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Glossary

Live streaming

Subject areaChannels and tools

Also known aslivestreaming

Live streaming is the broadcast of video over the internet at the moment it is filmed.

Viewers receive it without downloading it and, on social platforms, can comment while they watch. That possibility sets it apart from traditional television, because the broadcaster gets reactions in real time and can change the conversation accordingly.

In marketing it supports events, webinars (online seminars) and product presentations. In Asian e-commerce it has also become a sales channel, combined with short videos on platforms such as Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok: when the broadcast leads directly to a purchase, the term is live commerce.

An example

In 2009 Barack Obama's inauguration was followed live through a collaboration between Facebook and CNN: viewers watched the video and, alongside it, commented with their contacts.

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cc$BY-NCEnrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com

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