What Is a Webcast Service and How Does It Work?

We all live in a digital age, where communication is easier than a few decades ago. In this era, we have lots of software, applications, platforms, gadgets and, most importantly, the internet, which can be used to collaborate with teams, no matter where they are. Updating email, files, and even virtual meetings, conferences, trade fairs, and whole events are now possible. 

The live streaming platform or webcast service is the one corporate communication essential that unites the corporate culture. There are more and more businesses that offer regular webcast streaming. In this article, we go over what webcasts are, how they operate, and whether or not your business leverages webcasts.

What Is a Webcast?

Let’s start with an explanation of what a webcast is. A webcast is a point-to-multiple live stream over the internet that combines the words “web” and “broadcast.” A webcast is generally streamed over the internet. Usually, broadcasting of sports over television channels is considered earlier, but after the internet and live streaming services, it is common to stream over social sites and the web. Earlier traditional broadcasting was commonly non-interactive but here the content may be live or recorded, but simultaneous viewing is required.

Today, independent broadcasters, news organizations, concerts, sporting events, and even weddings (referred to as “webcasts”) use webcasts as a very popular format. But webcasts really excel in corporate communications. The 2020 pandemic serves as an example of how medium and large businesses use webcasting technology to connect with their remote employees, clients, and audiences. Webcasting technology is used for CEO briefings, town halls, employee summits, international conferences, and department updates.

How Do Live Webcasts Work?

A webcast has two components: the technology itself and how you use it to benefit your company.

The technology in a nutshell

A live stream of a current event, a previously shot video, or a combination of both can make up the webcast content. On a desktop computer, this content is sent to a hardware or software encoder, which performs real-time processing on it. More specifically, the encoder transforms digital (or analogue) video formats into a format better suited for internet transmission. A CDN or eCDN (Content Delivery Network) distributes the transmission to numerous viewers. The transmission is decoded into a video format that the video player can understand on the viewer’s computer.

How to set up a webcast?

As was mentioned in the previous paragraph. You must therefore have to use good live streaming services. If you intend to cast a live event, this can also include recording equipment (lighting, cameras, sound equipment, and all other studio equipment). Additionally, you’ll need a hardware encoder and a webcasting solution like Dreamcast. The following crucial steps are important in hosting successful live streaming. 

Plan your content

Every live stream needs to be planned with excellent execution by the team. Make sure to keep a checklist, and before planning for one such event, know your goals and objectives. What kind of content do you need, or the location, or guest speakers? Also, preparing all those content in the form of infographics, videos, slides etc. What will be your call to action? The most important one is that your live stream should be informative and engaging and use a webcast service provider.  

Promote your webcast

This can be as straightforward as sending your staff an email and a calendar invitation, or it can be as complex as a comprehensive marketing strategy that incorporates landing pages, emails, and social media campaigns (PPC, influencer marketing, etc.). 

Think about engagement when running your webcast.

It all comes down to your imagination and your webcasting solution’s capabilities. Of course, the majority of what will keep viewers riveted is the content. However, there is much more you can do to maintain viewer interest, including using polls, quizzes, Q&As, social media, and hotspots (for VOD).

Follow up

To ensure that your call-to-action is as effective as possible, send an email in response to your webcast. You will also have access to a wide range of analytics, measuring the level of service, engagement, and participant participation, if you use the best live streaming services. You can use these analytics to measure performance in relation to your KPIs and streamline the procedure for upcoming webcasts.

Top uses of Webcast

There are many uses for webcasts, but these are the top ones. 

• Company town halls
• Live conference meetings
• Product launches
• Investor relations
• Virtual Events

Summing Up

Due to the rising popularity and many events happening in the UAE, particularly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, webcast services are very important to utilize. With these services, you can be sure to reach a greater audience by live streaming your on-ground events. This can help you achieve a lot. Make sure to use the best live streaming service provider so that you can make your event engaging and interactive for your remote audience.