Over Half of Execs See Live Video Streaming as Important in 2016

This year is going to be a big one for live video streaming as part of the marketing mix. That information comes from a report just released by Brandlive, a cloud-based live video platform. Brandlive surveyed over 200 executives this winter, and found they were extremely positive about the power of live video.

Asked about the importance of live video streaming as part of a marketing strategy, 39 percent said it would be important in 2016 and 20 percent said it would be very important.

The role of live video streaming is changing. Brandlive found that many companies used it for training purposes in 2015. However, companies looking to expand into live video this year are doing so more for marketing purposes, such as broadcasting product launches, influencer briefings, and ecommerce sales.

For both live and on-demand video, most respondents say that their marketing budgets will stay the same in 2016, while about a quarter said their budgets would increase.

Companies aren't trying to tackle live video by themselves: almost half of those surveyed used external resources such as video production companies. Only a third have an in-house production team. Companies that didn't use live video cited lack of staff and budget as top reasons.

The survey showed that live video creates human experiences that on-demand video can't match:

"One of the surprising findings of our recent survey is the high value that brand and retail executives place on the authentic human interaction that live streaming video can bring," says Fritz Brumder, co-founder and CEO of Brandlive. "It was great to get the market validation of something I've believed for years. Survey respondents selected 'More authentic interaction with the audience' as the number one benefit of using live streaming video, and 'Bring a human element to digital marketing' was second."

Download the full report for free from Brandlive (registration required).

Troy Dreier's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net