The work presented in this paper is inserted into a broader research project that aims to place the LVSSs into the current digital transformation, which impels the organizations to understand the new technological context and adopt live streaming services as an instrument of digital marketing in relation to the constant changes of web habits of media consumers, to transform leisure and entertainment activities into a valid business for a broader entrepreneurial scope. In fact, the provision of live streaming services is demanding companies looking for a revitalization, a reinforcement of their image, and a connection with an increasing percentage of the client portfolio made up of digital natives, who have grown up using digital channels to carry out all types of activities. They have a predilection for video content at the expense of traditional media communication. The figures reveal how internet users spend 3.7 times longer on live content. After increasing the stakeholders’ on-site engagement time, 80% of internet users are more interested in consuming a video than reading a collaborative text.

Undoubtedly, one of the trending topics in science, technology, and everyday life as well is internet streaming. Online communication in terms of magnetic audio-visual content is increasingly dominating people’s daily life. From customer support for some product or services and various remotely controlled activities, such as online lessons of music, languages, e-learning courses for most various subjects, pedagogical activities in social networks, live sessions of artisans’ presentations, until personalized content for gaming, everything could easily become a current demand. With the strict imperative of real-time communication, online streaming platforms must potentiate the characteristics of simplicity, flexibility, and adaptability so that a helpful forum is represented. The offering of an enriched digital experience for the user is one of the basic requirements for a live streaming platform. Looking specifically at the live video streaming services (LVSSs) providers, the increasing demand from users in terms of plurality of content, real-time interaction, the potential for customized delivery of online content, are pushing the organization to evaluate and study the potential of these services.

Background and Significance

Live streaming in itself has had a long and diverse history. As early as the 1930s, sport events and news reports with audios and videos were broadcasted on television as they are today, but for a long while live streaming had not enjoyed particular popularity due to its hardware limitations. However, since the turn of the century, technological advancements have brought the needed computational resources and network speed, among others, to rekindle the once-failed passion of people for live shows. These days, with the remarkable growth of digital content platforms such as Facebook, Amazon, and so on, live streaming engages with more people through an unprecedented growth in its events, audiences, and performances. According to Sentieo, live streaming has witnessed 99% annual growth in terms of page visits during COVID-19, with 158% growth in Share of Watch Time.

The significance of digital experience cannot be overstated. The way we feel online ultimately affects our decisions and perceptions of a brand. And, while the digital experience can be created consciously, shaping the emotions and intuitions of users, no company can entirely control the natural flow of their customers or monitor the viability or quality of their experiences constantly. As a result, though unparalleled in speed and reach, digital commerce is still second to physical commerce in most important indices including the lifetime value of customers and engagement. One increasingly popular solution for the problem is an appeal to both physical and virtual engagement: hybrid live streaming can drive both digital and physical audiences through the integration of an interactive experience, in which we finally see the future of digital commerce, thanks to special events such as music or fashion performances that are broadcast to a wider audience, enhancing traffic, engagement, and ultimately sales made in-store.

Research Objectives

The access of any user to this open channel is conditioned by the safety measures considered. On the one hand, simple, automatic mechanisms—the spectral audio and video signals, for telemetry services—are quite effective in granting an unrestricted number of simultaneous live users. NSURLSession interactivity. By subscribing to certain channels, these users can track a specific class or a set of classes. In the case of participating in class or exchanging their opinions with other students, the accepted transmitter utilizes a channel.

Streaming solutions specifically designed for educational institutions usually provide agile responses to this type of situation. Thus, the encoding system transcodes and generates the channels that are activated with the appropriate format, and the live stream is ready to be started by the encoding system when a user initiates a live service. As it has been explained, lectures are transmitted through social media streaming platforms, and the opportunity of accessing this information promotes students’ interaction and collaboration. The generation of new educational methodologies occurs by transferring audio and video signals among classmates. These synchronous audio and video signals are transmitted through standard or live web conferencing systems. DEALINGS network systems provide the guarantee of maintaining the audio and video quality, filling the maximum number of streaming channels allowed for each type of encoder.

The interest in the live streaming topic and the high quantity of new broadcasting content for two of the biggest platforms—YouTube and Facebook—justify the convenience of analyzing the factors that determine which users prefer under each platform. From a live event, the generation of transcoding ready-to-use channels entails high managing capacity and leads to problems like over framing or using too many resources in case of living streaming on Facebook or YouTube. It is important to decide the number of streaming channels and the required codec and parameters according to the source and the available bandwidth.

