Livestream’s Focus on Technology Enables Quality Growth

Last week, Livestream.com (formerly Mogulus) announced the launch of Twitcam.com — the first video streaming service directly integrated with Twitter. Twitcam makes it dead simple to use your Twitter credentials to quickly launch and announce a live broadcast.

It’s another innovation that is growing the quality and reach of this relatively young broadcast channel focused on enabling the production of niche broadcasts, distributed across multiple channels.

With its accelerated growth in gestation, Livestream ramps up for a move into escalation.

We examined Livestream near the end of their Adoption Phase in the New Media Life Cycle. Their move into the Gestation Phase was driven largely by a group of niche users empowered by Livestream’s intuitive editing tools to create cheaply produced yet valuable content.

The Gestation phase is marked by an upswing in a core group of early adopters working to understand the value of the medium and providing relevant, frequent and high-quality content to a wider audience. What this means to Livestream is that overall quality of content in the channel is improving as they make video production and integration with other media channels easier. Traffic and quality will continue to increase as Livestream continues to define the live broadcast platform.

Channel adoption by a number of high-profile and highly targeted partners has not yet driven Livestream into the next phase in the Life Cycle, Escalation. But their focus on innovation instead of traffic generation demonstrates a methodical approach to growing a quality channel by helping niche broadcasters find their audience.

Quit gasping for airtime

Creators of niche events are finding it easy to distribute widely with Livestream technology.

This past June, the Minnesota Timberwolves streamed their own personal coverage of the draft on a dedicated Timberwolves Livestream channel. Now, ESPN’s coverage of the NBA Draft is comprehensive, but die-hard fans might have to wait hours for a mention of their team’s draft activity.

T-Wolves fans watching ESPN had to sit through the analysis of every other NBA team, while the Livestream broadcast was 100% focused on getting T-Wolves content to these motivated content consumers.

As other teams were struggling for airtime on the mainstream, broad-appeal channels, this team circumvented the struggle through Livestream and delivered high-quality, value-added content to their engaged fan base.

The takeaway

Brands can engage their target audience easily and more effectively with valuable, relevant online video content. Livestream’s innovations make producing this content much easier.

My question to you

How are you engaging your target audience? How do you encourage them to report back to you?

About the author

Brad Schwarzenbach -

As an analyst on the Tippingpoint Strategy team, Brad explores new opportunities for clients to build relationships with their customers. He’s always testing new social media channels, poring over analytic data, and identifying emerging trends. He also speaks at conferences & events about uncovering powerful messages hidden within brands' unique values.

Brad’s research has contributed to the development of content & contributor strategies for such clients as Breville, Rodale, Long’s Jewelers, and Fusionapps, as well as being a frequent contributor to the Tippingpoint blog. He’s been “listening” to the way we communicate online since the old AOL People Connection days and watched the way that digital communication has evolved.

An English and Creative Writing major at the University of Connecticut, Brad’s spent most of his career creating web content and becoming intimately familiar with web theory for Bayard, Inc. and TomTom Inc., giving Brad keen ears and eyes to what, exactly, makes web content valuable.

Outside the office, Brad feels most at home with his beautiful wife-to-be Kristina, or on the golf course. “There’s a distinct pace and rhythm to the way people communicate online.  Understanding and taking part in them yields amazing opportunities for my clients to not only grow but to improve their business. I’m constantly looking for those opportunities.”