Category: Uncategorized

The Coronavirus has had an enormous impact on people’s livelihood. Live performers, presenters, event managers and expert speakers have lost their jobs virtually overnight. Patrons have lost a vital entertainment and education channel. Spondo has the solution. Our technology is making it easier than ever before to live stream your performance, event, class or workshop directly from your phone to your audience.
The current Coronavirus restrictions have wiped out live performances across Australia and the world. Performers and speakers who were booked for months in advance now face the prospect of having no work for an extended period. Audiences around the world have been forced to self-isolate. With no access to live venues, an integral part of the entertainment and education world has fallen silent.

Enter Spondo. Our platform enables you to connect with your audience using your laptop, tablet or mobile phone. You can stream with the highest quality vision and sound possible and your account is set up in minutes. There’s no limit on the number of viewers you can stream to. You set a Pay Per View price for your performance and generate income from every view.

Spondo’s user friendly video player can be embedded in your own website or a dedicated landing page. Your performance can be played back on demand for years to come, creating further revenue opportunities. Spondo can even take care of royalty payments for licensed music, saving you the laborious task of working it out for yourself.

If you’re new to live streaming, Spondo’s “how to” videos guide you through the entire process. We can have you back at work, connecting with your audience in no time.

It’s an easy three step process that takes no time at all.

1. Set up your account.
2. Download a piece of software.
3. Start streaming.

The challenges for the independent film market are sizeable. There are billions of dollars
spent each year on independent film. The Sundance Film Festival alone receives over 4,000
feature length films each year and about twice that number in short films. It’s estimated that
over $3 billion is spent producing those films. Less than 5% of those films get into the
Festival (less than 200 films) and fewer than 2% will receive a distribution deal (less than
100 films). That leaves a lot of films looking for a way to reach their audience and recoup a
lot of investment dollars.

Those select independent filmmakers who secure a distribution deal generally have to give
up their digital rights in perpetuity. Promotional and marketing costs often exceed the
revenues generated from the film, leaving the filmmaker stranded with no revenue, no
identifiable audience and no rights. Literally.

Spondo provides a solution to these problems by enabling the filmmaker to sell directly
from their own site, without giving up their digital rights and by providing the filmmaker with
the viewer’s details. Spondo stores the film, provides the payment gateway and streams it
to the purchaser.

Spondo amplifies its solution by syndication. Many films have a potential audience that
congregates on relatively large sites. It makes sense for filmmakers to target those
sites. The site owner is often looking for engaging content, not to mention additional
revenue sources. Spondo’s streaming platform allows the site owner to promote and sell
that film directly to its audience. Viewers are hungry for content and are happy to purchase
a film endorsed by a site they know and trust, more so if they know the site can profit and
continue to pursue common objectives. Spondo’s proprietary revenue distribution
engine automatically gives the site owner a revenue share for sales made from that site. It’s
incentivised crowd distribution and really is a win-win situation.

1. People won’t show up to my event.

That’s what every major sporting body used to say. In the 1990’s. Welcome to today.
Live streaming is not for people who are going to come to your event anyway. It’s for
those people who can’t make it for a multitude of reasons.

2. Live streams are bootlegged and people will steal my content.

They might, if your event involves Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov trying
to beat the living daylights out of each other. But for most events, that’s not
happening. We’ll make your event safe from the bootleggers but readily accessible for
the good guys.

3. If I live stream my event then people will get used to watching it online.

Newsflash. Online video is here to stay. If you can’t beat them, join them.

4. Live streaming is too risky.

Sure, there’s a lot of moving parts to get a live stream up and running. Cameras,
encoders, internet connection. The list goes on. A reputable streaming company will
have all the right gear and people. With sufficient time for planning, a quality live
stream is achievable.

5. It’s too expensive.

So, you spend thousands of dollars and heaps of hours to put on your event and
investing in a quality production to live stream and capture it for future prosperity is
too expensive? Stop missing revenue from online sales and start leveraging your
content.

6. Some people won’t travel to my event if I live stream it.

Donald Trump won’t. That’s a fact. But lots of people will pay virtually the same
amount to watch a live stream because they can’t afford the time or cost to travel.
You don’t need to feed them. Some of them might enjoy the live stream so much they
actually come to your next event. You’ll have to feed them.

