February 15, 2017  

Pros and Cons of BeLive.TV and Blue Jeans Network

By Cheval John

It is safe to say that live video is the way most businesses and sports organizations will use to interact with future customers.

According to a report by Cision, 80% of all internet activity will have a video component to it by 2020.

That means that if you are not using video for your business, you will be left in the dust by your competition.

And live streaming is leading the way with live video.

Platforms like Meerkat and Periscope (both owned by Twitter) and Blab has brought the live streaming revolution to our daily lives.

When Facebook, the world largest social media platform with over 1 billion users, entered the live streaming game last year with Facebook Live, it created challenges for these platforms.

As an indirect result, Twitter shut down Meerkat and is in the process of integrating Periscope to their social media platform.

The owners of Blab shut down their platform abruptly in the summer time though they had a substantial user base.

It is apparent that Facebook Live is dominating live stream and is looking to continue it innovation to keep their user base on their platform.

As a result, live streaming platforms are being very creative in complimenting Facebook Live.

The platforms which are integrating their software with Facebook Live are Huzza.io, BeLive.TV and Blue Jeans Network

Huzza.io was founded in April 2015 as a way for musicians to get their music out to a niche audience.

Overtime, they expanded their services for live streamers and podcasters.

They were able to integrate their platform to Facebook Live which was a great option for people who wanted to use Facebook Live from their computers.

In February of this year, they sold their company to KickStarter.com and the platform will be shut down on March 1st.

I will add a note that the people from Huzza.io was much more professional in letting their users know that they will not be around anymore because it will give their users time to upload all of their live video recordings to YouTube.

The team from Huzza.io also allowed us to look for alternative live streaming platforms to continue creating our live video broadcasts.

Now, I will focus more on the pros and cons of BeLive.TV and Blue Jeans Network as I have tried both of the live streaming platforms.

Pros of BeLive.TV
The platform is free to use
Your live stream shows goes straight to your facebook page
You can record your show at a certain time
You can do a one on one interview with a guest if you have an interview type of show
The comments from Facebook will appear on their platform

Cons of BeLive.TV:
The platform does not have a way to download a stand alone video
Your live stream will only be for facebook live
If you want to put your video on other platforms like YouTube, it will be impossible due to the fact that Facebook and YouTube are competitors
They are currently in beta

Update: BeLive.Tv is now giving a 14-day free trial of their platform. Afterwards, you will have to pay a yearly subscription of:

$144 for Lite
$240 for Standard

Pros of Blue Jeans Network:

You can post your live show on different social media platforms in addition to Facebook Live
You can record at a certain time
Once the recording is over, you can still continue your Facebook Live stream if you want to continue the conversation with your audience
You can upload the stand alone video of your live stream to YouTube
You can also convert your livestream shows into a podcast

Cons of Blue Jeans Network:
The platform is not free to use
Depending on the price selections, you will be allowed to have from 25 to about 500 people in one room for your shows
The comments from Facebook will not appear on their platform

Update: The leadership team from Blue Jeans Network recently dropped the starting price to $12.49 a month which includes allow anyone to simulcast to Facebook Live. Now the meeting room can hold up to 50 people for the standard “me” option.

Live streaming is here for a very long time and Facebook will continue to be dominant in that space.

If you are only focusing on growing your Facebook Page and don’t have the budget to invest in a live streaming platform, BeLive.TV is the choice for you.

However, if you are looking to diversify your social media presence with live video, then Blue Jeans Network will fit your business.

For me, Blue Jeans Network is the platform of choice because of the features that it has to simulcast on Facebook Live and turn them into podcasts.

In a future post, I will share with you on how you can convert your live streaming shows to a podcast format.

Did I miss any live streaming platforms that integrates with Facebook Live? What are your thoughts about live streaming?

You can leave your comments below.

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About Cheval John

Cheval John is the Founder and CEO of Vallano Media, LLC, a marketing agency which helps small to mid-sized businesses use social media correctly to build a loyal following and in the process become more profitable. Cheval was the host of "What's The Word?" a podcast about finding out what inspires people to choose their respective careers and how social media impacted their lives and business He is the author of two books including the Amazon Best-Seller, "8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn." He has spoken at Social Media Week Lima in Ohio and at Social Media Day Houston 2017 about topics around live streaming and podcasting. Cheval has been featured in media outlets including Ebony Magazine, Social Media Today and Forbes. He was named a Houston Top 25 Social Media Power Influencer (2016 and 2017) and a Twitter (Now X)Top 50 Influencer by Onalytica in 2018.

14 Responses to “Pros and Cons of BeLive.TV and Blue Jeans Network”

  1. Steven Healey says :

    Good article

    re If you want to put your video on other platforms like YouTube, it will be impossible due to the fact that Facebook and YouTube are competitors
    They are currently in beta

    The video is stored on Facebook , you can download and upload to Youtube etc. I do this almost every day.

    Reply
  2. Bill Calhoun says :

    Heya Steven H. and Cheval J. If I want to focus on a program with weekly Live guests (health and wellness industry) and utilize (almost exclusively) FB Live for now, which platform would be the better option? This is where it will all happen: https://www.facebook.com/BillsBUFFpage/

    Reply
  3. Bill Calhoun says :

    Cheval, for reaching the most peeps and focus, what are your thoughts about the best place to host my programs:

    Here: https://www.facebook.com/bllcalhoun

    Here: https://www.facebook.com/BillsBUFFpage/

    or

    Here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/53854407738/

    Reply
  4. The Hip Guru's Guide® says :

    thanks – clear pros & cons – just what I was looking for. (BTW now be-live offers save for youtube)

    Reply
  5. Geige says :

    Hey Cheval! Enjoyed your blog. You might want to add StreamYard to the list. It’s a streaming platform similar to BeLive that I helped develop. It can stream to YouTube in addition to Facebook and you can have up to 6 participants. There is a free version of the product. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me.

    Reply

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