The year of live video

2016 will go down as the year when live video streaming gained traction. It proved to be an effective tool in building and maintaining an online audience, making the news, even if it was often for the wrong reasons. In 2017, live video is poised to build on these strong foundations. Here are four ways that it could do this:

Extreme close-up

Live streaming has long been popular in the e-sports arena, but in 2017, expect it to infiltrate into other sports. Live video offers the potential to change the way we watch action sports where the visuals are dramatic, such as snowboarding and kite-surfing. It can offer unique camera angles and drones can be utilised to put the viewer at the centre of the action.

Back-end improvements

As new technologies mature, they need to develop universal standards and robust analytic systems. If they don’t, they will be cast aside when the next big thing comes along. Currently, there is no standard format for live video. There isn’t a reliable data measurement tool yet either. Big companies will not be throwing money at live video on an ongoing basis if they can’t measure its effect. Expect moves towards universality in 2017. Programmatic managed it, so live video should be able to.

Spectacular spectacles

In November 2016, Snapchat unleashed its Spectacles on the world. These brightly-coloured glasses with tiny built-in cameras received ecstatic reviews from the tech community. They make filming from a POV perspective easy. The natural progression will be live streaming video on Snapchat Live. Expect to see these amazing Spectacles at concerts, sporting events and more.

Down Periscope

In 2015 Twitter launched Periscope to some acclaim, but it has been overshadowed by Facebook Live. This is mainly due to how easy it is to use, plus a ready made audience on Facebook. Twitter has addressed this already, by enabling users to record live video directly from the Twitter app. Users don’t need to log on to Periscope anymore. More is needed, however. Expect a relaunch of live video on Twitter in 2017, probably branded as Twitter Live. Twitter serves a different demographic from Facebook and can break new ground if it does it right.