1. Introduction
Based on the findings from this paper, it is estimated that brands in the consumer sector should speed up their investment into technology like live stream service that provides convenience to consumers. Companies are going to have to adjust to the reality today that everything needs to be online, be it sales or marketing, so doing it in a way that is a lot less painful will be for the best in the long run.
The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 provides a review of the relevant literature on live streaming, mobile app service, service quality, consumer satisfaction, and consumer engagement. Section 3 delves into the research methods employed, while Section 4 presents the results followed by a discussion in section 5. Section 6 draws conclusions and implications and the limitations of the work done are mentioned.
In a rapidly globalizing world with a constant technological churn, the growing affordability and availability of high-speed internet connections have been propelling a wave of interest and development in live streaming services for consumers in their quest to consume any media at any time and at any location. In this paper, an analysis in the context of service quality has been undertaken for the demise of the Starbucks service in Singapore in 2018. In particular, the service quality of the Starbucks service has been analyzed and ideation for potential service improvements given.
1.1. Background and Significance
In an increasingly digital world, live streaming services are becoming essential for commercial, educational, government, and religious organizations to connect with their audience. This paper presents a study to identify the top live streaming Singapore, test their performance, and provide technical requirements for locally-owned commercial organizations to integrate the most suitable local live streaming platform with their existing in-house digital and physical platforms. Preliminary results from our research study have found that X will enable seamless live streaming for the most common use cases for businesses. These findings are useful for commercial and government organizations to partner a live streaming service in Singapore and while having Singaporean Cultural and Religious Content online. This also furthers Singapore’s goal to become a Smart Nation.
However, for smaller businesses, governments, and educational institutions, it is not just about the quality of the live streaming service, but also more importantly the platform’s support structure, ease of integration, and most importantly, viewers’ experience. This research study aims to look into and evaluate the top live streaming services provided in Singapore and answer the following research questions: What are the top live streaming services in Singapore for business, education, sports, and religious organizations? and What are the technical requirements for integrating a localized live streaming service with the user’s applications?
From the launch of UStream in 2007 to the game-changing Meerkat, Periscope, and Twitch in the mid-2010s, live streaming rapidly became the go-to platform for many in the digital age. According to MediaLabs, live video is poised to go from a $30 billion market in 2024 to a $100 billion market by 2025. Recognizing the growth of live streaming, various tech giants such as Apple, Facebook, and Google have capitalized on it by providing seamless live video platforms.
1.2. Purpose and Scope
Our study capitalizes on the unprecedented opportunity of the pandemic in shaping the global live streaming market with an Asia-centric lens. We acknowledge the limitations of the study and believe that the factors that determine the usage of live streaming services to be predictive of long-term behavior are complex and diverse. Consequently, the prospects of having new artists born and thrive from limited physical events available with live streaming should be an exciting and promising one. We describe the relevant concepts and terms concerning live streaming and phenomenology. We compare and analyze the deciding factors between the top live streaming services in one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, Singapore. Results and findings as well as implications and future research are discussed.
Asia is where extraordinary growth in live streaming is happening right now, picked by the Covid-19 pandemic as the force majeure to push forward the rapid transition into a new era of virtual live experiences. Year-on-year growth rate for media spending in Asia is 19.5%, with the total market size 30 RGB, ranking after the Greater China and North America markets. Despite North America showing only 7.2% year-on-year, the total spending is a staggering 49 RGB. We have heard about how the Asian culture being the force that demands the growth of Epidemic for Live Streaming in China and Bigo for Southeast Asia.
2. Methodology
To achieve this and answer the research questions, a series of data will be collected, studied, and analyzed, such as the price, features, overall content, and capabilities of these live streaming services. This study seeks to understand, hence mainly evaluate and review the features and functions of recognized live streaming services, limited to Netflix, HBO, and Amazon Prime, in comparison to local streaming services.
The main scope of the research is to pit local video streaming services against the likes of globally recognized video streaming services in terms of features, content, licenses, and the number of users. The main research question being addressed is: When in Singapore, would people prefer a video streaming service from overseas or a local one? And the sub-question being: Does having hundreds of millions of users necessitate better quality and better service? The secondary research question is: How feasible are they in Singapore?