Understanding Hybrid Live Streaming

Current conventional live streaming technologies have created products which can perfectly broadcast content to audiences. They can also create basic interactions, like giving heart signs or chatting in the live chat window. Although creating dialogue between broadcasters and audiences is similar with digital publishing, social media, and business conference software, digital interaction is not deeply integrated with the conceptual live streaming product. However, this type of technology embodies a different kind of sophistication and simplifies its application and creates the advantage that digital interactive publishing can only long for. Indeed, a live broadcast, in contrast, is time-consuming to produce and costly to implement.

For example, in large gala dinners, an important segment of the events is the speech from the distinguished guests, and without live streaming, only a tiny portion of the donors in the event can listen to the leaders or honored guests. Many event organizing companies and corporations do realize the importance of these speeches, and they broadcast their live speeches on traditional TV channels. It is quite common that they live stream the speeches on social media. Today, different from event organizing, companies and corporations can benefit from using live streaming technology by creating low-cost and low-risk activities to engage their audiences at the same time. The creation of live content has become increasingly important, and audiences become valuable distantly – this is the firsthand player advantage derived from live streaming.

Definition and Concept

In the COVID-19 process, institutions and organizations have allocated special budgets for online events and tried not to lose their old prestige and clientele. In this way, the actors of the event sector maintained their existence. Online events have allowed institutions and event centers to survive. Especially in travel and hotel expenditures, experienced savings within the organization have brought important developments in terms of environmental damage. Events that have become more accessible, easier, and more attractive to everyone have contributed to the development of digital culture. While the events increased with new investments, hybrid live streaming brought quality and efficiency to the competition between events and opened new doors. In this critical period of professional practice of capstone and amateur entrepreneurship, new initiatives and job opportunities have emerged. The relationship network has expanded and reached the ideal investor by choosing the most suitable platform. It has expanded its field of activity and become a global player by reaching a larger target audience. In short, online events and hybrid live broadcasts have gained importance and necessity with the support of modern and high-level technical equipment by adding a special movement in terms of promotion and sale.

The pandemic situation that started in 2020 and is still ongoing has had a great impact. Many industries have suffered losses. Adaptation and improvement actions against the difficulties were put into use. Institutions and companies who realized the importance of working online needed to provide this service in higher quality and variety. The art of streaming has become a savior in the days of the pandemic, especially with online events.

Benefits of Hybrid Live Streaming

Furthermore, hybrid live streaming provides more data to capture. Capturing a livestream allows for playlists to be created and customized. Providing the Navigation and Control Bar (NABC) overlay can also provide a wealth of unique viewer engagement metrics. Virtual audiences are able to watch their event of interest in the comfort of their own home and have a keyboard or mobile device at the ready. Virtual attendees have become a primary advertisement audience for live events. They will either be drawn to attend in person through their virtual experience, or they can help generate revenue by their participation through various microtransactions. Virtual attendees may even be able to purchase a “hybrid-lite” version, where they participate when they want to, repeating the event as necessary. The ability to see how impactful content is before, during, and after an event is crucial. Insights on this data allow for future content to be optimized.

There are various benefits to hybrid live streaming. Ultimately, hybrid live streaming provides the viewers with more ways to watch certain content. Hybrid content allows those that did not receive a physical invitation to still attend the event. It allows those that may have had another conflicting appointment to view the event at a later time. It also allows those who live across the world to still attend an event when traveling is difficult. Hybrid live streaming is the next evolution in digital experiences. It ultimately grants the viewer more freedom. The content may be shot, live, pre-recorded, remote, office-based—any combination from anywhere in the world. Hybrid live streaming also provides audiences specifics on only the events or portions of events they are interested in. It eliminates the hassle of searching through live streams in attempts to discover interesting content.

Enhanced Reach and Engagement

Events in a remote-work world are no longer an abstract strategy, but a necessity in business. Streaming helps create an experience. There are many benefits to providing organizations the ability to stream events, from increased reach to increased flexibility, reducing cancellations, and increasing the need to attend on-site. Some more benefits of live streaming events include reducing costs for attendees, saving money for organizers, and increasing the value of existing sponsors. In conclusion, hybrid events provide a pathway to deeper attendee engagement, much greater reach, regulatory compliance, and new revenue streams. Providing the perfect streaming experience for your audience is not easy, however. It is essential that marketing keep up with changing on-site attendee demographics with a new hybrid event audience and create an unforgettable event experience that will motivate each and every attendee to want to engage with event content, even if they are not physically present.

