A Guide to Developing Your Own Live Streaming App

Willing to create your own live streaming app? 

This is a vast market that has heaps of space for new applications. 

According to bloomberg,

The live streaming business sector is projected to merit a faltering $4.26 billion market by 2028. 

Real-time features of mobile streaming apps, for example, YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Twitch, and Spotify, offer a colossal assortment of video-on-request (VOD) substances like live transmissions, TV shows, podcasts, instructional exercises, etc.

Also Read:
How does Hulu Make Money?

What makes Spotify a business giant?

Live streaming assists organizations with extending their scope, set up brand reliability, and catch more consideration. 

It’s no surprise that 82% of streamers lean toward live online recordings over web-based media posts, while 80% favor anything but a blog. 

Other than all the achievements and money you remain to make, enhancing this industry addresses an opportunity to benefit individuals’ satisfaction.

 

What is a live streaming app?

Before we understand how to develop live streaming app, let us first understand what it is.

Live streaming innovation allows you to watch, make and offer recordings continuously, somewhat like live TV. All you need is a web empowered gadget, like a tablet, and a stage (like a site or application) to live stream from. 

Current mainstream live streaming applications incorporate Facebook Live, Instagram Live stories, Twitch TV (frequently utilized by gaming enthusiasts), House Party, and Tik Tok. 

Dissimilar to pre-recorded recordings that can be cut and edited, live streaming is only that – live and uncensored. 

Some live streams can be private. For instance, Skype or Zoom video conferencing utilizes live streaming innovation to permit you to converse with individuals you allow. To ensure they stay private, they should be secured with passwords that shouldn’t be shared with individuals you don’t know. 

Some live streams are public and may be watched by hundreds or even more individuals. 

Watchers can remark and communicate live by posting messages that show up close to the live stream. They can likewise share emoticons like hearts.

 

What makes live streaming popular?

Many factors have given live streaming the fame it enjoys today:

• The motivation to live stream comes from unscripted television and YouTube, where you can communicate anything you are doing, on the spot, with the whole world. 
• Live streaming is fascinating to kids and youngsters. It’s an opportunity to be a maker, moderator, and be seen and heard by people. 
• Many live streamers love the feeling of being ‘at the time’ and connecting with family, companions, or even a worldwide crowd. 
• From a birthday message to friends and family to an effective Q and A, there are unlimited choices to communicate fun, significant, or energizing minutes live.
• Survey live streams let youngsters associate with their own #1 live streamers. They share remarks with different viewers and associate with them. 

 3 Types Of Live Streaming Apps

Live Broadcasting Apps

Live broadcasting apps allow users to stream and share real-time video content with their audience. These apps are commonly used for social media platforms like Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Twitter’s Periscope, and YouTube Live.

Users can broadcast events, performances, personal moments, and interact with their viewers through comments and reactions. Live broadcasting apps are popular for engaging with followers in real-time and building a sense of community.

Audio Streaming Apps

Audio streaming apps focus on live audio content, enabling users to broadcast and listen to live audio broadcasts. Podcasts, radio shows, music performances, interviews, and live events are typical content found on audio streaming apps.

Examples of such apps include Spotify’s live audio feature, Clubhouse (known for its audio-based discussions), and other podcasting platforms that offer live recording and streaming capabilities.

Video On Demand (VOD) Streaming Apps

While VOD apps primarily focus on pre-recorded content, some also incorporate live streaming features. Users can access a vast library of videos, movies, TV shows, and other content on-demand. Additionally, some VOD apps offer live streaming channels or events alongside their on-demand content.

Examples include Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video, which offer a combination of both on-demand and live content for specific events or shows.

Can live streaming be monetized?

Why indulge in live video streaming app development? Can people make money by live streaming? Absolutely!!

Studies show that crowds invest 3x more energy observing live video and that 47% of individuals are streaming more live video than last year. 

It’s a goldmine! So how do people benefit from it? 

Well… 

There are five principal ways you can earn money from live streaming. 

• Dispatch your foundation 
• Make your product
• Discover streaming sponsors 
• Request Patreon Pledges
• Join affiliate scheme

1. Launch your platform

The most beneficial approach to bring in cash from your live streams is to have your platform. In particular, a Netflix-style live web-based feature. 

This is a stage where you can: 

• Host your live streams 
• Charge a month to month membership expense 
• Have control of your advertising 
• Keep 100% of what you procure 

Live streamers that change from outsider streaming stages to their facilitated setting proceed to procure a normal of $5800 per month – with many acquiring substantially more than that.

