How livestreaming dominated 2016

In June, House Democrats live streamed a sit-in to protest the Republican majority's inaction on gun control.

But to the general public, the House floor footage was only available on social media, with even CSPAN broadcasting Periscope feeds.

That moment in itself was yet another indicator that live streaming is the future. The genre has grown in popularity over the last year, with many increasingly jumping in the space in hopes of becoming the go-to platform for live programming.

Digital video giants -- including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram -- have made livestreaming a priority as users increasingly utilize the format. More and more apps -- such as musical.ly's sister app live.ly -- have popped up in hopes of becoming as popular as Snapchat.

Facebook the livestreaming giant

Of all the platforms offering livestreaming, Facebook has emerged as one of the strongest forces to be reckoned with.

The company's founder Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook Live was created as a tool to connect people in a "more personal way." Its service is being used by publications (including Mashable), celebrities and now even digital influencers.

The live feature on Facebook has evolved into a hub for citizen journalism and entertainment programming. (Still, as Mashable's Kerry Flynn points out, Facebook's live offering is far from perfect).

Facebook's overall goal is to get people to both create and consume live videos as much as possible. The social media network recently rolled out an update that automatically pushes more live video to your smartphone screen.

That effort has been copied by others in the space.

YouTube comes out swinging

At VidCon, YouTube doubled down its live efforts by finally announcing the live streaming feature for its mobile app. Since then, it's been used by a handful of top creators including The Young Turks, AIB, Platica Polinesia, SACCONEJOLY and Alex Wassabi.

Since rolling out the streaming feature on mobile, YouTube said live usage has grown overall.

Stream time more than doubled year to year about 130 percent, and watch time almost doubled, YouTube said.

"It's a valuable tool for creators making content because it’s both raw and intimate, and doesn’t take a lot of prep," Kurt Wilms, YouTube's Live Product Manager, told Mashable earlier this year. "The biggest feedback creators are telling us is they feel they are pushing boundaries on their creative programing [with live on mobile]."

More than 9 million people saw YouTube's live stream of the Democratic and Republican National conventions, and the average watch time was an estimated 25 minutes.

Similarly, to help push build more awareness around the app's offerings, YouTube sent 20 creators to the Olympics in Rio to livestream the Games. The content they streamed live generated over 1.3 million hours of watchtime.

"I have used the live format in the past but it really it wasn’t quite as compelling to me as mobile version, I like the spontaneity of it," Lewis Hilsenteger, who is behind the Unbox Therapy channel on YouTube, told Mashable. "I was skeptical ... but we gave it a shot and most surprising thing was how well it held up. I've had this community I've built over last few years, but they’ve never had opportunity to interact with me in that way or watch me interact in that way until [now]."

The creator, who has almost 7 million subscribers, has been playing around with the live format on YouTube's app. In one video, his fans called him live and Hilsenteger answered questions live. The video has over 1.7 million views.

Earlier this month, Instagram became the latest to bring its live-streaming features to everyone.

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Why so much livestreaming?

But why are all the big players pushing livestreaming so much?

For one thing, users are asking for it.

But perhaps more importantly: The potential for ad dollars.

"As marketers shift dollars away from linear TV and toward digital video advertising, live stream video—thanks to Facebook Live and YouTube Live—has entered the fold," according to an eMarketer report published in August. The research firm suggested, "17 percent of agency and 19 percent of in-house marketers definitely plan on allocating budget to live stream video ads."

It's clear now more than ever that video is everything. The industry is now beginning to see live video as the most attractive offering.

Competing in a crowded space

Breaking into live isn't an easy feat. And just because an app is popular, doesn't mean it will succeed.

Meerkat, the mobile app that ignited a live-steaming revolution when it made its debut at South by Southwest 2015, officially died in October.

Vine, while not a live streaming app, failed to keep its platform creators happy, which many say contributed to its demise.

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That's why many live platforms -- including YouNow, Kamcord and live.ly -- have monetization features, such as "virtual gifts."

"We realized if we give creators an incentive to really invest in great, great, great content, then everyone wins," Alex Hofmann, president of musical.ly and live.ly, told Mashable earlier this year.

For live.ly, it has proved effective. The platform has remained popular since launching earlier this year.

Others are relying on the power of young platform users.

Stubhub co-founder Jeff Fluhr launched Flurry earlier this year as an app for teenagers to connect with each other and with social media stars "in a safe and fun environment."  

Like many apps before it, Flurry features live streaming, text chat, emojis, stickers, polls and virtual gift giving/receiving. 

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Even with all the competition, Fluhr said he saw value in investing in the live video space.

"There's something authentic and intimate about connecting people in social media world with live video," he said.