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Live Stream Feature Setup Guide
Live Stream Feature Setup Guide

Let attendees join a live stream from your features list

Daniel Murphey avatar
Written by Daniel Murphey
Updated over 2 months ago

The Live Stream feature is one of two ways to display a live stream in your Event App on web or mobile. Leverage any of our supported streaming providers, or use RTMP to integrate with many others.

A Live Stream in a Web App. The side panel is open and the Chat tab is selected.

Because the stream launches immediately when attendees click the Live Stream feature, it's perfect for highlighting your keynote session or for hosting a single-session event.

If you're not sure whether to use the Live Stream feature or an Agenda Session, refer to our Live Stream and Agenda Session comparison article for help making an informed decision.

Add the Live Stream feature

In your Event navigation bar under 'Event App', click Features, then click Add Features.

The process just described.

In the modal that appears, find the feature, click Add, then close the modal.

Live Stream settings

Click the Settings (⚙️) icon on the Live Stream feature to rename it, select or upload a custom icon, and determine which groups the feature should be visible to. To hide the number of people viewing the stream, uncheck the 'Show viewer count' option.

The Live Stream settings modal. The Show viewer count checkbox is indicated by an arrow leading from the Settings button on the features page in the background.

Click Save changes when you're done.

Configure the Live Stream feature

Now it's time to choose your live stream provider and configure other aspects of your Live Stream. In the Event navigation bar under 'Event App', click Features, then click Live Stream.

The process just described.

In the modal that appears, fill in the following information:

Live Stream provider

Click the Stream provider drop-down and choose an option. The top section of the dropdown shows the Webex Events options:

If you select a non-Webex Events option, enter the meeting or live stream URL in the fields that appear below the dropdown.

The edit Live Stream modal. The Webex Events Production Studio is the selected stream provider.

Closed Captions

If you select Webex Events Production Studio, RTMP player, Simulive, or Video on Demand, activate the Enable Closed Captions toggle to add text or audio captions and translations to your live stream. We support several caption and translation solutions, including our own Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations option and third-party human captioning.

Attendee Engagement

Activate the Enable Chat toggle to let attendees send messages to each other during the stream. Attendee chat messages also appear in the Webex Events Production Studio so speakers can review and respond to them. Remember to use Q&A and Polling to further engage attendees during your live stream!

The Attendee Engagement section of the Edit Live Stream modal.

Lastly, activate the Enable Custom Tab toggle to add an engagement tab to your live stream. Enter a Tab Name that informs attendees what the tab contains, and enter a URL for an embeddable, mobile responsive site. When attendees click the Custom Tab, the website opens in the live stream's engagement panel. Websites like Slido work great, and there are many more possibilities!

To learn more about how to set up and use a Custom Tab, refer to our Custom Tabs article.

💡 Keep in mind, we strongly encourage testing any website you choose to display as a Custom Tab in the web experience to ensure the website embeds correctly and works consistently. Custom Tab content always opens in Mobile App users' default browsers.

Click Save changes when you're done.

That's it! If you chose one of the following options, read our article on the topic to get familiar:

Also make sure you review our Live Streaming Best Practices article and run a test stream with your speakers.

The Live Stream feature in practice

When attendees click on your Live Stream feature, a "Stream isn't live now" message displays until your stream is live. If you activated Chat, Q&A, or Polling, or added a Custom Tab, Web App users can interact with those elements in a collapsable panel on the right.

A Live Stream in a Web App. The side panel is open and the Chat tab is selected.

Mobile App attendees can interact with Chat, Polls, Q&A, and Custom Tab content at the bottom of the video when the device is in portrait mode.

If your live stream is using Webex Events Production Studio, the RTMP Player, Simulive, or Video on Demand, Mobile App users can lock their devices while watching a live stream, and the audio will continue to play. Attendees can then control playback from their lock screen or notification shade.

Metrics

After your live stream, review the Feature Comparison chart on the Event App Metrics page to find out how people interact with it, including:

  • Clicks

  • Chats

  • Poll Votes

  • Q&A

If you used the Webex Events Production Studio, the RTMP player, or Simulive, even more awesome live stream data is included in the Video Analytics export. For a complete overview of the data contained in this export, read to our Event App Metrics article.

Pro tips! 😎

  • You can add as many Live Stream features as you want. However, we recommend adding only one or two to keep your home page clean. If you want individual links for each of your Sessions, the Agenda feature may be the best option.

  • Link to your Live Stream from an announcement or from a banner to make sure everyone joins at the right time.

Questions? Chat with us or email support@socio.events.

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