Wednesday, December 17, 2008

YouTube: Live Streaming Today

Written by Lidija Davis / November 22, 2008 8:24 AM / 7 Comments

you_tube_logo_Nov_08.jpgIn just under eight hours, YouTube will begin celebrating its first live streamed event in San Francisco with a concert and party intended to celebrate its user community

Celebrities, Web celebs and major artists, including the mad scientists from the Mythbusters crew, will.i.am, Lisa Nova, Michael Buckley, and Joe Satriani will be joining the celebrations, and YouTube will be offering three live streams direct from its Live channel.

While YouTube hasn't made any formal announcements about an ongoing live streaming service, we expect today may bring an end to the rumors in the form of an announcement confirming a statement Steve Chen made to Sarah Meyer earlier this year. When asked: "When are you guys gonna do live video on YouTube?" Chen replied:

"Live video is just something that we've always wanted to do, we've never had the resources to do it correctly, but now with Google, we hope to launch something this year," answered Chen.

Perhaps today is the day.

While there has been much speculation surrounding today's event, Google's ability to stream live today indicates that they've stepped up their efforts in regard to the service. YouTube, now the second largest search engine, has been ramping up this year and its recent efforts to monetize the service, with both Adsense and YouTube embeds clearly point to the importance they now place on the service.

You'll be able to watch online or on your mobile device, but if you want to take part in the action, you'll need to head down to Fr Mason, Herbst Pavillion, San Francisco. Doors open at 4 p.m. and close at 4.45 p.m. so be early if you don't want to miss out. The show begins at 5 p.m. PST.

Update: Thanks to Andrew for pointing out in the comments that tickets are no longer available.

YouTube is definitely doing live video

First rumored in January, YouTube is definitely doing live video, and it’s happening this year.

Sarah Meyers got the scoop (video above), transcript as follows care of NewTeeVee:

Meyers: “When are you guys gonna do live video on YouTube?”

Chen: “2008. We’ll do it this year.

“Live video is just something that we’ve always wanted to do, we’ve never had the resources to do it correctly, but now with Google, we hope to actually do it this year.”

Now for the guessing game: which live video startup will fold first once YouTube dominates the market? YouTube will be last to market, but the same momentum that has seen YouTube dominate video will now be applied to live video. Like video, content creators want to be on the service that gives them the most exposure, no matter how good the alternatives area (after all, YouTube doesn’t offer the best quality video). YouTube already has the user base; live video streamers will flock to YouTube like a moth to a flame.

News results for Live - YouTube

  1. YouTube - Live's Channel

    22 Nov 2008 ... Bo Burnham "Welcome To YouTube" performed on YouTube Live '08 ... Jon Chu & The League of Extraordinary Dancers - YouTube Live ...
    www.youtube.com/live - 117k - Cached - Similar pages -
  2. YouTube - How Do I Live


    Choose the language in which you want to view YouTube. This ...
    3 min 54 sec -

    Rated 4.9 out of 5.0


    www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFnD3uwKHag -
  3. Confirmed: Live Video On YouTube This Year

    29 Feb 2008 ... First rumored in January, YouTube is definitely doing live video, and it's happening this year. Sarah Meyers got the scoop (video above), ...
    www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/29/confirmed-live-video-on-youtube-this-year/ - 100k - Cached - Similar pages -
  4. YouTube: Live Streaming Today - ReadWriteWeb

    22 Nov 2008 ... In just under eight hours, YouTube will begin celebrating its first live streamed event in San Francisco with a concert and party intended ...
    www.readwriteweb.com/archives/youtubes_live_streaming_today.php - 53k - Cached - Similar pages -
  5. YouTube to host live-streamed event in SF | The Social - CNET News

    2 Oct 2008 ... Could plans for the YouTube Live event in Fort Mason be indicating that live- streaming technology is on the way for the Google video site?
    news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10056488-36.html - 73k - Cached - Similar pages -
  6. YouTube Live - Mahalo

    On November 22, 2008 YouTube will be broadcasting a special live event celebrating the site's user communities. YouTube has suggested in the p.
    www.mahalo.com/YouTube_Live - 28k - Cached - Similar pages -
  7. YouTube to Live-Stream Live Event « NewTeeVee

    2 Oct 2008 ... YouTube will host a “YouTube Live” event in San Francisco on Nov. 22 featuring a cavalcade of web stars that will be live-streamed on the ...
    newteevee.com/2008/10/02/youtube-to-live-stream-live-event/ - 30k - Cached - Similar pages -
  8. YouTube Live - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    The event was streamed live from San Francisco and Tokyo and hosted a variety of YouTube celebrities, including Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am, ...
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_Live - 34k - Cached - Similar pages -
  9. YouTube Live not just an event after all, but a live-streaming ...

    6 Nov 2008 ... On November 22, YouTube is holding an event called YouTube Live! -- this has been known for a while, it's ...
    venturebeat.com/2008/11/06/youtube-live-not-just-an-event-after-all-but-a-streaming-service/ - 30k - Cached - Similar pages -
  10. YouTube's Live! Party Is A Launch Event

    22 Oct 2008 ... Now a source tells us someone personally involved in the "YouTube Live!" event on November 22 -- details in the embedded video below ...
    www.alleyinsider.com/2008/10/youtube-launching-live-streaming-service-or-something - 40k - Cached - Similar pages -
  11. News results for Live - YouTube

    What does Andy Samberg's YouTube hit say about NBC sites? - 5 hours ago
    But a clip that appeared on the network's stalwart comedy show, Saturday Night Live, is racking up huge viewership on YouTube. ...
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