While the growing popularity of live-streaming applications such as Meerkat and Periscope rises, live event brands scramble with fear as these apps leave opportunity for users to evade rights agreements, although the benefits may outweigh the downfalls. 

Live broadcast events have made headlines recently as many users on live-streaming apps have started showing these televised events to consumers not paying for streaming services, which has these brands worried about the monetary repercussions. However, the quality of a full production versus user-generated streams should be enough to retain consumers, and the numerous benefits of marketers using live-streams to connect with fans means these brands should embrace these apps rather than fear them. 

"The ability to stream video is nothing new,? said Dave Meeker, vice president of innovation at Isobar. ?In fact, the dawn of the public Internet in 1990?s saw a variety of technology companies working to capitalize on the promise of streaming audio and video, a way to broadcast events to the world outside the constraints and expense of television. 

"Granted, early attempts at video streaming, Microsoft Netshow, RealAudioRealVideo, etc were victims of processing power, low bandwidth connections and relatively immature codecs,? he said. ?This resulted in a less than TV-like experience for viewers due to small screen resolutions and the frustrating reality of buffering.

"Today, we have smartphones that are exponentially faster than the computers from decades past, the bandwidth available to consumers rivals that which was once only available to the largest of corporations. The expectations by consumers have shifted to a point where the ability to watch video content on any device, almost anywhere has become the norm."

For instance, during the highly publicized Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, consumers were able to view the fight without ordering it due to those streaming it on the Periscope and Meerkat apps. Similarly, HBO?s Game of Thrones was also streamed live to those without an HBO subscription. 

This opens up the opportunity for consumers to sidestep purchasing and rights issues, allowing viewing for free. However, the quality of live-streaming through mobile devices cannot stand up to production quality. 

The draw of a professional production is enough to pull in consumers and real fans to keep the live-streamers at bay. These live-streaming apps offer much more ability for marketers to create a bond with consumers than pose a dangerous threat. 

The intimacy that a live-stream creates is something that cannot be replaced for marketers. A live-stream acts almost as a video chat for consumers and creates a direct connection to the brand. 

However, for these apps to prove beneficial, brands need to be wary of creating relevant and authentic content. Content generated for Meerkat or Periscope should not be created for the sake of using these apps because they are popular. 

"Live event brands need to keep in mind that this is not Twitter or Instagram, it is an entirely new channel of communication that allows them to reach their audience in the most real way possible,? said Mike Molnar, managing partner at Glow. ?Streaming does not fit neatly into your content calendar like a tweet or Facebook post and requires an understanding that you are broadcasting, not blasting out a message."

The content must be something that users are interested in seeing, rather than generic streams that operate as docked security footage. It is imperative that it is authentic as well, and not bait-and-switch.

If the stream is advertised as celebrity-generated, it should be celebrity-generated and not from someone else?s perspective. For instance, a notification from Paul McCartney?s account advertised that he was streaming live, but the event was clearly not from his perspective, which created distaste in the eyes of consumers. 

"While maintaining vigilance against unauthorized streams, live event brands and right holders should focus their efforts on their own live streaming strategy," said JJames L. Johnston, a partner in the Entertainment and Media & Sports Groups of Davis & Gilbert. "They need to leverage their strengths, such as better camera positioning and multiple angles, to offer viewers the best live stream experience available so that users can find everything they need from legitimate sources.  

"As Napster and other disruptive technologies have shown, isolating focus on enforcement is a failed strategy,? he said. 

Final Take
Brielle Jaekel is an editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer, New York