7. There’s no point.

Yes, there is. Increased exposure. Increased revenue. Giving your audience what they
really want, when they want it. So, stop procrastinating about live streaming and start
thinking about what you’re going to do with all that money we’re going to make for
you.

It’s time.

Spondo.

Live Stream. Revenue Stream.

Video is dominating the internet and social media. It’s one of the most engaging ways to capture your
audience’s attention. Live streaming is an excellent and cost effective way to get your content out
there. The worlds of sport, entertainment, business and education can benefit significantly from live
streaming.

1. Access

Let’s face it. Modern day consumers expect companies to be tech savvy and forward thinking. People
expect to be able to watch quality content, anytime, anywhere.

2. Increase Reach

Some people simply can’t get to every event because they are time poor or they can’t afford to travel.
Why exclude these people from your event? Live streaming is a great way to connect with people that
can’t get to your event in person.

3. Increase Attendance

Live streaming your event is a great advertisement. Some people may be reluctant to travel to your
event but will be willing to watch a live stream. This could be enough to encourage them to attend
your next event in person.

4. Save Time

Your viewers may save a fair bit of time logging on to watch your event as opposed to travelling to be
there in person.

5. Save Money

Trying to get a bunch of people from distant locations together can be a costly exercise. Live
streaming an event is relatively inexpensive.

6. Make money

If you’re charging people to attend your event, there’s a good chance people will pay a similar fee to
watch a live stream. You can also sell the recorded version to people who attended.

7. Educate

Live streaming can be an interactive experience. Viewers may feel more comfortable to ask questions
through social media or a live chat. Other viewers or presenters can answer those questions in real
time.

8. Generate content

Organising an event is costly and time consuming. It makes sense to maximise your return on that
investment by live streaming and recording the event. It’s an inexpensive way to generate valuable
content.

9. Data

Having a live stream gives you the opportunity to collect data on people who would not otherwise
attend your event. You can capture viewer details and work out how long they are watching and just
as important, when they stop watching. That’s valuable feedback.

Think the movie streaming revolution starts and ends with all you can eat subscription
services and the rental giants? Might be time for a rethink.

Online movie subscriptions and rentals are a multi-billion-dollar business for the likes of
Netflix, Amazon and iTunes. But why should these guys have all the fun? Have they truly
democratized the business of independent movie distribution or merely cornered the
market?

Australians are living proof that viewers will pay a reasonable price to stream content if it
is made readily available. Previously renowned the world over as a nation of pirates, we
have seen multiple subscription services arrive and with that multiple streaming
subscriptions per household becoming the norm.

Household spend on entertainment packages isn’t just shifting, it’s increasing. Viewers will
jump onto a streaming service to binge watch new content. Once they’ve had their fill of
new content, they don’t always stick around for the re-runs. There’s no costly fee for
cutting a subscription the way there is with cable services, there’s no equipment to return
and the sign-up process for the next streaming provider isn’t clunky. Today’s viewer is very
nimble.

Viewer behaviour epitomises a world that’s placing less and less emphasis on owning stuff.
Millennials stopped buying what the baby boomers were selling ages ago. Whether it’s a
house, appliances or films, it doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about DVD’s or download to
own. Life is short and it’s about experiences not things.

Subscription services are spending big dollars on premium content. Netflix forked out $90
million for a Will Smith movie. Hulu handed over $180 million for Seinfeld. Depending on
who you believe, an episode of Game of Thrones can cost between $5m and $15m to
produce. When those sums are involved, it’s fair to ask how much love the giants can
spare for the independent filmmaker.

So how can we put the independent back into filmmaker?

Forget about the old model. It’s broken. The old school distributor doesn’t really care
about independent film. If they do manage to get it on a digital platform, filmmakers will
probably never hear about it and their chances of making a buck out of it are even lower.
Revenues are often swallowed up by the cost of getting the film onto a platform and then
there’s those murky marketing budgets.

Even if filmmakers are lucky enough to get a distributor, they generally sign away their
digital rights to the film for ever and a day. This makes promotion of the film even more
challenging. In the digital age where borders don’t exist, independent filmmakers need to
keep their rights.