There are currently many live streaming services that exist; each having its own unique set of features, inclusions, plans, and costs. However, the most common services that are often used are unique brand-owned services like Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max, web hosts like Amazon Prime, streaming live events services such as YouTube, and also local services. Local services are often underestimated due to limited licenses and selections or are often seen as being lesser in terms of quality and/or content.
2.1. Research Design
The mixed methods design allows for the collection of data through a combination of a random survey and focus interviews, both of which are highly valid, reliable, and authentic. The survey provides explanations of certain live streaming behaviors, while adding insights and useful implications on these phenomena. The interview methodology enables us to gain accurate pictures of live streaming habits, collect opinions and views on the usage behaviors, and validate explanations on the phenomena. The findings can generate ideas that regular users or related industries can benefit from.
This study aims to explore the top live streaming apps prevailing in Singapore in 2024. Findings from this study can serve as the basis for cocktail recipes of adopting live streaming apps for research-based investigations, as well as for marketing actions targeted at specific groups of audience through different live streaming platforms. With the adoption of mixed methods, this study shall investigate live streaming services performed by media-related users, especially among the “Gen-Z” in Singapore, by the year 2024. As there are no prior studies that focus on the usage of live streaming in the future, this limited prior knowledge of the potential spread of live streaming apps in Singapore for the next three years makes the study unique and valuable.
2.2. Data Collection Methods
4.2. Surveys 30 students aged 19 to 22 were surveyed. They were all social media-savvy with experience and interest in using live streaming sites. Questions included their willingness to pay for such services if they currently used any such live streaming service, the reasons for using such services, the pros and cons of using such services, and factors that contributed to this change of behavior online. Additionally, they were asked for feedback on design elements they liked, disliked, and/or were lacking in current live streaming services. The focus was both casual and professional streams of all types, including live video broadcasting.
Surveys, participant interviews, and observation of user activity on the sites formed the main sources of data collection. These methods have been successfully used in past studies to analyze social media and live streaming sites.
3. Key Features of Live Streaming Services
The traditional fixed schedule of TV shows is now replaced by a broadcasting model that has no time or place restrictions, where consumers can select and customize different types of content to consume. Because on-demand video allows viewers to skip through unwanted content, live content becomes an important niche in the streaming market, appealing to younger generations’ strong desire to connect with others over social media. This study is an in-depth analysis of the top four live streaming services in Singapore: Twitch, YouTube Gaming, Facebook Gaming, and Bilibili.
We provide an overview, for content creators and consumers, of the key features to note in today’s top live-streaming services, including Twitch, YouTube Gaming, Facebook Gaming, and Bilibili. We surveyed 143 respondents and conducted quantitative data analysis to evaluate these features explicitly for content creators and consumers, including discoverability and watchability, ease of use and support, revenue, ownership, sustainability, and community. The outcomes allowed us to better understand which features should be emphasized and improved for these services to grow. Our study introduces a comprehensive framework built upon critical characteristics of video-sharing platforms and paves the way toward understanding the capabilities and relationships for both live-streaming services and their users.
3.1. Technical Specifications
Dual Audio Channels Dual audio channels can be vital for professional live broadcast services. For live streaming events with multiple languages, event organizers can reference a separate audio-embedded or multilingual audio switch site on the live stream.
Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Adaptive bitrate streaming is a live-streaming feature that can help improve the user experience for viewers. What makes it different? When the live stream signal strength is weak, the platform “sends out” a lower quality stream. If a viewer has a high bandwidth, the platform will send a better quality stream. This “matchmaking” could result in a better viewing experience for viewers who have fluctuating bandwidth signals.
Live broadcast services require excellent specs and should be able to provide a professional experience for its audience. Technical specs should reflect an optimal viewing and listening experience. This includes adaptive bitrate streaming, dual audio channels, multicamera set up, and ultra-low latency streaming. Below are some things to consider when you look for ‘professional’-grade broadcasting solutions.
3.2. User Interface and Experience
Livestorm’s interface is rather intuitive and user-friendly. By adding media such as video clips as intersession segments, what proceeds is a fun way to supplement live streaming content with graphics and animation. This real-time notion enhances user engagement through active interaction. Livestorm’s interface is navigable and all elements are well organized for both speakers and viewers. The security features, such as the Waiting Room as shown in Section 3.1, would definitely foster a strong sense of comfort and confidence as it may make viewers and hosts feel more in control before the live stream commences.
