Page 22018 Live Video Benchmark Report
This research report
sought to answer
questions such as:
Are budgets for live streaming
increasing or decreasing
How important is live video for
marketing in 2018
What ROI or business results are
expected from using live video
What are the desired benefts for
live streaming in 2018
What were the most common use
cases for live video in 2017
How are use cases for video going
to change in 2018
Executive Summary
Video is projected to make up as much as 82% of all Internet traffc by 20201,
a growing share of which will be live video content. From high profle live
events – like the launch of the Tesla Model 3 and the GoPro Hero 6 – to internal
events such as sales team trainings and employee town halls, 2017 has made
it clear that more and more brands and retailers are taking advantage of the
benefts of live streaming.
In the fall of 2017, IBM and Brandlive partnered together to conduct a survey
evaluating the state of live video streaming in today’s marketplace and make
projections for 2018. 200 participants took the survey, a third of which are
employed by retail companies and brands that sell physical products. The
data also showed that more companies will be live streaming in 2018 than
ever before, with those already leveraging live video increasing their use.
The latest research fndings highlighted in this report confrm that the future
is bright for live video. Budgets are increasing, activity is exploding, use cases
are proliferating, and investments in technology and services are paying
off. To top it off, advancements in technology have made it simpler than
ever to broadcast video content, even from a device that fts in your pocket.
Companies that leverage live video today are seizing the opportunity to
enhance the experience for employees, partners, and customers alike.
More business leaders are also realizing that live video creates an emotional
connection with audiences which simply isn’t achievable through other
types of digital marketing or communications. Additionally, live streaming
advancements from social media providers have mainstreamed and
awareness of live video, leading brands and retailers to go beyond social
media for their live video strategies by including their owned and
operated channels.
Page 32018 Live Video Benchmark Report
Top Live Video Benchmark Report Takeaways
Live video is increasingly becoming a top priority
Live video is more than just a powerful tool - it’s an engaging medium that allows users to deliver messages that resonate.
With viewers watching live video eight times longer than on-demand video2, it’s clear that live content is succeeding in
capturing the attention of end users.
When it came to overall video marketing, respondents were particularly confdent about projecting future live video
use, with 94.8%sharing that live video will be an important part of their 2018 marketing mix. 25% even stated that live
content will be a top priority, edging out pre-recorded video.Pre-recorded video clipsLive streaming video events
64% of companies are using live video beyond social
While social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube have made live video a mainstream media format for consumers,
companies are fast discovering signifcant value beyond social audience engagement. Almost 44% of respondents moved
beyond just social in 2017 and nearly 20% more will join them in 2018. For companies with over $100M in revenue, the
results are even more pronounced. Among these, 72% have moved beyond social media with live video.
In fact, it is a small minority of companies who are not using live video beyond social in 2018.
Companies with $100M+ in revenue are live
streaming beyond just social mediaSomewhat important
11%
Not very important
5%
Top priority
26%
Important
23%
Very important
35%
Somewhat important
7%
Not very important
7%
Top priority
19%
Important
22.73%
Very important
44%
1020304050607080
No plans to live stream beyond social in the next 12 mo
Currently streaming on social media only
Will start to stream beyond social in next 12 mo
Currently streaming beyond social media72%
8%
4%
16%
Budget will
decrease
6%
Budget will increase
51%
Budget staying
the same
43%
Budget will
decrease
6%
Budget will increase
53%
Budget staying
the same
41%
Page 42018 Live Video Benchmark Report
Budget increases are reducing barriers
Respondents indicated that companies are looking for ways to increase their
production of live content. When asked about barriers that might exist today,
the top three issues were resource related: not having available budgets,
available production resources, or enough time to coordinate.
To this end, respondents indicated that their companies will overcome these
issues by increasing their live video budgets. In fact, 53% said their budgets
will increase in 2018, with 23% saying they will increase signifcantly.
Compare this to the same question about pre-recorded content: only 51%
said their budgets there will increase, while 19% said they will
increase signifcantly 3 barriers:
Cost/budget
Production resources
Lack of time to plan
Pre-recorded video budgets
Live video budgets。