--- title: "What Is Live Streaming? Definition and Examples | RentAnOTT" description: "Live streaming delivers video over the internet as it happens. See the chain from camera to viewer, where latency comes from and how to earn from live." url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/live-streaming" markdown_url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/live-streaming.md" category: "Live & linear" updated: "2026-10-05" --- # What is live streaming? Live streaming is delivering video over the internet as it is captured, so that viewers watch an event while it is happening, with a delay of a few seconds rather than after a recording has been uploaded. ## How live streaming works - Capture: cameras and audio feed a production mixer - Contribution: a live encoder compresses the feed and sends it to the platform, commonly over RTMP or SRT - Transcoding: the platform creates several quality levels in real time - Packaging: the stream is cut into short segments for HLS or DASH - Delivery: a CDN distributes the segments to viewers - Playback: the player fetches segments and adapts quality to the connection ## Latency Each stage adds delay. Standard segmented streaming runs roughly 10 to 30 seconds behind real time, which is fine for most events. Low-latency modes bring that down to a few seconds, for sport, betting and anything with live interaction. Lower latency leaves the player less buffer to ride out network trouble, so it trades some resilience for immediacy. ## Ways to earn from live - Included in a subscription, as a reason to stay - Pay-per-view tickets for single events - Advertising in breaks - Sponsorship of the broadcast - Replays sold or added to the catalog afterward ## What makes live harder than on-demand There is no second take. Viewers arrive together, so sign-in, payment and delivery all peak at once, and a failure is seen by everyone. Test the whole chain beforehand, use a backup encoder and connection for important events, and size capacity for the peak rather than the average. ## Live streaming on RentAnOTT Live channels and events are included on the RentAnOTT Growth tier, with 2,000 concurrent viewers, and on Scale with custom capacity. On Launch, live is a $119/month add-on. [See pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing). ## Related terms - [Live event](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/live-event) — A live event is a single scheduled stream with a defined start and end, such as a match, a concert, a conference or a premiere. Unlike a linear channel it does not run continuously, and unlike on-demand video everyone watches it at the same time. - [Linear channel](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/linear-channel) — A linear channel is a continuous stream of programs played in a fixed schedule, like a traditional television channel. Viewers join whatever is on at that moment rather than choosing a title to start. - [Live pay-per-view](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/live-ppv) — Live pay-per-view is selling access to a single live stream for a one-time ticket price. The buyer can watch that event as it happens and usually a replay for a limited time afterward. - [Low-latency streaming](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/low-latency-streaming) — Low-latency streaming is live streaming configured so that the delay between something happening in front of the camera and appearing on the viewer's screen is a few seconds, instead of the 10 to 30 seconds typical of standard internet streaming. - [Live encoder](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/live-encoder) — A live encoder is the hardware or software that takes a live video feed from a camera or production mixer, compresses it in real time and sends it over the internet to a streaming platform, most often using RTMP or SRT. - [RTMP](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/rtmp) — RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol) is a protocol for sending live video and audio over the internet with low delay. It was created for Flash video and is now used mainly for contribution: carrying a live feed from an encoder to a streaming platform. - [HLS](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/hls) — HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) is a streaming protocol created by Apple that delivers video as a series of short segments over ordinary web servers, listed in playlist files with the .m3u8 extension. It is the most widely supported way to stream both live and on-demand video. - [Concurrent viewers](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/concurrent-viewers) — Concurrent viewers is the number of people watching a service's video at the same moment. The highest value reached, peak concurrency, determines how much streaming capacity the service needs. - [Live-to-VOD](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/live-to-vod) — Live-to-VOD is converting a live stream into an on-demand video, either while the event is still running or as soon as it ends, so that viewers who missed it or joined late can watch from the start. ## Further reading - [Choosing a live streaming player](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/live-streaming-player) - [Pay-per-view for IPTV and OTT](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/iptv-pay-per-view) - [Streaming bandwidth cost calculator](https://www.rentanott.com/tools/streaming-bandwidth-cost-calculator) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the difference between live streaming and VOD? Live video is watched as it happens, by everyone at the same time. VOD is a stored title that each viewer starts whenever they choose. ### How much upload speed does a live stream need? Plan for at least one and a half to two times the bitrate you are sending, on a wired connection. A 6 Mbps contribution feed is comfortable with 10 Mbps or more of stable upload. ### Can a live stream be watched afterward? Yes. The stream can be recorded and published as an on-demand title, a process called live-to-VOD. All 163 terms: [Streaming and OTT glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary). ## Book a demo Tell RentAnOTT what you are launching. The team walks through the platform and maps the path to go-live around your catalog, markets and revenue model. Book a demo: https://www.rentanott.com/contact ## More from RentAnOTT - [Home](https://www.rentanott.com/index.md) — What RentAnOTT is, what every plan includes, and how launch works - [Features](https://www.rentanott.com/features.md) — Every core feature and optional add-on - [Pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing.md) — Platform tiers, apps, add-ons, usage rates and example bills in INR and USD - [Free tools](https://www.rentanott.com/tools.md) — OTT app builder and calculators for streaming revenue, bandwidth, bitrate and pricing - [Insights](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs.md) — All streaming business articles - [Glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary.md) — Definitions of streaming and OTT terms - [Book a demo](https://www.rentanott.com/contact.md) — Talk to RentAnOTT about your launch Full site in one file: https://www.rentanott.com/llms-full.txt