A hugely important part of the live streaming process that can be easily overlooked is the user interface (UI) and the user’s experience (UX) of the streaming platform. A more intuitive interface will allow less tech-savvy users to stream or engage with streams more easily. In addition, pay per view purchases are only successful on live streaming platforms when the end viewers have an intuitive and simple platform to make the purchase. Thus, a good UI and UX is a cornerstone of any good live streaming platform.
4. Comparison of Top Live Streaming Services in Singapore
In the following sections 5 to 8, readers can find the differences of the live streaming services in various angles. The focus area includes the content genres, demographic breakdown, engagement of each live streaming platform, and traffic source of Singaporean viewers. Few web traffic sources are reviewed and then selections are made to ensure the highest possible accuracy of the data. YouTube is the best platform for short music video clips and longer video on demand (VOD). However, it has started to dabble in gaming live streaming to compete with Twitch. Twitch is the best platform for gamers and includes all genres within gaming, which aims to create online communities and focuses on video game live streaming. Facebook Gaming, on the other hand, is closely integrated with Facebook and uses hashtags to allow gamers to reach a broader audience by social support. Bigo Live has its bulk of the revenue from the gifting feature where viewers buy gifts to show appreciation to the broadcasters.
YouTube is the top video sharing website that displays content which includes video clips, music videos, educational videos, video blogging, short original videos, and other content such as live streaming. Twitch is a live streaming service owned by Amazon that focuses on video game live streaming, including broadcasts of eSports competitions. Twitch also includes broadcasts of music, creative content, and occasional TV series. Facebook Gaming, the gaming division under Facebook, is another live streaming platform service. It was created in early 2018 and the primary reason to broadcast is to play video games. Bigo Live is a video live streaming service that is always ranked in the top 10 live streaming services in Singapore. It is primarily from a Chinese-owned company and is trying to spread its popularity to the world.
This paper is an in-depth comparison of the top four live streaming services in Singapore for 2024. The services are YouTube, Twitch, Facebook Gaming, and Bigo Live and are ranked based on daily web page views. The web traffic compiles the latest statistics from the past 12 months as of September 2023. These live streaming services are not exclusive to Singapore and receive traffic from all over the world. Hence, they are a great comparison to understand consumer behaviors. The traffic source is provided by a reputable web analytics service and the data cannot be verified by the general public.
4.1. Platform A
Between sending out these emails, A is actually mentoring and supporting its users using our software. For example, they are able to remove any uploading or ad-hoc streaming bottlenecks from the equation by providing guidance on camera and audio selections. Once attendees arrive, the platform can host multiple streaming and pre-recorded elements at the same time, with personalized agenda views. Agendas and speaker bios are also track-specific, providing an intimate view of the content related to any allocated session. Best of all, the lead retrieval tools have been interwoven into the experience, as A believes that the most powerful tool is actionable data. It’s captured in real-time, and so their systems provide the most comprehensive lead retrieval tools available in the world. When compared to a trade show, capture rates often make live events an exceptionally cost-effective way to communicate. As conferences move closer to matching these levels, the most successful events will do so through the effective use of the registration, streaming, and lead capture data.
A’s suite of products has been designed to support virtually any event format for use as live streaming and webcasting tools. Regardless of their format, most events begin by driving interest and attendance. The numerous features that they have developed for demand generation and audience engagement are native to their platform. The pre-event features are as arrestingly engaging as the event features themselves, with a color scheme customizable a hundred different ways. All pre-event features are designed to give potential attendees visibility into the event format, presenter bios, sponsor details, and topics of importance. These multiple, pre-event components are completely customizable, and the level of accessibility provided ensures that relevant content is easily accessible from the moment potential attendees first register interest. Once a potential attendee signs up, native email broadcasts encourage event interest and attendance.
Platform A
The same help file was provided to the MT with pre-process notes to ensure that translation was performed in place and that the finalized output text should be posted as the translation of the text. Also, rules were provided explaining how to modify content, correct code, and how to maintain the correct question-answer pairs. We then edited the resulting target text to correct any mistakes made by the MT.
4.2. Platform B
However, Platform B competes with other live streaming platforms in Singapore. For more virtual virtue functions, streamers must pay a membership fee. Additionally, specific steps must be taken to prevent monetary problems on matters such as account suspensions or acute bankruptcy. Because of the free option, creators remain upbeat about the platform. Lastly, Singapore’s stringent streaming regulations prohibit streamers from sharing explicit content and require them to abide by general service agreement terms.