A combined live and online event, known as a hybrid event, is a single physical event with components (e.g., sessions) that take place on-site and online. A hybrid live-streaming service for custom video production and live streaming provides multi-camera setup, live editing, high-quality video and sound, professional time, and real-time video promotion. Hybrid events are driving the meetings and events industry by expanding event engagement opportunities to a new global audience. Recent meeting trends indicate that while in-person events may allow for easier discussion and human interaction, attendees who cannot attend an event in person appreciate the option of live streaming to allow for greater access to the material. This is especially convenient for distant or international attendees who cannot attend the meeting for any reason.

Networking Opportunities

At hybrid events, a much broader audience will have access to network, create new live experiences, put themselves out there, conduct business, learn more about what is going on in different sectors, and meet a variety of different contacts, without the restrictions that distance imposed previously. In 2021, due to the practical difficulty of attendance – the high global demand for participation, late notice of the event, and border restrictions applied by the United Kingdom – the number of Brazilian companies participating in COP26 in Glasgow will be much less than in previous editions. Hybrid events offer the convenience of digital opportunities mixing with the valuable connections of physical events with less impact on the environment. If there are environmental logistics gains from organizations’ implementation and their operational practices, this can stimulate multi-stakeholder dialogue and cooperation and lead to concrete and visible future opportunities in time for COP26.

Challenges and Solutions

A much cheaper solution, allowing large SMEs/NGO participation, is for-profit (sponsored) public live streaming partnerships. In this case, there is a need to establish a trade agreement with a high-quality streaming service. Such a gathering partnership will support the high-quality live streaming efforts, enhance the program selection, and increase the visibility of the hybrid meeting at a fraction of the production cost. To eliminate the network bottlenecks problem, multicasting should be built into the meeting network. The business case proposed by the author supports the bullish conclusion that permanent deployment of these two tactical solutions (mixed professional pro-broadcasting and multicasting) will eventually be cheaper for any large business gathering than building and maintaining a similar face-to-face meeting scenario.

J.N. Arkhipov writes that, even though many threats can undermine hybrid events, there are ways to overcome them. It is proposed to use a set of organizational, financial, and technological solutions to overcome the problems, namely, increased technological barriers, creation of limited face-to-face meeting space, and network bottlenecks. The solutions include the use of a mix of professional broadcasting technologies (traditional broadcasting and advanced digital platforms) or cloud-based meeting solutions. Also, interactive meeting opportunities can be provided for those audiences that cannot attend the live event. Alternatively, asynchronous programs can be provided that will let attendees watch the meeting at their own pace. The ability of attendees to participate in some (even if not in all) of the meeting highlights should be considered. The financial weight of the event on the number of possible attendees should also be kept into consideration.

Technical Challenges

The worldwide interest demonstrated by people towards technology marries very well with the found interest developed by artists towards innovation, and the reality of half of mankind confined to their homes underlined how much art is part of each of us independently from its possible purchase. Videos are arranged to share the experience with them, but for “classes”, the possibility of using nreal image overlays to provide direct tutoring is being investigated. To evaluate how much online university classes can become much more engaging thanks to the availability of insights that enable in-depth immersion also remotely, especially in the network subject. In addition, it has to be noted that now a high number of performances can be watched for free by following the official 5G Eve online events. Finally, the broker track which has been added during the last update is dedicated to online participants as the only one for them due to the concept of data consumption.

In addition to each individual set of challenges, the format corresponds to a certain hybrid use-case of interest, such as combining on-site audience and online via entertainers. In this case, the format should be extended by adding both for entertainment and business use-cases to the current format as follows. These events mix a local, in-person audience with remote participants located in any part of the world. By incorporating them in a single virtual environment, the hybrid live streaming concept allows the broadcast experience to be common and homogeneous for attendees, regardless of their type, providing holistic immersive experiences through live streaming over 5G technologies. These latest scenarios are two use cases created by Metro-Haul partners extending 5G digital urban playground service, since both offer brand new advanced performances that can be enjoyed through interactive 5G media consumption.

Best Practices for Successful Hybrid Live Streaming

Use an advanced, purpose-built event platform. The events-based electronic platform is designed for virtual and hybrid events and is a direct example of handshakeable catching bridges that link digital and actual events. It all connects, and it’s on one joint event, virtual as one. Measurement and tracking capabilities. The event is aimed at engaging a broader audience across many platforms. An electronic platform is an ideal tool for analyzing metrics and data. Keep your hybrid events, just like the actual ones, confidential. When you keep the technology and the format of the event separate, you can create a buffer for security. You have perhaps seen a message that more and more meetings are conducted under actual security measures and conducted on actual event electronic platforms. Building confidentiality into your technology and event format provides a buffer-level of privacy. With additional consumer information laws and business guidelines, retaining these requirements is important.

