Live streaming is an incredible technology that has made it easy to share content and connect with audiences regardless of their location. Fields as diverse as education, entertainment, and business have begun recognizing the countless opportunities that live streaming offers for individual creators and enterprises.
While the form of live streaming most people are familiar with is public, what about the times you want to restrict your live video content to a specific group of people? The best solution here is private streaming, which now has many applications.
There are several excellent private streaming apps, but figuring out which one is right for you can be challenging. This article explains the concepts and advantages of private streaming and discusses the best streaming apps to help you with this task.
Also Read: Evolution of streaming
Contents
What is Private Streaming?
Private video streaming is a type of technology that enables content to be streamed to a selected group of audience members. It is a way for content creators and businesses to stream their videos to a select group of people instead of a large audience.
Private streaming’s focus on the security and reliability of streams differentiates it from public streaming, where the goal is to accumulate a large audience.
Such streaming services usually offer encryption technologies such as AES, SSL, and DRM for this purpose. Some other security features these apps have are dynamic watermarking, password-protecting videos, and screen recording prevention.
Private streaming is employed mainly for internal purposes or to provide on-demand videos where only those paying for the videos can access them.
Benefits of Private Streaming Apps
Security
Live streams on platforms like YouTube and Facebook are public, and anyone can join them. They can access the content and even possibly download and share it. Public streaming is a risky choice for any organization that deals with sensitive information.
A private streaming platform comes with solid security and privacy features that make sure that the stream is accessible only to permitted users.
Convenience
Private live streams enable better real-time interaction, making gathering everyone together easier. It is more convenient for team members, clients, and other participants to communicate and share ideas on a private live stream.
Remote Meetings
Remote working and hiring are becoming more and more common these days. Meetings with partners, investors, and other stakeholders in different parts of the world have become more accessible with private streaming platforms.
Social Engagement
Private live streaming can also be done for more casual purposes, like group discussions or creative brainstorming sessions. It is an excellent way for college alumni and friend groups to reconnect and socialize.
Flexible Monetization
Private streaming apps can be used to generate revenue from video content. Creators can choose between pay-per-view, one-time purchase, or subscription-based access to their content. This also benefits consumers as they get a quality, ad-free experience.
High-Quality Streaming
Private streaming platforms generally have adaptive streaming capabilities that ensure that even viewers with a low-latency connection receive the best quality based on the speed of their internet connection. Such platforms are often integrated with content delivery networks(CDNs) to distribute content worldwide efficiently.
Use Cases of Private Streaming
Private Events
Private streaming is most commonly preferred for business meetings, training sessions, and other events related to an organization. It facilitates better real-time communication and is a must when confidential information is being discussed.
In the personal sphere, people may also stream weddings, funerals, family gatherings, and other private events that benefit from restricting access to select users.
Ticketed Events
As everything goes online, so have ticketed events like concerts, performances, seminars, trade conferences, and other former in-person events. A private stream makes sense for such events so that it can be ensured that only those who have paid for the ticket get access to the live stream.
Exclusive Content
Content creators may choose to distribute their content to subscribers exclusively through private streams. Classes, workshops, webinars, or other types of bonus content are some examples of this.
Key Features of a Good Private Streaming Platform
Cost
The first feature of a good private streaming platform is that it should be affordable and offer several pricing plans. You can also find one with custom pricing so that you can get features that meet your needs and pay only for what you use.
Password Security
Passwords are not infallible, but they are still an effective first line of defense. As private streaming is all about security, make sure that the platform you choose allows you to set a password. Steer clear of any app that doesn’t offer password protection.
Geographic Restrictions
This feature helps broadcasters restrict their content to a select audience. The real-world location of the user’s IP address is used to place such restrictions. For example, depending on licensing, movie-streaming services may restrict certain content to US or Europe-based users.
Referrer Restrictions
Referrer restrictions are used to place limitations based on the website from which the user came to see your videos. This is usually done to prevent users from illegally embedding your private stream on another website.
Payment System
Most private streaming platforms offer a paywall system for your video content. However, the security of the payments is also important. Ensure that your chosen streaming platform uses SSL encryption to accept payment information.
5 Best Private Streaming Platforms
IBM Cloud Video
IBM Cloud Video is a top private streaming platform. It is an excellent service that helps businesses host private streams and broadcast live and recorded videos. Its video players offer features like Player customization, mobile compatibility, and video editing tools.
Several engagement features for Audience polling, Q&A, and comments are also available.
With IBM Cloud Video, you get Enterprise Content Delivery Network(eCDN), Cloud-based Transcoding, and Integrated Content Management Systems.
Vimeo Livestream
Another fantastic private streaming app on our list is Vimeo Livestream. It is a popular platform for creative professionals and businesses to securely upload, edit, and share videos. You can also access adaptive streaming on Vimeo, i.e., users can adjust the broadcast quality according to their internet connection.
Here, you can access the videos through an SSL-encrypted URL, which ensures password protection and domain-level privacy controls. It offers several customization options to add custom logos, overlays, and color schemes.
Vimeo also enables simulcast via RTMP and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Vimeo Enterprise offers custom prices, and you are charged based on your requirements.
Kaltura
Another noteworthy platform for private streaming is Kaltura, a leading solution for those interested in high-level engagement. To maintain security, you can use it to create private videos and access features such as domain lock, right-click protection, password protection, and email gate.
Organizing and customizing content on Kaltura is easy by branding your videos, adding annotations, and call-to-actions(CTAs). The video player customization option includes built-in templates, the ability to add subtitles and chapters, and trimming tools to make clips.
Further, you can access full HD live streaming and get assured end-to-end security for video content on Kaltura.
Watchity
Watchity is a perfect streaming platform for private video streaming. It has every feature you would need to create webinars and virtual events with a professional look. The platform enables you to create live events for different platforms and record, edit, and share videos for internal and external audiences.
You can use all sorts of video services on Watchity- from registrations to landing pages, reminder emails, customizations, analytics, and session reports. There is even a live studio for video production, editing, and sharing. It has proprietary tools for Q&A, chat, and surveys that you can use to interact with the audience.
Watchity also offers auto recording, auto playback, multistreaming, and live clipping tools.
Dacast
Dacast is one of the best private streaming platforms that offer a wide range of features to ensure a seamless streaming experience for clients and audiences. It supports HD live streaming with low latency and ensures real-time video delivery.
There are several protection measures for private streams available on Dacast. Some of them are password protection, AES encryption, paywalls, and domain/IP and referrer restrictions. Dacast has integration with CDNs like Akamai and Limelight to ensure optimal performance and global content delivery.
It has many monetization options, including pay-per-view, advertising, and a subscription-based model. You can use its analytics tools to track viewer engagement, video performance, and other metrics.