Independent filmmakers spend a lot of time, money and effort making a film. If they have
any money left after completion, they’ll spend some marketing dollars pushing people to a
website to learn about their film. Then they’ll ask their potential viewers to click on a link
that says, “Available on iTunes”. Why send the viewer to another site where there are
countless other movies to distract the viewer and stop them buying? Even if the viewer
does buy the film, I’ll tell you what’s not available to the filmmaker on iTunes – the
viewer’s name and email address. Who owns the customer? Not the filmmaker. Give the
filmmaker the tools to sell the film from their own site and they’ll own the customer.
Filmmakers spend all that time, effort and marketing dollars to get the viewer there in
the first place. Keep them there and build a relationship with them. Find out who they
are. They might want to know about your next project. They may even be able to help
fund it.

You don’t have to think too hard to find a target audience for most independent movies.
Those target audiences hang out on websites that probably don’t have engaging video
content. Imagine if those sites could sell great films to push their cause to their audience
and receive a clip of the ticket on the way through. This helps the filmmaker reach an
audience they might not otherwise have access to.

Spondo does all this and more. It’s the perfect solution for independent filmmakers.

A lot of planning goes into making an event memorable. The same should apply to live streaming that
event. Whether it’s sport, entertainment, business or education, careful planning will ensure that your
live stream enhances your brand and you capture some fabulous highlights to use again and again.

Nothing annoys a viewer more than a live stream falling over or being poorly produced. This can
leave viewers feeling bored, annoyed even angry. In some cases, it can cause extensive damage to
your brand.

Whether it’s a free stream or an exclusive Pay Per View event, disgruntled viewers will make you pay
for a bad live stream. Here’s a list of things that will make your live stream a success.

1. Upload speed

The number one reason for a live stream failing, particularly in Australia, is slow upload speeds.
Across the nation, our upload speeds are notoriously slow. You need to test your upload speeds
from your venue in advance of your event. Try and simulate the time and day of your event.

2. Pipe connections

If you’re relying on a pipe connection within a venue, make sure that pipe isn’t going to be
throttled by somebody downloading a 4K version of every episode of Game of Thrones. On the
flipside, make sure your live stream isn’t going to stop the CEO using the internet to close a major
deal.

3. Mobile connections

If you’re relying on a mobile connection, it’s ideal to have the ability to switch from one provider to
another. You might find that one network is being overused at various points and this usually
happens at the most important time of an event. The time when you least want to lose your
stream. The time when audience members are jumping onto their phones and social media to tell
the world what they’re watching. A good streaming provider will be able to switch seamlessly from
one mobile network to another without losing a second of your live stream.

4. CBD buildings

If you’re streaming out a tall building in the CBD and you’re relying on a mobile network, you need
to test the network from the floor that you will be streaming from. Internet speeds can vary quite
dramatically from different floors of the same building. It’s Newton’s fourth law of physics.
Apparently.

5. Cameras

Sometimes having one camera at an event or using your laptop’s camera is entirely appropriate.
If it’s a short event with one speaker, you can get away with one camera. For longer events with
multiple speakers or fast-moving action, it’s preferable to have multiple cameras with a director
regularly choosing the best view. This keeps your audience engaged and shows that you’re
serious about their viewing experience. A live stream should reflect your brand and values.

6. Equipment checks

Too often a live stream fails because sufficient time hasn’t been allocated in advance of the
stream itself to get all the gear in position and tested. You can’t expect multiple camera operators
to plug into a streaming box and go. You need to make sure enough time is allocated to checking
equipment onsite before you go live. There will be plenty of equipment and you want this to be
unobtrusive.

7. Venue Reconnaissance

Make sure you have notified the venue in advance of your live stream. If you have to lug heavy
equipment into the venue, you need to know the easiest way to access the building and where
you can park. Some venues will have restrictions on how you bring that equipment into a venue
and this might slow you down. If your live streaming provider has worked with the venue, then
that should make things a bit smoother. Some venues will allocate a representative to shadow
you whilst things are being set up and they may charge you for the privilege. Be prepared.

