supply for YouTube, you first have to arrange a stay stream in YouTube Studio. For extra details about YouTube Studio, see the YouTube assist article Intro to YouTube Studio.

1. Create a stay utility in Streaming Engine.
2. Create and allow a stream goal to ship the stream to YouTube
3. Confirm the stream is enjoying in each Streaming Engine supervisor and YouTube Studio

For full step-by-step directions to stream to You Tube, please overview the documentation right here.

Find out how to Stream a Pre-Recorded Video as Reside to Fb

Earlier than you begin, be sure to have a Fb configured to ingest a stream from Wowza Streaming Engine.

When your Fb account is prepared, create the Web page to which you wish to put up a stay stream. If streaming to your Timeline or to an current Web page, no extra configuration is required.

You’ll have to observe all the steps outlined right here to stream to FB stay. The configuration is just like the steps above for streaming to YouTube.

1. Create a stay utility in Wowza Streaming Engine.
2. Evaluate the required Fb safety settings.
3. Create and allow a Stream Goal in Streaming Engine
4. Check the connection in Fb Reside

After the Fb stream goal initiates a stay video put up, the video put up in Fb is labeled LIVE. If the stay supply stream is disconnected, Fb places the video put up right into a “ready” state.

For full step-by-step directions to stream to Fb Reside, please overview the documentation right here.

Conclusion

There are perks to ‘stay’ streaming a pre-recorded video, nevertheless it in the end is dependent upon your use case and streaming wants.

Prepared to offer it a attempt? Begin a free trial at this time to get began.

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Extra Sources:

• Loop a Pre-Roll Till a Reside Stream Begins
• Prime 5 Safety Choices for Wowza Streaming Engine
• Prime 5 Java Modules for Wowza Streaming Engine

About Rose Energy

Rose Energy is the developer neighborhood supervisor for Wowza Media Techniques. Keen about constructing relationships with the dev neighborhood, Rose strives to ship high quality assets for a optimistic consumer expertise constructed on belief. When not working, she could be discovered… View extra