PROJECT CASE STUDY:

Live News Chat Platform

Project Overview:

The platform brings viewers together in real-time to learn, discuss and form online communities with unscripted, responsive, authentic content - exactly what today's younger audiences are looking for. Whether streaming an event, teaching a class, or hosting a workshop, it provides the tools to manage live streams and interact with viewers in real time.

Opportunities

The Live News Chat Platform lets you interact with your audience in real time with a streaming video feed, live chat, and more features for engagement. It is a fast, powerful way for PBS stations to connect to their community in the moment and is great for hosting discussions about local news, live charity events, or town halls.

Prototype: Live News Chat Platform

Our interactive live streaming prototype is an example of how to use this technology of combining chat dialogue and live streaming tactics for Public Media news.

Download OBS Assets

How It Works:

We explored different software for live broadcasting to different platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, and Amazon IVS. Eventually settling on OBS, we created several scenes focused around a fictional news show.

Key Features:

Live chat that allows the audience to communicate directly with the host.
Graphics such as title cards, lower thirds, and live chat messages baked into the broadcast.
Polls that are broadcast to the audience, further encouraging participation.

Major Findings

Interactive live streaming is about telling a story with your audience instead of at them. It’s about an open-minded production approach that seeks to leverage the spontaneous ingenuity of the audience for viewer-driven storytelling.

Prototype Takeaways

What Went Well:

Broadcasting using OBS has an incredible low barrier to entry. The software makes it easy for a small team of at least 1 person to reach an extremely large audience with little infrastructure and equipment investment.

What Were The Insights:

Engaging content requires planning and effort to produce, especially for first time streamers. The more personable, organic approach to the broadcast, the better. But the production values do not need to be professional broadcast quality, meaning that individuals or small teams can launch an IVS stream with their laptop — making it much cheaper to run than a TV news show.

What To Be Aware Of:

As your audience grows, community management and moderation may require extra personnel.