Microsoft Teams only went online seven years ago, but the software has become indispensable in many companies. In 2022, 270 million users used the video conferencing system at least once a day, and the trend is rising. Teams is also frequently used in the livestream sector for call-ins, staff meetings or town halls. Choosing the right tools plays a crucial role in the smooth running of events. In this article, we look at exciting Teams functions for livestreaming. However, we also highlight the disadvantages of Microsoft Teams, especially for livestream agencies.
Microsoft Teams Live Event: Ideal for “few to many” events
With its Live Events, Microsoft Teams offers an ideal solution for events where a small amount of content needs to be broadcast to a large audience. This feature enables livestream agencies to target their productions at a wider audience. At the same time, Teams Live Event ensures that the quality and performance of every broadcast is maintained.
Teams Classic: versatility for “a few with a few”
Teams Classic is the ideal platform for events involving a smaller group of participants. The special feature here is that anyone can interact with anyone and ask questions at the end of a presentation, for example. This versatility makes Teams Classic a valuable tool in livestream production.
Advantages over other platforms
What makes Microsoft Teams particularly attractive for livestream agencies are the unique features that set it apart from other platforms. The native NDI integration and the provision of isolated video sources for all participants offer an uncomplicated way to realise high-quality productions. Compared to tools such as Zoom or Webex, Teams is characterised by its user-friendliness.
Distribution and user-friendliness
A decisive factor that makes Microsoft Teams the first choice for livestream agencies is the widespread use of the platform. Most customers are already familiar with Teams as they use it in a professional environment. This personal experience of using the platform makes communication and coordination much easier, which is crucial in livestream production.
Fail-safe livestream portal from Stream1
Nevertheless, as a livestream agency in Munich, we can only recommend Microsoft Teams for livestreams to a limited extent. Or as our livestream producer Michael puts it: Microsoft Teams does not cover two core needs of every livestream: it has stability flaws and is not fail-safe. Even the Wikipedia entry on Microsoft Teams contains an entire paragraph about outages in recent years. Microsoft Teams is usually the biggest weak point in a livestream setting.
That’s why we at Stream1 have set up our own livestream portal. There is an individual subpage for each livestream with functions such as the livestream player, volume control and, if desired, a chat. The servers for the livestream transmission are located in Nuremberg, so no data is sent to large data centres in the USA, as is the case with Microsoft Teams. Anyone looking for a fail-safe and data protection-compliant solution for livestream transmission should therefore opt for the Stream1 portal.