2. Make your product

Making your product is a brilliant method to get paid to live stream. They can come in a few distinct structures: 

• Product: shirts, mugs, caps, and so forth 
• Books: digital books, print books, actual aides, and so on 
• Advanced items: instructional exercises, courses, downloadable aides, and so on 
• Industry-explicit: gaming regulators, vinyl, marked duplicates, and so on 

The sort of item you offer in your mobile streaming app will rely upon your specialty. However, it should be pertinent to your crowd and individual (or corporate) brand. 

Items are likewise directed by the measure of capital or time you need to contribute. 

Advanced items are high-esteem, minimal expense choices. Nonetheless, you could likewise venture into data items like: 

• Digital books 
• Courses 
• Online classes 
• Membership sites

These usually just require an opportunity to make and some interest in the general plan. 

However, self-sourced actual products require higher money speculation, but they can achieve higher overall revenue, with you keeping 100% of what you acquire from every deal.

3. Discover streaming sponsors

Sponsorships can be an excellent method to bring in cash while live streaming. 

Yet, this isn’t your standard kind of sponsorship. For most live streamers, you can find sections in the video where they can: 

• Mention the sponsor 
• Present their item 
• Offer a short tribute 

Sponsors and Brands regularly pay between $15 to $50 per 1000 views. (We call that CPM in the business.) 

This implies if your streams are consistently getting 5000+ views, you can acquire substantial pay. 

In any case… 

Sponsors will typically make deals with high-profile streamers—individuals who can ensure many views on every video. But, something else, it’s anything but worth their time and energy. 

4. Request Patreon Pledges

The most straightforward approach to bring in cash from your live streams is to utilize Patreon. 

Here you can request month-to-month “vows” that furnish endorsers with premium advantages. Each new level offers more worth. 

Patreon pages are not difficult to set up and, in the event you get great views, you could begin procuring from them in hours. 

Although, there is no average authority pay for a Patreon client. Also, even though clients are procuring $50,000+ every month, this isn’t the market average. 

Reports show that less than 2% of clients procure more than $1,160 per month. Patreon’s CEO likewise appraises only 4300 individuals procure $1,000+ per month.

So the best way to go about this method would be clubbing it with other options.

5. Join affiliate schemes

The last method to get paid to live stream is joining affiliate schemes. 

Affiliates are individuals who advance an item or administration – generally with a connection or a reference code – and get a commission. 

Typically, somewhere in the range of 5% and 30% of the deal. 

Subsidiary projects are a great spot to begin acquiring since they are generally safe. Also, as long as the items are pertinent to your supporters, they’re glad to catch wind of them.

You can discover affiliates by: 

• Utilizing Amazon’s Affiliates program 
• Reaching brands in your specialty 
• Googling a brand name followed by “+ member.” 

Numerous organizations use them, and it’s a system we prescribe.

Features of a live streaming platform

At the point when you plan your live streaming application development, consider including the following features: 

Smooth Streaming Quality

The foremost requirement for a live streaming app is high-quality video and audio streaming. Users expect a seamless experience without buffering or lagging issues, especially when streaming live events or interactive content.

Real-Time Interaction

Live streaming apps should enable real-time interaction between content creators and viewers. Features like live chat, comments, reactions, and polls encourage audience engagement and foster a sense of community.

Multi-Platform Support

Successful live streaming apps cater to various platforms, including mobile devices, web browsers, and smart TVs. Ensuring cross-platform compatibility helps reach a broader audience and enhances user convenience.

Monetization Options

Monetization features are essential for content creators and platform owners. These can include in-app purchases, paid subscriptions, donations, or advertisements. Providing revenue-sharing options can also incentivize content creators to produce high-quality content.

Social Media Integration

Integrating with popular social media platforms allows users to share live streams with their followers easily. It helps in organic promotion and widens the app’s reach.

Analytics and Insights

For content creators and platform owners, access to detailed analytics and insights is crucial. Information like viewership numbers, demographics, and engagement metrics helps in making data-driven decisions to improve content and app performance.

Privacy and Moderation Features

To ensure a safe and positive environment, live streaming apps should have robust privacy controls and content moderation mechanisms. This includes features to report inappropriate content, block users, and manage access settings.

Technology components specific to live streaming apps

Advances in innovation have made video streaming platforms even better. Some of the tech components in live streaming app development include:

• Media stockpiling: Cloud suppliers like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have made it conceivable to store media resources in a reliable and adaptable way. 
• Content Delivery Network (CDN): An organization of conveyed workers makes content conveyance simpler for a scattered crowd. 
• Advances in UI/UX configuration make it workable for users to utilize live streaming applications naturally. 
• Progressed video players that adjust to stage and program and give the best experience to users. 