8. Download speeds

Buffering occurs when a video pauses whilst more data is downloaded. If the viewer has a
download speed that can’t handle the amount of data your live stream is generating, they’ll have
an ordinary viewing experience. Once a live stream starts buffering, it’s likely to keep doing it so
it’s best to minimise this possibility.

Some live streaming providers will pick a bit rate that reduces the amount of data that is sent out.
This becomes a trade-off between the quality of video being sent out and minimising the buffering
that viewers experience. The downside is that viewers with great internet speeds often feel that
they’re watching a stream of lower quality than their internet connection can handle.

Another solution is to stream at a multi bit or adaptive bit rate. This works by detecting a viewer’s
internet speed in real time and adjusting the quality of the live stream accordingly. Ideal if you can
get it, but you might have to pay a little more.

9. Extra equipment

Consider the venue you’re using and whether you will need any extra equipment such as lights,
microphones and digital screens. Some venues will provide those items free of charge, whilst
others will charge. You should compare the prices charged by the venue versus the streaming
provider.

Most live streaming providers will prefer to work solely with their own equipment to ensure
compatibility. Even if you have to pay a little extra, it can be worth it. If your live stream fails
because equipment is incompatible, trying to trouble shoot when you’re live streaming is less than
ideal.

Check the lighting in the venue to determine whether it’s adequate. Run that test at the same time
as you will be live streaming. If you’re in a venue with large windows, check the lighting with the
blinds both open and closed. If they’re electric blinds, make sure you’ll have access to the
controls to operate them on the day.

Microphones can also be tricky. If presenters are speaking from a lectern with a microphone it
should be straightforward for the streaming provider to plug into. Some presenters might prefer a
hand-held microphone whilst others will prefer a lapel microphone.

Depending on the size of your venue and the number of people within that venue, you may want
to have some appropriately sized digital screens so the audience within the venue gets the best
possible view, particularly if there are slides or video as part of a presentation.

10. Live chat

A double-edged sword. The good thing about running a live chat is that your audience has a voice
and you receive instant feedback. The bad thing about running a live chat is that your audience
participates and you receive feedback.

If your live stream goes well, a live chat really adds to the event. You can take questions and
presenters can respond to those questions in real time.

If your live stream or event doesn’t go so well, negative comments tend to come thick and fast.
Viewers can feed off each other making things worse.

Ask yourself who is likely to be watching and will viewers know each other. For smaller more
intimate events where viewers are likely to know each other, comments are likely to be more
reserved.

Sometimes social media platforms are perfect for a live chat. We’ve run events in the past where
a screen at the event has been dedicated to a Twitter fall. Using social media for live comments
can encourage more viewers to log in and watch when they might not otherwise have been aware
of the live stream.

11. Marketing

Build it and they will come? Nope. Just because you’re putting on a live stream doesn’t mean
people will watch. You need to get the message out to your audience across all the relevant social
channels. Don’t push your messages out too early and don’t leave it to the last minute either.
Think Goldilocks. Remind people as the event draw nears. Make sure you get the time and date
right for your event, making sure that viewers understand what time zone you are in. Sounds
simple, right? You’ll be amazed how many people get this wrong.

12. Push traffic to the right location

Most people have multiple options when it comes to hosting a live stream. Spondo allows you to
embed a live streaming player on your own website or to set up a dedicated landing page. Some
people will use a network of affiliates who will sell the live stream from their own site to their
audience in return for a clip of the ticket. You can also run your live stream through Facebook or
even YouTube. Pick the medium that will work best for your audience and don’t forget to push
them to the right location.

13. Viewer numbers

Some live streaming services provide a display that tells you how many viewers are watching.
This can be great and can generate lots of momentum. Nothing draws a crowd like a
crowd. On the flipside, if viewer numbers are lower than you expected, this can reflect poorly on
your brand. Think carefully about whether displaying viewer numbers will help or hinder.

14. Presenters

Make sure your presenters or event participants know in advance that you are live streaming. It’s
not something you can spring on them at the last minute. Presenters may tailor their content if
they know it’s being beamed to a wider audience or being recorded for future playback. On the
flipside, some of your presenters may want a copy of the presentation and will be willing to pay
you for that. This could be another lucrative revenue stream for you.

15. Be brave

The best events are bold and designed to engage and entertain an audience. Do the
same with your live stream!