The Seattle Podcasting Network

They say that timing is everything.  Nowhere is this more true than in the rise and fall of live streaming on the web.  Webcasting was a fading phenomenon by the time the tech bubble burst in 2000.  Companies in the space gobbled up their weaker competitors in order to stay alive in the withering marketplace.  Conferences dedicated to the topic (like Streaming Media East and West) began to shrink and seemed to be in danger of disappearing entirely.  Then in 2004, Podcasting burst onto the scene promising to free us from the shackles of webcasting altogether.  Finally, not only can we hear and view content on our own schedules,  but we can carry it around and consume it in any location that suits us.  Yep, Podcasting was going to change our media habits forever and, three years later, that is beginning to prove itself true.  

Though the name “Podcasting” has lost some of its luster; the act of producing and consuming podcasts is more prominent now than it has ever been.  So, what’s the next step in the evolution of this exciting medium?  Believe it or not, it may be tip toeing right back into live streaming territory.  As I wandered around the expo floor at the Podcast and Portable Media Expo, I was surprised by how many vendors and podcasters were touting the wonders of live streaming.  Offerings by TalkShoe and NowLive preach the power of the live webcast to provide the shot in the arm that the typical podcast needs to elevate it to the next level. 

My first impression was “did you all miss the last decade?  Haven’t we  been here and done this already?  Wasn’t podcasting going to show us the way out of the live streaming paradigm?”  However, as I dig deeper I realize that live is, indeed, making a come back.  I think there are a few reasons for this trend.  First, Podcasting has created an interesting way to consume programming that was once live, even though it may not be live at the time most audiences are experiencing it.  The fact that it was live to begin with, and perhaps contains live interactions like audience questions or commentary, makes it somehow more interesting.  The viewer is moved to a place of catching up on an event that occurred for others in real time, as opposed to just scraping stagnant content out of the echo chamber. 

Also contributing to the resurgence is the fact that a live event no longer equates to being locked in a studio.  Programs like justin.TV show how technology is allowing the broadcaster to be as mobile as the audience. The freedom means that audiences can become spectators of things happening unedited and in real time.

Finally, the success of the on-demand content (fueled by the time shifting and portability that podcasting enables)makes the effort to create the live program worth while.  It reminds me a little of the history of the Fox television show, Family Guy.  The program wasn’t getting the live audience that television shows require to stay on the air and was subsequently canceled by the network.  However, when the DVDs of the first seasons hit the market, they exploded in sales, prompting Fox to put the program back into production.  Even if the show didn’t do well in the live time slot, the on-demand sales more than justified airing it. The on-demand version of the show resurrected the live  broadcast.

So here we are, back where we started but somehow more evolved.  Only time will tell if live streaming will continue to shake off the dust of the 90′s and venture back into the light of day, or if content producers will slip back into the comfort of direct to download (D2D) media creation.  Also remaining to be seen is whether or not the days of large live audiences are making a come back or if social networks are funneling the live experience into smaller community events (I suspect the latter).  As always, it seems, the future is as wide open as the Internet. 
What do you think?