Your Ultimate Guide to Multistreaming

Multistreaming or multistream is the act of having your stream live on multiple platforms at the same time. Multistreaming means you can have your livestream up on multiple platforms, such as YouTube, Twitch, Kick, Facebook and TikTok at the same time!Do you want to find out how to stream on multiple platforms? Then welcome to multistreaming! Multistreaming or multistream is the act of having your stream live on multiple platforms at the same time. Multistreaming means you can have your livestream up on multiple platforms, such as YouTube, Twitch, Kick, Facebook and TikTok at the same time! This article will go over the basics of multistreaming, such as how to multistream, why should you multistream, the pros and cons of multistreaming and what the best streaming option is for you!

How to Multistream

The first step to multistreaming is knowing what platforms you want to stream to. For example, maybe you want to live stream to both YouTube and Twitch at the same time, you can do that! To do this make sure you download the streaming software Obs Studio. After setting up Obs studio you want to download a rtmp plugin you can use for Obs. This plugin will allow you to stream on multiple platforms at once. You can also get a rtmp that allows you to live stream in different formats on different platforms. For example if you want to stream on Twitch and TikTok at the same time. On TikTok you will want to be streaming vertically. With multistreaming you can do that while streaming normally on Twitch at the same time! Many of these rtmp plugins are available on restream! Also remember you will need your stream key to set up streaming within Obs! Each platform you want to stream from will give you a seperate stream key. Within your live streaming software, such as Obs, you also want to make sure to adjust all of your settings, such as your bitrate which you'll want around 5000. Some examples of platforms and streaming services you can multistream from are Twitch, YouTube live, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook live, and Kick! After setting these up, you can just set up your stream as normal in Obs, go live, and get simulcasting today! 

The Benefits Of Multistreaming/Simulcasting

Now that you know how to simulcast and multistream. Why should you multisteam?

• Running a multi stream to multiple streaming platforms still gives you full control over your content and let's you explore different live streaming platforms. Wirecast, vimeo livestream, and xsplit are other tools you can use to help you set up your multi stream and simulcast. Vimeo livestream can help you set up assets for your multi stream! 

• Multistreaming also allows you to have many more monetization options. Different streaming platforms have different revenue splits and also different rates on ad sense. Multistreaming can help you collect revenue from multiple live streaming platforms at the same time!

• Also a common misconception streamers have about multistreaming is that it's heavier on your bandwidth and encoder while you simulcast. Having a multi stream going uses about the same amount of computer resources, so if you can live stream, you'll be able to simulcast your multi stream!

• Another plus about multistreaming is that you will have increased visibility. If you are live streaming to more than one streaming platform. Then there are more places for your potential viewers to find you! Once you set up multistreaming for the first time, it's easy to stream that way every time you stream!

The Cons of Multistreaming/Simucasting

Despite the many benefits of Multistreaming, they are a few difficulties when it comes to multistreaming.

• Multiple chatrooms- If you are live streaming to multiple different streaming platforms at once that also means your viewers are chatting in multiple different chats at the same time. This can lead to confusion for both you as the streamer and our viewers watching the stream.

• Community divide- When responding to different chats at the same time in your live streams, it can lead to confusion among viewers. If you are responding to a message in your Twitch chat, your viewers on YouTube won't see the message you are responding to which can be confusing for them. This overall can lead to your community being divided rather than having one community as a whole.

• Platform compatibility- When streaming to multiple live streaming services/platforms at the same time, a lot of the time different streaming platforms like different styles of content. So when multistreaming it can be hard to create content on your live stream that is going to be able to cater to everyone.

Choosing Your Multistreaming Solution

Now that you understand the pros and cons of Multistreaming, how do you know if multistreaming is for you? 

• Define your goals- The best way to understand what style of live streaming is best for you is understanding what style of content you want to make. What do you want from live streaming and what do you want to create on stream? Once you understand your goals you can look back at the pros and cons of multistreaming and know if multistreaming will help you achieve those goals!

• Find and know your audience- Multistreaming can be a great tool for finding your audience. If you are new to live streaming, multistreaming can help you get a feel for each streaming platform. You can experiment and see where your content is performing the best. After this process you can choose which streaming platform you want to stick with and have all of your community move to that live streaming platform. Then just make sure to always let your viewers know when you go live!

• Platform compatibility and Content types- Different live streaming platforms have different styles of content that perform well. If you try multistreaming you will find what platform your style of content responds best too. This can be a great gateway to finding the live streaming platform you want to mainly stream on!

Commonly Asked Questions

Can I multistream for free? - Yes! Multistreaming is free the same as streaming to one platform is! Software, such as, Obs, restream, rtmp plugins, wirecast, and xsplit are all free to use!

Can I multistream with Obs? - Yes! Multistreaming can be done completely within obs! You can set up rtmp plugins you'll use within obs! Make sure to have your stream key set up within obs and then you'll use obs to go live!

What is meant by multiple platforms? - Multistreaming on multiple platforms is referring to live streaming on multiple live streaming platforms at the same time! Live streaming platforms, such as, Twitch, YouTube live, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook live, and Kick!

Conclusion

Whether you want to multistream permanently, or use multistreaming to find what live streaming platform is your favorite, multistreaming is a great tool for all content creators. Multistreaming has never been as easy to use than it is now. If you have made it to here then you know how to set up your first multistream! So it's time to boot up obs and set up your first multistream today! The hardest part about live streaming is hitting the go live button for the first time, so get out there and stream! I look forward to seeing your content soon! Good luck!

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