Change the way you communicate with your virtual audience. Interact with the virtual audience. Virtual attendees of the event will be able to see the audience in the room and experience the venue. The virtual attendees are part of the live event and virtual event attendees can see and experience the venue, but there are still delays that need to be planned for. High-quality audio and video are essential. It is essential to avoid technical issues that may arise for the event. A great user experience (UX) is essential for hybrid events. Providing a great digital experience should be a top priority. Streaming best practices, UI/UX elements, and speaking best practices can be used to improve the digital experience. Keep the technology accessible. Make sure the hybrid event and stream can be easily viewed and accessed.

Pre-Event Planning and Preparation

Pre-Event Planning and Communication with Fans and Users – As the pandemic has changed the way the sports and entertainment industries communicate and interact with fans, the trend is rising in the digital ecosystem to support ongoing events by tweaking back the planned actions to embrace both the digital and live events while keeping a touchpoint for all broadcast content used mainly as highlights. Many fans are demanding, using digital to interact and share opinions on live events while watching to increase alternative sports opportunities viewed initially regionally with solutions specifically created to target the worldwide digitally growing niche audience. Digisport globally is a transversal phenomenon, which has substantially increased interest in forgotten events, opening up sponsorship opportunities and enabling promotion and after-event monetization strategies. During the season, by working only on the live event model, teams based their business plans on ticket sales, merchandising, and local food & beverage sales.

In terms of event organization structure, too many elements need to be reconsidered if the live event model shifts to embrace synchronous hybrid live streaming digital viewership as an equally important aspect. It is a new avenue for traditional live events to establish brand conversations with digital communities and combines conventional ways, targeting fans, users, and sponsors with each viewer having a personalized branded digital experience while watching an event. It is crucial to restructure the entire event agenda, organizers, and implement a live production design strategy to make this digital experience effective for the largest audience.

Definition and Evolution of Hybrid Live Streaming

Hybrid live streaming refers to the simultaneous online broadcasting of an event and the in-person elements of the event. For example, today’s hybrid live events blend real-time experiences with digital access points: combining in-person attendance with virtual access to speakers and materials, interactive features, and livestreamed talks or keynote sessions. This form of event production has roots in the streaming concepts of remote contributor interviews, remote director’s exhibits, and the broadcasting of behind-the-scenes content streams. Hybrid live streaming is also referred to as “hybrid events,” “flexible spaces,” and “semi-multicast streaming.” This term helps to emphasize the connection to live streaming and may give more prominence to the live element of a broadcast when being discussed or promoted. In current educational and event practices, hybrid live streaming has grown significantly in scale and complexity.

Today, this form of content is professionally produced and broadcast by many institutions, departments, and organizations as a standard practice or highly sought-after option for potential attendees. The concept of livestreaming—live video broadcasting over the internet—was initially restrained by the low capacity of platforms and networks required for successful delivery to a mass audience. The proliferation of high-speed internet, end-user devices, and platforms has enabled more organizations to consider live streaming as a publishing option. Viewers can watch live content virtually anywhere, using HD smartphones, tablets, desktops, and ultra HD TV sets. Alongside this, the rise of participant-driven, on-the-ground journalism and live reporting has created general audience expectations around witnessing events of significance and importance in real-time. In turn, news, sports, pop culture, and recreational or educational event producers have sought to build higher levels of interactivity, immediacy, or community access by adopting live streaming to meet audience behavior and demand. Over the past few years, a significant increase in platforms offering live streaming has enabled creators and viewers to take advantage of features particular to live content.

Future Trends in Hybrid Live Streaming

Future trends in hybrid livestreaming have several technological, behavioral, and operational implications. If we consider the viewer’s perspective, different places will be more suitable for immediacy, e.g., social platforms and OTT are effective if they host the exclusive live content provided by traditional platforms. 5G, edge computing, and mesh networks may improve the feasibility of creating a reliable live experience layer across platforms in different geographical locations. Artificial intelligence services can produce alternative and more relevant content closer to user preferences by integrating live footage, metadata, and additional digital content. Audiences can benefit from personalized services by viewing the mixed experience from the camera’s points of view. The demand for AR/VR increases during the event. Monetization is associated with the engagement of dedicated major sponsors and investors. The success of the service is measurable with dedicated KPIs. The combined use of data from various platforms may support better behavioral analytics.