Platform B was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Singapore. Platform B is a platform which encourages gamers, artists, and creators to stream live and showcase their abilities. This platform is specifically designed for those who love live streaming, enabling them to interact openly with fans. For promotional purposes, Platform B provides its clients with essential tools including chat, liking, and donation functions. Furthermore, for streamers to easily learn more about what their audience likes, live comments and feedback are shown. Creators are permitted to showcase their creativity to fans in a variety of ways, whether it’s a musical performance, voice acting, or even a cooking demonstration.
4.3. Platform C
Platform C is a live streaming service mainly focusing on daily life content such as beauty, gaming, retail, karaoke, alcohol, dance, and singing. The unique point of Platform C is unlike the other live streaming platforms in Singapore. They create content that reflects on things that happen in their daily lives, giving a homely feel to viewers. The idea they came up with has a meaning behind it, which is to give viewers a place to rely on and watch their favorite streamers live a normal life like anyone else. In addition, Platform C enables a true sense of daily conversation with streamers, making the people appearing on Platform C look like friends to viewers. Moreover, instead of promoting a product directly in front of viewers, Platform C has figured out a unique way of selling products to increase loyal fans. They will have weekend, weekly redeem activities, and games where viewers can spend their points, which they could earn through spending time watching the live stream, to get products or cash back from watching the live streams. For example, they have a feature called “Spin and Win,” which allows viewers to roll and get a chance of winning points.
5. Future Trends and Implications
Our analysis of three different live streaming services also reveals an industry that is ripe for opportunities and suggests different implications for marketers when embarking on various forms of live streaming advertising approaches. When selecting an advertising type that falls under the realm of live streaming, the top privacy concerns that need to be addressed include the transparency of the information practice and the collection of PII. Furthermore, choosing from a variety of targeting criteria of the live streaming advertising approach helps advertisers to narrow in on their audience and assess which advertising approach is most pertinent to use. Our findings contribute to the current understanding of consumer attitudes on data privacy and the use of advertising in the context of live streaming. They also offer valuable insights that can help marketers ensure advertising messaging resonates effectively with their intended audience, which can stand to benefit both broadcasters and platforms.
Live streaming viewership has increased exponentially, mirroring a strong demand among viewers. We anticipate that the live streaming scene in Singapore will continue to flourish, and the industry may see continued growth across different film production ecosystems such as live music, sports, and e-games, which will lead to the emergence of newer forms of live streaming engagements. The rise in popularity of live streaming also underscores a shift away from traditional television viewing habits as modern consumers turn towards digital media entertainment, seeking more on-demand, recorded, and live content.
5.1. Emerging Technologies
A round-up of the broadcast-related emerging technologies can be found in the Annexes to section 3 of the report. These indicate that the viewer will have the choice of a large range of new services in the future. All are marked by convergence, which will see existing technologies being mixed and matched with new technologies to provide for new needs associated with new models of consumer behavior. These will bring a new viewing experience and will, conjointly with new applications related to information gathering, decision-making, stock market futures, grants, emerging trends, and forecasts, mark the iterative phase of broadcasting consumer electronics.
Over a 30-year period, 2024 will initially mark a new phase of technical development, with 3D television becoming available in Singapore. On the other hand, in the near future, viewers will be able to access virtual broadcast in Singapore only after they have acquired the necessary pieces of equipment. However, it will not be long until the Ministry of Information, Communication, and the Arts is able to foresee that there may be any advances made in these new developments and make an awareness of these emerging trends available to broadcasters within the framework of National Objectives.
5.2. Market Projections
According to a new study, the live streaming market is expected to expand at an unprecedented growth rate from 2019 to 2024, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 28.1%. The increasing participation of viewers in live streaming, the growing popularity of live streaming, and the resulting revenue stream of live streaming are all major drivers that would facilitate the advancements in the development of live streaming.
The demand for live streaming services in Singapore has been expected to increase consistently, in view of the rapid developments in mobile and broadband services. Additionally, Singapore’s digital economy has continued to enjoy robust growth, driven by prevailing favorable economic conditions, the persistent investments from micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, unique start-ups, and local businesses, as well as an accommodating regulatory environment. Riding on the strong momentum for digitalization, and the popularity of live sports, music and events, advertisers have once again demonstrated a strong enthusiasm to ride on live streaming.