Updated: 4/4/2022
In the past few years, live streaming trends displayed the variety of directions the industry can develop. While some trends have been constant for a number of years, others marked the start of a global shift.
Live streaming started attracting more people due to two main reasons: video became the preferred way to consume new content and, due to lockdowns, people started spending more time at home. Many OTT platforms, Facebook, and particularly YouTube witnessed a massive growth in live viewership in the past few years.
Social platforms will continue to be the key source of live video content where brands and influencers can connect with wider audiences. The growing popularity of eSports and video games is also noticeable as live video streaming gained greater viewership in all age groups.
With the global live streaming industry projected to reach $534 billion by 2030, it's clear that it will be one of the most predominant ways to consume content. Overall, 2022 will bring much-anticipated growth in many ways, so let’s take a closer look at the top streaming trends to keep your eyes on this year.
Live Stream eCommerce is on the Rise
Instead of interacting with their audience through social media influencers, brands are now focusing on promoting and selling their merchandise through live video shopping. eCommerce live streaming has become a major trend and is expected to grow in popularity in 2022. Once brands integrated shopping with live streaming content, consumer habits have been heavily influenced.
Pinterest made a big move to engage in live stream eCommerce that has already gained huge traction. Users are now able to showcase their products so their audience can easily purchase them. Live shopping and shop exclusive deals will offer better prices to attract a new audience and get them interested in buying trending products.
Growing Monetization of OTTs
Over-The-Top (OTT) media services were soaring high even before the pandemic, with hundreds of millions of subscribers worldwide. The popularity of platforms like Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO stems from the subscription model that includes limitless access to video content.
With more original content, these platforms are attracting younger audiences that are helping them expand by driving subscriber interactions on big social media platforms.
Another way for OTT platforms to continue to grow is by partnering with mobile operators to generate additional revenue. This model has proved its success as more mobile users are activating their free subscriptions and quickly moving from basic to premium accounts.
Strategic Approaches to Gamification
Gaming broadcasters are encouraging more social interaction and mixed media experiences to attract younger generations of viewers. Lockdowns pushed websites like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming to grow massively this year and the last. By leveraging their tech-savvy audience’s interests, Twitch added new features for live broadcasting to make it easier to air various types of content.
Broadcasters started investing in real-time videos, interactivity features, and gamification. They noticed how crucial it is to develop new protocols that deliver real-time videos at scale. Also, integrated chats and sharing options allow the audience to comment on content while watching, and share it with their preferred social media platforms.
When it comes to e-sports, both earnings and viewership are quickly on the rise, especially since the beginning of the pandemic. It is projected that more e-sport enthusiasts, as well as occasional viewers, will be engaging in e-sport live streaming in the coming years.
Even some NBA teams have decided to simulate games on NBA 2K and stream them on Twitch. Those games drew hundreds of thousands of viewers and showed great potential for similar content in the future. With more millennials and Gen Zs opting for video and gaming subscriptions than cable and traditional TV, it becomes clear that we are seeing the new direction the industry is heading.
Source: IAB & OnDeviceResearch Infographic - Live Video Streaming Global Perspective FINAL
While Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI) is not a new feature, in the past, it was primarily operated through proprietary solutions. Third-party cookies are a well-established way of targeting ads across online platforms.
Currently, DAI can personalize end-user experience, beat ad-blockers and ensure seamless transitions between content and advertisements. All these personalization models are projected to rise in 2022, as low latency services incorporate DAI.
The Benefits of Using Short-Form Content
Short-form content is a great way for digital creators to recycle and re-use their content. Social media platforms make it easy to publish this type of content, and wider audiences are able to interact with it and share it.
Cropping longer videos and promoting them through short-form content becomes a piece of quick-to-point information for potential viewers. By simply selecting the most valuable segments to hook viewers’ attention, digital creators can attract a new audience to their greater content collection.
Expansion of IoT Video Streaming
Internet of Things (IoT) streaming is being used in a variety of settings. With more devices connected to the internet every day, it's predicted that 30.9 billion IoT-based devices will stream videos and data by 2025.
Consumer applications of IoT video streaming range from doorbell IP and security cameras to pet monitors. As 5G internet becomes more available, the technology’s use in homes will grow exponentially in the years to come.
However, the biggest segment of this market is related to cars as access to IoT reduces the load from drivers and reduces human error in situations that require making swift on-spot decisions. By 2023, the number of units streaming video and data will grow to 19.8 million.
Trends Help Us Understand Where the Industry is Heading
There is no doubt that streaming is one of the most used technologies of the century. For a while, it was considered to be an entertainment medium, but today it has branched out to other industries, with music and video streaming dominating the landscape.
In particular, streaming is growing rapidly on two big fronts: social media platforms, like TikTok, and eCommerce retailers that are building their own tech infrastructure, to support the live streaming trend.
Staying ahead of the curve is more important than ever as shoppable live streams, Instagram social shopping, and multistreaming will be at the forefront of trends in 2022.
