Livestream.com is an online tool for creating live 24/7 streaming online television channels. Users can mix live webcams, YouTube videos and add graphics using the tools provided by the site. The site provides all of the tools for creating and editing live television channels and provides hosting for the channels as well. Users create videos in Livestream Studio, which is a full-featured video editing application designed for creating live content. The application is multiuser, allowing multiple people in different geographic areas to contribute content to the channel. The content from multiple users can be mixed in real time to create a live broadcast.
The site also offers Procaster, a downloadable application which provides even more capabilities. With Procaster, users can broadcast HD video, broadcast games in progress, add picture-in-picture and use 3D graphics. The Procaster desktop application works seamlessly with the Livestream site. The Procaster application is a free download. The Livestream site allows users to create one free channel, which has advertising inserted into the content. Two levels of premium membership are available to remove the advertising, in addition to providing more features.
Livestream.com (formerly Mogulus.com) was launched in May 2007 by co-founders Max Haot (currently CEO), Phil Worthington (currently Chief Product Officer), Dayananda Nanjundappa (currently CTO) and Mark Kornfilt (currently Chief Architect). The site has undergone steady growth since launch, and currently serves tens of thousands of unique monthly visitors. The site has an Alexa page rank near the 10,000 mark. In October 2011, the website underwent a relaunch under the title "New Livestream" adding a suite of social and multimedia tools to the its old functionality.
Competition to Livestream comes from sites such as Ustream and Justin.TV. Ustream offers a similar service to Livestream, but is a larger and more well established site. Ustream has an Alexa page rank below the 1,000 mark. Justin.TV also provides similar tools, and is the largest of the three sites, with an Alexa page rank below the 300 mark.
The Livestream site has a very clean look and feel. The site is quite responsive, with page loads happening quickly. The online video editing tools load in a matter of seconds and are quite responsive. File uploads and downloads are fast as well. Navigation is intuitive, with a top menu bar shown on all pages of the site. The online video editing tools work quite well, as does the downloadable Procaster application. The tools on the site are Flash-based. Advertising is displayed on the site.
Registration to Livestream is free and is required to create a channel. Users wishing to watch content on the site do not need to register, but can have channel lists, favorites, etc. if registered. The registration process asks for first and last name, username, email address and password. The email address must be validated. A free membership limits the user to 1 channel, which has advertising inserted by the site. There are two levels of premium membership available.
The Channel Plan provides up to 25GB of storage and allows for HD broadcasting of one channel. Additional storage can be purchased for a price of $1.50/GB. The Channel Plan costs $350/month. The Network Plan provides up to 200GB of storage and also allows for HD broadcasting of up to 10 channels. Additional storage can be purchased at a price of $0.80/GB. The Network Plan costs $1250/month. Advertising is not displayed in broadcasts with either of the premium plans.
Livestream is recommended to users wishing to create a live streaming television channel. The site provides all of the necessary tools to create and broadcast a live feed. The multiuser capability adds the ability to mix content from various producers in various parts of the world. The site is easy to use, but the Studio application does require a learning curve to use. The site is also recommended to users looking for video content to watch. Content is available in a large number of categories and from all over the world.