Live Streaming- Is it worth it?

[Adam Lucio]

I had a few good stream days where I made over 100 bucks thanks to lots of viewers, but I think those days are over. CTV is having trouble monetizing streams since people whine and cry when theres ads, and last I heard they were all booted off youtube thanks to noobs listening to music while streaming (a huge no-no!) but I havent really checked in during the last 60 days to see what any news there may have been.

So I too stopped streaming during the second half of this year since my only real motive was to earn a couple tanks of gas every once in awhile. That and I am still using an old 3G card and streaming is a major data hog in areas of weak connection. I will re-visit the idea next season when i upgrade to 4G but for now Im feeling turned off to it.

To answer your question directly, if you are looking to make big money then no. If you want a way for friends/family/followers to simply tune in and see what youre up to, then its always neat providing the ability to do so.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Youtube monetization is available right off the bat now. I think you might need an Adsense account first. In fact, it's a big pain for me because the pirate/spam channels now have more incentive to steal videos.

 

[Matt Tottle]

Yeah I remember having to set up an Adsense account but when I did it it was because I got an invite (and that was only on one of my accounts).. I do know you aren't allowed to monetize if you have any strikes on your account (copyright/content).

 

[Mike Tobin]

I have to throw my 2 cents into this argument. I have only seen very few chasers actually make anything come of streaming video for me I started to think of doing it my self then I started to watch some of it. Most of the video feed is from the dash mount camera. unless the chaser parks directly at it you will not see anything especially if its an HP storm. Also It may take longer but the videos from chasers that actually take the time to edit them turn out a lot better. IMO. I Just started a new show which I will be filming next week if the storms hold up. But that is my opinion.

 

[Larry Bell]

So I was reading on Severe Studios, and if you have a camcorder, it appears, you have to have a Control Card, to get the video out of the camcorder, into the computer in order to stream it? Is this correct?

 

[Matt Tottle]

If it's a standard camcorder with just a flavor of "video out", then yes, you need a capture card. If you're using a USB webcam, or a digital camcorder with a USB connection and 'webcam mode', or if the camcorder and laptop both have Firewire, then no capture card is required.

 

[Larry Bell]

Thanks for the reply..........I had a Cannon Vixia HF52...........but it needed a capture card, so I took it back.......I just wanted my friends and family to see the storms live....I think I will get the Logitech Web-camera and just use it....

 

[Chris C Sanner]

Streaming is a double edged sword. It takes a lot of time and effort to ensure the stream stays up, camera is in focus, etc. and it takes up a lot of data/bandwidth. It depends on your goals going in on whether its worth it. If it's monetary, you just aren't going to make enough money to justify the expense in both time and money. If it's to build a following, you really need to consider what you can do to set you apart. Throwing up a stream and hoping people watch and are interested in you isn't a good way to do that. When we did streaming back in 2011, I made sure we did a fully interactive type of experience where we answered questions, had audio, etc. Back then that was hard to do with data being what it is -- it's a little easier today but still takes a lot of work to do well. If your goal is to simply report what you are seeing easily, there's some credence to showing a tornado live -- but a simple Tweet of a vine video/picture with an @ reply to the local NWS office can be just as effective in that regards.

Personally, I quit streaming because I didn't like the amount of time and effort we had to put into it vs. doing all the other things I'd rather be doing on chase day, like watching a storm. Technology has gotten better so I'm sure it's easier today, but even still there's not a huge amount of value in it for me...but everyone's mileage can and will vary on what they prefer.

 

[rdale]

It takes a lot of time and effort to ensure the stream stays up, camera is in focus, etc.

You might have had a bad provider - I can't think of any time or effort expended to keep the stream up with ChaserTV.

 

[Chris C Sanner]

You might have had a bad provider - I can't think of any time or effort expended to keep the stream up with ChaserTV.

As I said in the post, we didn't just put silent video up and call it a day. Had bigger goals in mind and it was a huge effort -- using Verizon/AT&T combo didn't help matters. Just took away from the overall chase, would rather just shoot HQ video and show it off later with small social snippets nowadays. Everyone's got a different goal with streaming though, so whatever works for you, works!

 

[TwisterGeek]

I still stream, but it's lower priority. I start the stream and let it run while I chase. If it drops out, or gets choppy due to poor data covereage, I just don't worry about it. It's low priority. Main focus is on the chase, staying safe, and getting eyes on the storms, photos, and video.

________________________
Matt Salo
TwisterGeeks - facebook.com/twistergeeks

 

[calvinkaskey]

Iowa weather boring? Are you kidding?

 

[calvinkaskey]

I took the best video as far as I know along the east coast, complete too and have only had a few thousand views from youtube. I got 35k hits supposedly on daily motion but no money.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Iowa weather boring? Are you kidding?

No, because Iowa has a habit of busting rather than scoring. I've seen a lot of setups look good but never pan out for whatever reason. I think the golden rule about Iowa with chasers is don't bother.

 

[Skip Talbot]

I think the golden rule about Iowa with chasers is don't bother.

::ahem::