What is The Recommended Upload Speed for Live Streaming? A Clear Guide

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many brick-and-mortar stores to close and therefore has given a big boost to live streaming e-commerce. In this post, we’ll provide more insight into this trend, why brands should adopt live shopping for more sales, and recommended upload speed for live streaming.

Upload speed for live streaming

As a rule of thumb, when digital transformation continues to evolve further, new formats are also being evangelized by brands. One of these new formats that are taking the consumers by storm is live-stream shopping.

The way businesses started to consume and rely on online video has evolved at an extraordinary rate and online videos featuring products and brands really help consumers make a buying decision. According to one study, video affects 64% of all purchases made online.

When it comes to live stream shopping, we need to know what it is and good streaming upload speed.

What Is Livestream Shopping?

Livestream shopping is an emerging trend that offers the ability to demonstrate products to a live audience who can interact with and purchase products directly from the livestream. This way provides consumers with a more exciting experience than putting things in a virtual shopping cart. 

How much upload speed for live streaming

In livestreams, viewers can interact with the host via comments as well as ask questions about the products being showcased. This brings a level of spontaneity and fosters a sense of connection between consumers and livestream hosts, creating a more dynamic environment.

What is the recommended upload speed for live streaming?

What is recommended upload speed for live streaming?

A live video streaming setup needs two main requirements. The first is that the hardware is good enough to handle the encoding of video in real-time and run videos in high settings. The other is a good upload bandwidth and speed. If not, the video quality will be affected. So what's a good upload speed?

Before calling your ISP to inquire about more bandwidth, you may need to know what is a good upload speed for live streaming. Unfortunately, there is no precise answer to this question. 

A speed that lets you stream the content on the platform of your choice without any hassle. So, basically, anything between 672 kbps and 61.5 Mbps is considered good.

There are various factors that determine what is a good upload speed for streaming, from the content type to resolution, and the platform you want to live stream on.

Best upload speed for streaming

Many platforms are available online including Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn. All these allow live streaming at 720p and have different speed requirements.

• The upload speed requirement for live streaming on Facebook is 4 Mbps. 

• Youtube recommends 1,5 Mbps - 4 Mbps for YouTube Live video. For 320p 30 FPS, 1 Mbps upload speed streaming is enough.

• LinkedIn recommends 5 Mbps upload speed for live streams

What is a good upload speed for streaming on Twitch?

What is the upload speed for streaming twitch? Good upload speed for streaming twitch is 4,5 Mbps for 60 or 50 fps and 3Mbps for 25 or 30 fps.

How can I test the speed of my livestreams?

It’s crucial to run an upload speed test before you go live, as it will let you know the video resolution you can upload during your broadcast. Doing it is simple, visit http://gospeedcheck.com/ and hit the “GO” button.

Within less than thirty seconds, you will get the result of download speed, upload speed and ping. If you have a slow internet connection, find out if you have enough internet bandwidth or need more bandwidth for better streaming. 

Internet speed test on MySpeed

How to increase upload speed for streaming?

Ah, we’ve known good Youtube, Facebook, Twitch streaming upload speed, now it’s time to learn more tips on how to get a good internet upload speed for live streaming? Let’s check out.

Choose the right internet service provider (ISP) 

This is the first step to obtain good upload speeds. Basically, residential users enjoy better download speed. Thus, if you want to get a higher than usual upload speeds, upgrade your internet plan.

Keep software and hardware updated 

Ensure modems, routers, and system drivers are up-to-date to prevent speed lags when live streaming. 

Switch to a wired connection

We highly recommend switching to a wired connection rather than a Wi-Fi connection for less interference and more stable internet connection.

Cut the load

Make sure your internet connection is not being shared with others. When you live stream, keep other devices disconnected from your internet connection. Also, you need to close all on-essential programs and apps on your device during your live stream. Another way to increase your upload speeds is to block malware and use adblockers.

What is the minimum internet speed for Live streaming?

The minimum internet speed for streaming is 3 Mbps. At this level, you have the least amount of bandwidth issues with the best resolution and the FPS for streaming video is 720p at 30 fps. 

You can definitely drop the speed, but anything below 3Mbps will require you to drop the video resolution down to 480p. This problem is amplified if you are not the only user of the internet upload bandwidth.

Internet speed for streaming

However, even at this Internet speed, you'll need to make compromises to produce a usable signal without encountering various issues, like stuttering or frame loss. 

You also don't have any space for other members of your family, and you always ensure signal integrity. 

2 Mbps to 5 Mbps is recommended upload speed for twitch streaming at 720p, 30 fps. This will give you the best chance of having a steady stream for your audience, which is arguably more important than a high-resolution stream. 

The suggested upload speeds for streaming 1080p 60fps is between 5.6 Mbps to 7.4 Mbps.

How brands are adopting live-stream shopping in 2021 

Being aware of the enormous potential of live stream shopping, brands are building out strategies and partnering with influencers to widen their reach to customers and engage with audiences who want to live stream.

There are additional steps and questions that the marketing team can consider when it comes to live stream shopping and social commerce approaches.

Whats a good upload speed for streaming?

• Brands should first take into consideration their reach and audience engagement. Many brands have jumped into the live streaming shopping race, spending a lot of time, money and effort building great experiences - through servers, products, scripts, technology integration with purchasing services. live video shopping, etc. - just to realize that their organic reach to an audience is limited.

• It's important for brands to avoid tiring their audience with redundant content like unboxing. Any live event requires a specific driving force besides the commercial one to sell products. There is a natural cycle in which to present new (i.e. seasonal) discounts, but other types of experiences need to be focused and relevant to engage an audience.

• Livestream shopping is an opportunity to promote products and services to other influencers, brands, or creators. Brands can have a special guest hosting a live shopping event with a curated collection of their favorite products or offer special VIP levels for fans of other brands.

Types of Live Commerce

Below are some of the most common formats for live shoppable media. 

Online Marketplaces

Online marketplaces allow users to make a purchase at their convenience without leaving their homes. 

The addition of live video streaming to these platforms keeps buyers more engaged. Why? Live streaming on the platform gives customers the closest possible experience and enhances real-time interactivity.

Influencer Streaming

Today's celebrities don't have to be on the big screen. Reality TV puts media figures like Kylie Jenner on the map and more and more stars are gaining popularity through social media every day. This has opened up new revenue opportunities.

Good streaming upload speed

With audiences already drawn in, influencers can use their personal branding and the power of the live stream to promote their favorite products in an interactive format. Influencer streaming originated on social media but is now popular on e-commerce sites. 

This format converts younger demographics with the highest rate. While only 26% of overall community buying decisions are based on recommendations from influencers on social media, the same holds true for 44% of Generation Z.

Live Events

Reliable events like product launches, limited edition discounts, and retail holidays like Singles' Day or Black Friday are incredibly good for buyable live broadcasts.

Kohl's was the one who soon adopted live commerce by streaming LC Lauren Conrad Runway show during New York Fashion Week 2015.

Distributed via Periscope, viewers have the option to purchase any garment seen on the catwalk through a dedicated portal.

Today, shoppable mobile streaming lets fans buy real-time items from Louis Vuitton and Victoria's Secret runways.