Another hybrid trend in the near future is related to social platforms and data analytics according to audience interests. The future of this market will grow with the increase in the demand for personalization in visualization and monetization content with advertisements for completely aggregated and interactive solutions. In a virtual environment, several audience engagement strategies can be implemented, e.g., gamification, second screen, direct communication, live chat, and background with dedicated thematic information. At the same time, data analysis is pivotal for the improvement of audience engagement. For an organization, a deeper understanding of the side themes that are most appreciated by a certain audience, together with overall satisfaction with the quality of the presentation, can be important in order to assess the potential of future market opportunities. In recent years, organizations related to the development and management of live and immersive environments have captured the potential of expanding the offer of their services by proposing a combination of technologies from the real-time and immersive domains. Additionally, they are aware of the global sustainability trend and the requirements that content production activities will need to meet in the future. Hybrid livestream production and delivery can help this market move towards greater sustainability compared with traditional events. Furthermore, the enhancement of the content with digital elements enables a basic reduction in the physical components of the material.

Emerging Technologies and Innovations

To deliver engaging and interactive hybrid live streams, several emerging technologies and cutting-edge innovations are shaping the audience and content creator experience in novel ways. For the purposes of this report, we have located and investigated these technologies across a variety of sectors, as there are no “one size fits all” solutions or platforms that fit the streaming needs of arts organizations. Detailed in this section are technological advancements in the streaming software, hardware, and connectivity spaces, and platform innovations relating to audience interaction and social media.

The question must be posed: why is vision technology important to live streaming and patron experience, and what could it possibly be applied to in the future? Three major applications of vision technology to live streaming and engagement have emerged. The first application is improving content quality and flow of live streams. These applications are more commonly used during recording and post-production. The second application is social media integration, allowing digital audiences to submit comments and perform remote participation. These applications are changing engagement with arts and culture right now. Vision technology is influencing new product development, partnerships, and infrastructure in this space. The last application is machine learning applied to a live or recorded stream. Currently, this application is very much under development, and the companies either exploring it or using it have asked to remain unnamed.

Audience Engagement Strategies in Hybrid Live Streaming

The long-term success of live streaming events depends heavily on audience engagement. With the advent of multi-platform, hybrid live streaming becomes particularly more attractive for diverse event stakeholders. Physical and virtual audiences are involved at the same time, and the increasing user-generated content and social interactions facilitate the growth of a live event’s viewers. The interactivity between the physical and virtual audiences became an alternative to increase the company’s profits. This chapter explores the seamless integration of content and interactivity for increased audience experiences in hybrid live streaming. This work can be useful to researchers and companies who are examining trends and strategies in the evolution of physical-digital events.

Balancing engagement strategies for physical and virtual audiences remains a challenge. In some instances, a standardized approach gives the most value to the most concerned potential audience, although for most audiences, a tailored approach is ideally needed. This is familiar to event marketing and traditional event-goers, where consumer experience principles are traditionally harnessed for their potential to attract and retain an in-person and relevant audience. While the provision of live-streamed programmatic content is relatively simple for service providers, the facilitation of virtual customers’ engagement through two-way interaction offers a much higher order of systems complexity. Engaging consumers depends less on technology than on marketing and community activities, and the provision of value-adding technologies such as augmented reality or virtual reality is a further step up the complexity ladder. Fostering these consumers’ participation en masse can also create technical challenges for network infrastructure.

Challenges and Opportunities in Engaging Physical and Virtual Audiences

The manner in which organizers must manage the merging of in-person and virtual attendees has been identified as “one of the greatest potential challenges” while running hybrid events. They stress the importance of making participants attending in-person and online feel as if they are participants in “one event.” Although they are actively involved in different ways, this is not always successful at present. For in-person attendees, missing the opportunity to utilize interactive features can lead to “increased agitation.” For these event participants to be “interchangeable,” they must “experience the event in the same way as the virtual participants do.” When digital tools and breakout spaces are combined with physical tactics like “in-set lounges for networking,” such unity can be accomplished. Consequently, the intersection of online and offline attendance offers participants and organizations numerous chances, but it likewise demands tackling a range of new problems.

One approach to engaging a more extensive group is to use a “community understanding of audience participant preferences” and internet connection to construct better “periodicity, narrative arcs, animated features, or interactive participation moments.” Hybrid gatherings or activities can assist industrial partners in engaging with “dispersed audiences” and the general public, while also greatly increasing potential “brand arrival, likely impressions, and audience participant metric reach numbers” when they are streamed or recorded. The inclination to be inclusive, secure, and principled is more significant, but when these opportunities are proactively navigated, they can signal intentional growth rather than an unconsidered response to attracting interest or attendance.