Live streaming has today emerged as an incredible way to share content and connect with audiences regardless of their location. Different fields like education, entertainment, and business have begun recognizing the countless opportunities that live streaming offers for individual creators and enterprises.
A large number of live streams are public, but what about the times you want to restrict your live video content to a specific group of people? Private streams are the best solution here and have a wide range of applications.
However, figuring out which private streaming app is the right one for you can be challenging. Therefore, we have compiled this list of top-notch private streaming apps that promise a secure streaming experience.
Contents
What is Private Streaming?
Private video streaming is a technology that helps people to stream content to a selected group of audience members. It is a way for content creators and businesses to securely store, share, and stream videos.
Private streaming services usually offer encryption technologies such as AES, SSL, and DRM to ensure that only authorized people can view the videos. Other security features these platforms provide include dynamic watermarking, password-protecting videos, and screen recording prevention.
Private video streaming is mainly used for internal purposes or to provide on-demand videos where only those who are willing to pay for the videos are allowed to access them.
Private Streaming Platform Features
Security
The key reason people opt for private streaming platforms is video content security. Therefore, it is vital to have advanced protection in place while opting for private streaming.
Most services use encryption mechanisms like DRM, AES-128, and SSL for this. A multi-DRM approach using Google Widevine DRM and Apple FairPlay DRM is also an option.
CDN
Content Delivery Network(CDN) is a geographically distributed network of servers that is used to deliver optimal video quality to users regardless of their location. It does so by caching content from the nearest server to the user’s device. CDN is, therefore, crucial for delivering an optimal streaming experience.
Video API
A video API is a tool or protocol for transcoding videos and playing them via a video player. Server APIs help to manage videos more effectively. They help manage video data, and a player API can be used to embed videos, customize designs, and include interactive features.
Video Encoding and Transcoding
Encoding compresses a video’s original file size into smaller sizes. Transcoding, meanwhile, converts files from one format to another. A good private video streaming platform will ensure that clients are not limited by the format of their video files.
Manually converting files to the required format can be pretty cumbersome. Therefore, choosing a platform with excellent encoding and transcoding capabilities is important so that viewers have easy access to high-definition streams.
Video Analytics
Analytics help users learn more about viewer behaviour, such as where they pause and leave the video. This is helpful in figuring out how the content can be improved.
You can get insight into who is watching your content, for how long, and the nature of their engagement. This data can be used to customize the content according to the audience.
Content Control
Private live streaming platforms help creators and businesses exercise more control over the audience and distribution of their content. This is critical for monetizing content, building brand integrity, and protecting intellectual property.
Creators can effectively manage their audience and prevent unauthorized sharing and distribution of their content.
10 Best Private Streaming Apps
IBM Cloud Video
IBM Cloud Video is one of the best private streaming platforms out there. It helps businesses host private streams and broadcast live and recorded videos. The video players offer features such as Player customization, mobile compatibility, and video editing tools. There are also engagement features for Audience polling, Audience Q&A, and comments.
IBM Cloud Video further provides Enterprise Content Delivery Network(eCDN), Cloud-based Transcoding, and Integrated Content Management Systems.
Vimeo Livestream
The next best private streaming app recommendation on our list is Vimeo Livestream. It is a popular platform that enables creative professionals and businesses to upload, edit, and share videos securely. Vimeo offers adaptive streaming i.e., users can broadcast in up to 1080p resolution.
Videos can be accessed through an SSL-encrypted URL, which ensures password protection and domain-level privacy controls. There are several customization options that you can use to add custom logos, overlays, and color schemes.
Further, it enables simulcast via RTMP and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. You can opt for either Vimeo Advanced at $75/month or Vimeo Enterprise, which charges custom prices based on an organization’s requirements.
Kaltura
Another tremendous private streaming platform is Kaltura, a leading solution for those interested in high-level engagement. It can be used to create private videos and offers features such as domain lock, right-click protection, password protection, and email gate to maintain security.
You can easily organize your content on Kaltura and customize it by branding your videos, adding annotations, and call-to-actions(CTAs). Its Video Player customization option includes built-in templates, the ability to add subtitles and chapters, and trimming tools to make clips.
Kaltura also offers full HD live streaming and ensures end-to-end security for video content.
Watchity
Watchity is a video engagement platform that is perfect for private video streaming. It has everything you would need to create webinars and virtual events with a professional look. Here, you can create live events for different platforms and record, edit, and share videos for internal and external audiences.
Watchity offers all sorts of services for virtual events- from registrations to landing pages, reminder emails, customizations, analytics, and session reports. It even has a live studio for video production, editing, and sharing. You can interact with the audience through proprietary tools for Q&A, chat, and survey.
Watchity also has auto recording, auto playback, multistreaming, and live clipping options.
Dacast
Dacast is another versatile private streaming platform offering a wide range of features to ensure a seamless streaming experience for clients and audiences. The platform supports HD live streaming with low latency and guarantees real-time video delivery.
Dacast offers several protection measures for private streams, such as password protection, AES encryption, paywalls, and domain/IP and referrer restrictions. Its integration with CDNs like Akamai and Limelight ensures optimal performance and global content delivery.
Further, Dacast supports many monetization options, including pay-per-view, subscription, and advertising. There are analytics tools available to track viewer engagement, video performance, and other metrics.
Wistia
Wistia is a famous private streaming platform that was launched in 2006. Since then, it has helped businesses across many countries to use their video content for brand marketing. The website offers video analysis tools to help analyze your video performance and a heat map to check which part of your video viewers skipped, watched, and replayed.
You can make your videos SEO-friendly by optimizing their title, description, and tags by adding relevant keywords. Wistia also lets you customize controls, upload logos, and change the appearance of the video player.
Wowza
Wowza is a streaming platform that efficiently caters to different streaming needs. It has a customizable media server that helps you build, deploy, and manage high-quality live streams. The platform handles the entire live video delivery process on your behalf, including transcoding and distribution.
Wowza has a great CDN system that enables fast and reliable video delivery to your audience with low latency and high-quality playback. It also has built-in security options such as SSL/TLS encryption, token authentication, and geo-blocking.
OnTheFly
OnTheFly is an excellent cutting-edge streaming platform to broadcast your content. It helps you engage your audience with high-quality, real-time video streaming. You can interact with the audience through live chat, comments, and Q&A. This helps to encourage direct communication and better audience participation.
OnTheFly supports multistreaming as you can live stream your content simultaneously on different social media platforms and other dedicated websites. It also allows autorecording, and live streams can be archived for on-demand viewing. You can also add virtual backgrounds or special effects to your stream.
GUDSHO
GUDSHO helps creators connect more meaningfully with their audience via live streaming. It is the best platform for businesses and enterprises that handle a large user base and want a service that can handle such capacity. GUDSHO has a user-friendly interface and a plethora of features that make it worth checking out.
It uses CDN and adaptive bitrate streaming to ensure a smooth streaming experience. The platform supports multiple monetization models, including donations, SVOD, and TVOD. GUDSHO also has an analytics dashboard that you can use to get insight into the behaviour and patterns of the audience.
VPlayed
Another excellent private streaming app is VPlayed. It is a comprehensive platform that helps you stream, distribute, manage, and monetize your videos and live streams. VPlayed is fully customizable, and the best thing is that it has zero user charges or partner earnings.
The platform has an intuitive content management system that helps you effortlessly upload and update your video library. Its cloud transcoding technology is crucial to optimize video quality for a smooth streaming experience. Further, it offers about ten monetization models that you can select from to enhance your earnings.
