Corporate Webcast – more than an online meeting

When you use webcasts effectively, you can make your corporate content available flexibly and quickly to a wide internal and external audience. A webcast is particularly suitable for events such as product launches, company announcements, town hall meetings, panel discussions and conferences - whenever you want to convey information to an audience that cannot be physically present.

But what exactly is a webcast? Why do many companies already rely on 3Q's enterprise streaming solution? And how can you also successfully use webcasts in your corporate communication?

Webcast explained

A webcast is a live transmission of video and audio content over the internet or intranet. Typically, it is a "one-to-many" transmission where a broadcaster sends a video stream to a wider audience. Webcasts can be broadcast in real time or provided as a recording "on-demand". Due to the audience size, there are limited opportunities for interaction with viewers. There are some important differences that set webcasts apart from other streaming formats on the internet:

Difference: Webcast vs. Webinar

A webcast is often confused with a webinar, although a webinar only covers one specific use case. The term "webinar" is composed of "web" and "seminar" and describes exactly that: one or more hosts present their content to a smaller audience. The number of participants is often less than a hundred and the focus is on further education. The special feature of the webinar: it is interactive. Q&A sessions, polls and chats provide ample space for an intensive exchange.

Difference: Webcast vs. Livestream

Livestreaming has become a popular format in recent years, especially for influencers. Individuals and brands use social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitch or YouTube to interact with their audience in real time. The interaction with the viewers is in the foreground here. The special feature of the livestream: The broadcasts are publicly accessible via the corresponding streaming platform.

Key benefits of a Webcast

Easy access for remote employees

Unlike physical events, a webcast does not require personal presence. Participants only need a link and a stable internet connection. This allows employees in remote locations to participate in company events. A webcast provides an easy way to reach employees and a global audience. In addition, the capacity of a webcast is much more flexible than on-site events. With the right solution, a stream can be scaled to thousands, even tens of thousands of participants, to disseminate information worldwide at the same time.

Accessibility

Accessibility is a very important aspect for many companies. Webcasts remove barriers for participants that are often a challenge at physical events. There are many people who are unable to attend these events in person - whether due to a physical limitation or other personal reasons. Webcasting makes your event accessible to anyone with an internet connection or smartphone.

Cost-efficiency

Webcasts are in many ways more cost-effective than events with a physical presence. On-site events require time and financial resources for travel expenses, accommodation, catering and premises. A webcast, on the other hand, requires fewer resources and thus saves time and money.

High-quality video output

Modern streaming solutions offer high quality without compromising on availability. Various factors influence the transmission process, such as the number of streams, video codecs, bandwidth, hardware and inputs. A suitable webcast solution takes all these factors into account and ensures a high-quality transmission.

Further processing

To maximise the reach of a stream, it is recommended to record the events and make them available on a video platform. This allows them to be viewed later as on-demand content and used for various purposes. This can promote the company culture and provide insight for new employees.

An enterprise video platform (EVP) offers multiple ways to use video, including livestreaming of corporate events. The 3Q Webcast is a powerful tool that allows you to stream corporate events. It offers various options such as streaming analytics, interaction features, custom branding of the player according to your corporate design, eCDN and CDN provisioning, multi-CDN as well as options to enrich the streams with features such as speech recognition (speech-to-text) or text-to-speech.

Learn 6 Tips to make your webcast successful, incl. downloadable checklist.

Please also have a look at our glossary, where we explain all terms around the topic of streaming.