11 ideas for livestreaming formats

A native live stream format is only possible through livestreaming. It can be an adaptation of a traditional format only possible in live stream, but it can also be something completely new. Location-based events can be distributed, linear programmes can be made interactive, or new formats can be invented. In this article, we provide a brief overview of a selection of native live stream formats.

Native live stream or hybrid event?

We use the term “native live stream” in reference to digital natives, the people who grew up with the internet and are therefore at home there. For livestreaming, this means that there is no location-bound part, no long search for a suitable location. Participants and viewers can be spread all over the world and the formats are subject to fewer limitations. Online events have become the norm. 

In contrast to hybrid formats, where a location must always be found and presenters and/or viewers must be on-site, a native online format is not bound by these requirements. Even on television, the crew behind the camera and the speakers in front of the camera have to be in the same place. Working with a professional live stream agency means that no one has to meet in the same place, but ensures the same quality. We have summarised some ideas for you where a native online format can be useful, including the types of events or forms of entertainment, information, or advertising. 

11 ideas for native live stream formats

Here are some of our ideas on how you can use a professional live stream to best realise the format of your choice. Of course, the possible uses described here are by no means exhaustive. We have only listed a few of the most popular; many other exciting formats exist besides these.

1. Interviews, interviews with audience participation (chat, audio or video)

Non-studio interviews are nothing new with television having used them for years. This format can be made more interactive with questions from the audience, guests all over the world adding diversity, and recorded speeches from those affected providing a more informative approach. AlJazeera has impressively implemented this concept in a stream on ClimateEmergencyWeek. If you are seeing such a format for the first time, you may be impressed. For a professional live streaming agency like EVERYWOW, this is an easy exercise. 

2. Community events

This format has gained popularity, especially during the pandemic. However, this does not mean this format will lose its importance because we can meet again. Holding a social meeting in a virtual space still has significant advantages and will continue to do so. For companies, as well as for influencers or private individuals, a community event can be used in many ways, such as “The Last Thursday Talks”. These have many different purposes; it could be an informative event, for spending time together, and more.

3. Exhibitions

The aim of an exhibition is to experience the life and work of artists first-hand. Imagine being able to visit the workshop of a renowned artist on a regular basis! If you and a hundred others were to do this in person, the artists would probably be quite distracted, but as a live stream, this problem does not exist. If you create art yourself, such a broadcast allows you to show your audience a completely different, new side of your art. Take Olafur, for example. This artist understood and realised the potential before his exhibition at Tate Modern 2019.

4. Webinars or training

A webinar is the perfect format for a small group of people with a high level of interaction. Outside the internet, it could be compared to a workshop, the circle of chairs is simply replaced by the Zoom room. A webinar can take different forms, including training. However, training courses do not necessarily have to be designed like a webinar. Courses can also try to reach a larger audience and be designed in different live stream formats. 

5. Distributed panels (all participants are in other places)

Location independence is central to all native online events, regardless of what kind of event is being held. In this case, it is about broadcasting a panel or symposium of people that takes place solely on the internet. A streaming agency can help overcome challenges, including media training of the participants, a short introduction to the best recording possibilities on-site with the people, and a successful broadcast on the platform chosen by the client. 

6. Expert telephone

Interaction always has to be mentioned with live streaming. For example, in the past, a Swiss Expert Inside was actually on a phone, and that significantly limited the capacity for questions to be answered. Today, there are commentary functions and chatrooms where people can be interviewed on camera by hundreds of people at the same time. Of course, a selection of questions must then also take place, and the community can help by voting, for example. A live streaming agency can also take on a moderating role in addition to the technical aspects of the broadcast.

7. Live stream talk show

A talk show usually consists of all the experts and participants sitting in a studio and being recorded by cameras. Of course, this results in additional costs, and various logistical problems have to be solved. If you move your live talk show to the internet and no longer have to gather all the participants in one place, then you save time and money. It also opens the door for increased community interaction, and simultaneous translation becomes more feasible. 

8. Educational programmes

Putting a presenter in front of the camera and streaming the broadcast on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, or Instagram is not a particularly difficult task. However, making it look professional and perfecting all the important aspects is a bigger challenge. These formats, with only one presenter, are most suitable for pure information transfer. Questions can be answered or products presented. Of course, you can also organise these informative programmes with several presenters and they don’t even have to be in the same place. 

9. (Video) podcasts

A podcast can be educational, but it does not have to be. The content is up to you; our job is to consult with you on the cinematic design. Would you like to have inserts, or would you rather just be recorded in the studio? Do you want static cameras or dynamic ones? Everything is possible and you decide what should be implemented. 

10. Product launch

You don’t have to be Steve Jobs to announce your latest product with a big event. Nor does this event have to take place in a large hall just because you want as many people as possible to attend. We can help you prepare a perfect location for broadcasting and recording and tailor it exactly to your needs and ideas. 

11. Ecommerce live shopping

Presenting your products and selling them is another way to use a professional live stream. If you are searching the internet for ideas on how to design your live stream, you are probably already a streamer. These streams are often recommended to increase viewer engagement and interactivity, sell merchandise or run giveaway promotions. If you have a product you want to sell, a live stream might be just what you need. 

More ideas for live stream formats in our blog

A stream is a wonderful way to effectively and beautifully deliver your message to your audience wherever they are. These formats give you the freedom to choose presenters from anywhere in the world. They also give you the opportunity to engage directly with the audience while the broadcast is on, making the format of your choice as interactive as possible. However, you don’t have to rely on purely internet-based formats, you can also live stream an event that is taking place on-site. Broadcasting your event live on the internet can extend your reach enormously.