Live stream: meaning and how it works

A live stream is a real-time broadcast viewers can watch and comment on as it happens.

Live viewer count influences whether browsers join. Services add viewers for a chosen duration.

How it works in practice

Live streams give a real-time connection and are favoured by platforms in notifications. A visible audience attracts more viewers to join.

Example

Example: a coach goes live every Saturday evening for doubt-solving and reuses the recording as a video.