Five steps to build live streaming app

Let us come to the core section of ‘how to create your own live streaming app’

The way towards live streaming application development is simple. However, it does require a touch of specialization.
If you don’t have an application designer in your group, we suggest recruiting because streaming application development isn’t a “Do-It-Yourself” kind of task. 

Now that we have discussed that, let’s move on to the steps:

1. Choose an Online Video Host 

To develop live streaming application, you will have to put resources into online video facilitating. 

The host you pick will rely upon your mobile streaming app necessities. If you’re hoping to fabricate a live streaming application, features like API, mobile live video streaming SDKs, and an HTML5 video player are non-negotiables. 

Your budget should become an integral factor. Take a gander at various estimating methods, and see what you can bear. Think about your ideal profit from venture (ROI) as you set your financial goal. 

2. Download mobile live video streaming SDK for iOS or Android 

If you plan to build apps like Periscope for Android or iOS, you need to take care of a few things.

When you pick your online mobile streaming app, download the live streaming SDK that your platform gives. 

In case you’re utilizing Dacast, this is quite basic. The entirety of our API and SDK code is recorded in a player documentation page that is quite simple to explore. 

Now, you should sort out whether you’re fostering an application for iOS or Android. You can make both yet center around each in turn. We suggest beginning with the one that lines up with the working framework that is generally utilized by your crowd. 

3. Load SDK to Mobile Development Software 

You will require a mobile development stage, like Android Studio or Xcode. Next, you should pick an application that offers support for your particular streaming necessities. 

Whenever you’ve picked one, upload your SDK to this stage. 

4. Begin Live Mobile Streaming App Development 

Utilize the gave API code and live streaming SDK instruments to foster your versatile application. 

Now, you will tweak your application to best address your image and make the best experience. 

This is the place where the help of an accomplished designer and developer becomes the most crucial factor. 

Employing an expert such as Idea Usher will assist with rejuvenating your vision. A minor error can influence the usefulness of your application, so support from someone with specialized skills is significant. 

5. Package and Submit App 

Once your application is finished, package the application and submit it for endorsement to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. 

Cost affecting factors while creating live streaming app

Here are five of the cost affecting factors while creating a live streaming app:

1. Platform and Devices: Supporting multiple platforms (iOS, Android, web) will increase development efforts and cost compared to focusing on a single platform.
2. Features and Functionality: The more features you want to include, such as live streaming, chat, user profiles, social media integration, etc., the higher the development cost.
3. Video Quality and Resolution: Providing support for higher video quality and resolution will require more server resources, leading to increased hosting costs.
4. Backend Infrastructure: Setting up and maintaining a robust backend infrastructure to handle live streaming, user data, and interactions will contribute to development expenses.
5. Content Delivery Network (CDN): Using a CDN for reliable content distribution across the globe will incur additional costs based on usage and geographic coverage.

What can you do after the app launch?

Once your application has been submitted and endorsed by the App Store and the Google Play Store, the time has come to advance it. 

• Firstly, you will need to urge your current crowd to download your application. 
• Encourage its presence on social media and email marketing. 
• From that point, you should plan a good marketing strategy. 
• Decide the most ideal approach to contact your crowd and how you will make your offer. For example, you could utilize content promoting, paid advertisements, or a blend of both. 

Why Idea Usher?

As we have seen above, to make a mobile streaming app that sells, having an experienced team is a must.

Idea Usher holds 15+ years of experience under its hat with a team of advance and skilled developers, designers, marketers, content strategists, and more.

In short, hiring us is all you have to do. The rest we will take care of.
To catch a glimpse of what we have created so far, take a look at our Portfolio. You can also contact us for a free consultation call and begin the journey of converting your dream project into reality!

FAQs

Q. What is the most convenient platform to live stream?

A. Sites such as YouTube offer a great area to set up your live streams. So make an account, get your camera rolling and start live streaming!

Q. Which is the best app for live streaming?

A. Apps such as Periscope, Livestream, and StreamNow are among the best live streaming apps in the market.

Q. Can I make money from a free app as well? How much does periscope app cost?

A. Yes, even if you offer the users a free app, there are still plenty of ways that you can incorporate in the app to earn money. Apps like Periscope are ideally free to use. To learn how to develop live streaming app and monetize it, contact Idea Usher for a quick consultation!

Q. Can Idea Usher help me build my live streaming platform?

A. Absolutely! Building a live streaming app is complex. You need to have a team of experienced developers and designers on board. Luckily for you, Idea Usher offers just that at the most economical prices!