What is the difference between a livestream, webcast, webinar and web conference?

When it comes to live video, the terms are everywhere these days. Does it make your head spin a little too? We are happy to explain how it works.

What is a livestream?

It all starts with a live video and audio connection: a livestream. A livestream is simply an online live broadcast with picture and sound. Live broadcast, live video and online broadcast are some of the terms often used. In essence, a livestream is always part of a webinar, webcast and web conference.

Real or semi-live

You can livestream your programme directly. Because you go live immediately, you can quickly get your message across and, if necessary, seek interaction. This can be very nerve-racking because, unlike with a regular video recording, you cannot simply do it again. That makes a true livestream a transparent format and therefore a very powerful communication tool.

With semi-live, the programme has been recorded earlier but is broadcast live at a later time. In that case, interaction with the audience is not possible.

A requirement is that the video content is broadcast at a fixed time (live), just as you are used to with regular television programming.

Livestreaming is generally broadcasting to a large audience with little to no opportunities for interaction. At Valo, we often speak of a livestream when we are really programming a talk show with multiple speakers that is broadcast for a large target audience.

Is streaming on Netflix or YouTube also a livestream?

We get this question often. Streaming a film or video on Netflix or YouTube is not a livestream. In this case you stream on demand a film or video that is available in their online database. You watch it whenever you want.

It may be that the live broadcast is later offered as an on-demand video. It is then no longer live, but you can still stream and watch it.

What is a webinar?

When there is interaction with the live viewer, we usually speak of a ‘webinar’: webinars are in fact live seminars, or ‘lectures’, on the web. The viewer can then ask questions to the presenter and interact by means of a chat or multiple-choice questions.

For a webinar, people must register in advance and you can collect a lot of data from each viewer. This makes it a suitable marketing tool.

A webinar can take many forms, but you usually see the host giving a lecture or presentation and answering viewers’ questions live.

What is an on-demand webinar?

You see many on-demand webinars on the internet that you can watch whenever you want. These were broadcast live earlier and you can now watch them back afterwards. There is then no longer any possibility, for example, to ask questions.

What is a webcast?

The term ‘webcast’ is a combination of ‘web’ and ‘broadcast’ and refers to a broadcast on the internet. In practice, a ‘webcast’ is therefore the same as a livestream: an online, live broadcast on the internet.

Sometimes the term webcast is also used when there is physical audience in addition to an online audience. At Valo, in that case we speak of a hybrid event.

What is a web conference?

A web conference is the same as a videoconference. In other words, a video meeting we have all become used to by now. This format is most suitable for a small number of participants because, in principle, everyone can react directly with image and sound.

We still see this go wrong at Valo in practice when too many people are present who can also respond. This can create chaos in the broadcast. Do you want a professional livestream in Microsoft Teams or Zoom? This is also possible nowadays, so you can create a true online event in your videoconference software.