Live streaming

[Andrew Livermore]

My plans are pretty big for the 2017 season. One thing that i want to get started is live streaming. But im not to sure on what it requires or what works best. I have plenty of cameras that can be used. But how do i get video from my samsung HMX-F90 to be sent to the stream? Would something like facebook live or youtube live be ideal or at least manageable? Im not streaming for a big audience just for a smaller local group.
Please let me know. Thank you.

-Andrew, MMSC


Meso Monsters Storm Chasing

 

[Steve Miller]

Seems many are favoring YouTube Live so that's something to look into. I believe www.ChaserTV.com utilizes the mechanics of YT Live and they can give you a larger audience. plus you can share with friends.

 

[Jason Foster]

If you aren't looking to monetize....simply use Periscope or FB. You'll build a large audience depending on what you stream. I didn't have anything set up to monetize my stream during Hurricane Matthew but I did pick up BBC and CNN with phoners and such and made money later. The Periscope stream reached 60,000 views in the overnight hours (it was crazy watching the comments role is faster than I could even read them).

 

[Adrian Francis]

If you aren't looking to monetize....simply use Periscope or FB. You'll build a large audience depending on what you stream. I didn't have anything set up to monetize my stream during Hurricane Matthew but I did pick up BBC and CNN with phoners and such and made money later. The Periscope stream reached 60,000 views in the overnight hours (it was crazy watching the comments role is faster than I could even read them).

You may want to look at the new Tracknwatch network which offers a really cool tracking and streaming service.

 

[Joe Moore]

If you aren't looking to monetize....simply use Periscope or FB.

Yup. For both amateurs just looking to share the sights and sounds with friends and family, and for pros with a FB page looking to broadcast live to a broad audience, Facebook Live is perfect. Friends and fans can choose to get notified when you go live, and the comments/reactions are great for interacting. Zuckerberg is "obsessed" with live streaming, and while there will always be tweaks to the Facebook algorithm, for now live streaming takes high priority.

I think Periscope has its merits depending on who you are and what kind of an audience you want to watch your broadcast. For me personally I'm mainly broadcasting live for friends and family, and since they're all on Facebook, that's the platform that works for me.

From a hardware perspective, going live from a phone or tablet is just so darn easy, and really I think only the die-hards want to spend hours watching a live chase dash cam - for my friends and family, they just want to see the cool stuff.

 

[Jason Foster]

I think Periscope has its merits depending on who you are and what kind of an audience you want to watch your broadcast. For me personally I'm mainly broadcasting live for friends and family, and since they're all on Facebook, that's the platform that works for me.

From a hardware perspective, going live from a phone or tablet is just so darn easy, and really I think only the die-hards want to spend hours watching a live chase dash cam - for my friends and family, they just want to see the cool stuff.

This is pretty much my part assessing (even more so in the past couple weeks) the streaming side. From other posts going back to 2015 (like the TVN is dead thread) it seems streaming for monetizing is mostly dead. Kiesling seems to have a decent twist and isn't a broad market streamer. He always seems to be focused on a small group with direct ties to media. Adair and others still offer good options, but I think the novelty is done as chasing is now not a darling of reality TV or movies and streaming is a common place with so many whereas chasers were more pioneers of the services (we did it before platforms went mainstream).

I suspect I won't do any chaser specific platform here on out. The idea of just easily sticking an iPad or iPhone or the like on Periscope or Facebook (I tend to go Periscope because I don't do it for family & friends). I don't mind the zero profit because I'm zero invested. If the stream goes down...sorry, I can still see the storm myself (hahaha).

I am curious and may talk with folks that still stream in a dedicated way for chasing just to get an opinion (point-of-view). I haven't really payed attention last few years. Funny how I was one of the first to stream (via Mogulus aka Livestream) but never really got to the level many did (nor earned the money many did). I was happy the few times my streams got bought up by networks and I made $300-$600 for the day. But it was only a few times. As with many monetizing platforms, you have to be in early and pioneer things and keep at it. I didn't, so I lost out on the big money. Oh well.

 

[Adrian Francis]

I have enjoyed reading this thread and respect everyones views on this forum however when I look at the tracknwatch website last night, or zoomradar I see the chasers in the vicinity of the devastating tornados down south with up to 8500 viewers per stream. I also see chasers driving sometimes thousands of miles day and night across three or more states watching their endless trips on live streams into a gas station to fuel up, buy a coke or a dried up sandwich and get back on the road to get that great video and to feel the power of the storm. I also talk to chasers that tell me they sometimes make less than a few hundred bucks during a season but they keep coming back because thats what they love doing. I don't think that it has anything to do with monetizing chasing by streaming because I think that most chasers realise they are not going to become rich by streaming. I think it is about the thrill of the chase and knowing that thousands of people could be watching you and seeing what you see. Its like a struggling Hollywood actor. All they want is that one chance to get a that big break and to have the thrill of getting on camera because acting is in their blood. Maybe I am being dramatic but the general public want to be with the chasers, they want to feel what they feel and the chasers want to give that to them. I think streaming is only going to get bigger audiences and with data costs coming down, a lot cheaper to do and I do believe that as technology improves and streams become more stable that streaming will become profitable. My view for what it is worth