Fishtank Live is a 24/7 live streamed reality show with ten contestants living in a house together for six weeks without “phones, weed, or expectation of privacy,” to quote the producers. The show is made with a dash of satire, a pinch of social commentary, and a whole lot of improv, with an element of audience participation added to contribute extra chaos. Viewers can pay to play pranks on contestants, like having their bed removed or turning the heat in the house way up. All this happens amidst the usual reality show challenge competitions, contestant eliminations, and awarding of cash prizes.

After the live streaming portion of the show concludes, producers edit the footage into a more traditional format that viewers can watch on demand.

The unique content format has drawn dedicated fans from across the globe. Viewers monitor the contestants’ every move, interacting with the show and with each other around the clock.

500k Viewers

Because the audience can pay to influence the show and interact with the contestants, the live streaming portion of Fishtank Live is essential to the show’s success. That also means a dependable streaming partner is the difference between success and failure.

The show’s setup creates unique demands for streaming content. Every room in the Fishtank Live house is live streaming 24/7 for six weeks, and channel switching for viewers must be instant to keep the audience from leaving the stream. With outrageous behavior like head shaving, improv boxing matches, and heartfelt confessions happening anywhere and everywhere in the house, multiple dependable live streaming cameras and ultra-low latency streaming is essential. Effective access control is also required for subscription-based content monetization.

Fishtank Live chose to partner with Livepeer Studio for both the live version of the show and the episodic on-demand version after evaluating multiple options across performance, feature capabilities, ease of use, and cost.

With only 1 developer, the Fishtank Live team was able to complete a production-ready implementation within two weeks - something that usually takes up to three months of work.

With the unique demands Fishtank Live has for video streaming, first-class support is essential to maintaining the quality and reliability necessary for building and maintaining an audience. Part of that support involves rolling with the changing demands of a complex video operation. Not having to deal with the delays associated with being stuck in a support queue helped Fishtank remain dynamic and able to respond to the changing desires of the audience.


Controlling Costs While Uncovering Creative Revenue Sources

Fishtank Live found profitability through a combination of keeping costs down while exploring unique opportunities to build new sources of revenue. Dependable, low-cost streaming through the partnership with Livepeer Studio helps control expenditures and plays a key role in building an audience willing to spend money to influence the live show. Overall, Livepeer Studio helped the Fishtank team save over 55% in video streaming cost.

In addition, the popularity of Fishtank Live has influencers asking if they can pay to be featured in the show through the new FishBNB program. Traditionally, influencers demand a fee to be featured, and this inversion of advertising revenue represents a sea change in how programs like Fishtank could increase their profitability.

Fishtank Live bills itself as “raw humanity,” and the many instances of humanity on the show are being captured through the Livepeer Studio clipping tool. The tool allows users to create clips of active streams provided via API. For Fishtank Live, these clips are starting to constitute a meaningful amount of the show’s total traffic, with the audience actively sharing clips with each other and creating memes based on the clips. According to the show’s creator, “Being on the pages with the clips really makes you start to feel like Fishtank is more than just a destination to watch the show; it’s a real platform.”

Changing the face of reality entertainment requires many things. An appreciation of the absurd. A strong connection with your audience. Affordable, reliable, and flexible streaming that can roll with the inherent unpredictability of the genre. Fishtank Live found those last qualities in Livepeer Studio, a dependable video partner to deliver the joyfully unpredictable content to an ever-expanding audience.

Fishtank & Livepeer Studio powering the future of reality entertainment

Fishtank

Setting up and maintaining a live streaming platform requires investment on the part of the company, whereas customers expect the service for free. Deciding how to spend resources is a delicate balance. Another challenge is using the technology to increase user engagement, which is more important than just growing the number of followers.

Minds found that Livepeer Studio was willing to develop the technology to solve its challenges. Livepeer Studio was able to develop and rollout the technology in record time, a testament to Livepeers developer experience. Livepeer Studio has given Minds users the platform to livestream video posts within the Minds social communities. Minds creators can now share real-time video content in an intimate, loosely moderated space that feels safe. Livepeer Studio also enabled access keys, so that users can control who views their videos.

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The use of Livepeer Studio's video streaming platform was a next-level enhancement for the Minds social network. By providing world-class live streaming capabilities, Livepeer Studio caters to Minds' target audience of users who expect to see live video in social posts. The upgrade in technology fits right into Minds's open source social media platform and further empowers Minds creators to post content that is authentic and engaging.


Minds finds Livepeer Studio to be the perfect tech partner for live streaming

Minds

Switchboard had a legacy video network that was completely outdated. The company wanted to replace its self-hosted video streaming infrastructure and update its video routing code without draining internal resources. The new technology needed to meet the demands of Switchboard's broad customer base, which includes sports teams, schools, and local governments.

With the help of Livepeer Studio, Switchboard expanded the potential of its live stream management platform. Livepeer Studio's API was set up to ingest video for Switchboard's clients and then route the video content to the correct destination. Switchboard also uses Livepeer Studio features such as on-demand video asset creation and publication tools.

After adopting Livepeer Studio, Switchboard completed their migration efficiently in just 75 person-hours, enjoyed a streaming success rate of 99.98%, delivered 125,000 minutes of streaming weekly, and achieved a notable 65% cost saving.

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99.98%

Livepeer Studio has given Switchboard the edge in streamlining its services and meeting increased customer demand. It allowed for more reliability and scalability, and supported Switchboard's growing business. Its engagement analytics API enabled Switchboard to provide accurate tracking and reporting for their customers, who care about reporting on business KPIs. Additionally, by utilizing the Livepeer Studio platform live streaming and video development, Switchboard was able to make better use of company resources and focus on business priorities.

Out with old technology, in with Livepeer Studio live streaming

Switchboard

LiveSpace started as an ambitious venture, aiming to challenge established platforms by offering a more inclusive and versatile space for content creators. Unlike its competitors, LiveSpace ventured beyond the mainstream, catering to a wide array of talents, including unique creators like "ninepointfive," a crochet artist with nine and a half fingers. However, the journey wasn't without its challenges. Early on, LiveSpace grappled with issues of scalability, cost, and inadequate features from traditional service providers, which hampered its growth and ability to serve its creative community effectively.

🎥 Choosing Livepeer Studio: A Strategic Move

In the dynamic world of live streaming, LiveSpace has carved out a unique niche for itself, thanks in large part to its partnership with Livepeer Studio. This collaboration has been a game-changer for LiveSpace, enabling it to emerge as a serious contender in a domain dominated by giants like Twitch. With a focus on serving a diverse range of content creators, from gamers to musicians and artists, LiveSpace has leveraged Livepeer's advanced, cost-effective streaming solutions to redefine the creator experience.

Choosing Livepeer Studio: A Strategic Move

What set this partnership apart was the collaborative spirit between LiveSpace and Livepeer Studio. This synergy enabled the development of features tailored to the unique needs of LiveSpace’s creators. Livepeer's comprehensive streaming solution significantly reduced the need for LiveSpace to invest heavily in its own engineering resources, allowing them to focus more on content and community building.

Collaborative Growth & Innovation

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The switch to Livepeer brought about a significant transformation in LiveSpace's performance and cost structure. Notably, the platform achieved substantial cost savings, a crucial factor for its growth as a startup. Furthermore, features like immediate transcoding provided LiveSpace with a competitive edge in user experience. Feedback from creators highlighted the improved streaming quality and innovative features, enhancing overall user satisfaction and engagement.

The future looks bright for LiveSpace with ongoing projects and enhancements in the pipeline. The partnership with Livepeer continues to be a cornerstone of their strategy, with both parties committed to bringing new advancements in streaming technology and improving user experiences. Features like clipping and enhanced thumbnail generation are just a few of the exciting developments on the horizon.

LiveSpace’s journey offers valuable insights for other companies working with creators. Their success underscores the importance of being adaptable, taking creator feedback to heart, and prioritizing rapid feature development. By staying attuned to the needs and preferences of their community, LiveSpace is thriving.

Customer Stories