Live streaming, made famous by such apps as Periscope, Instagram and Facebook is becoming an increasingly popular way for people to share their life with followers and friends.
Live streaming is a form of video broadcasting which occurs mostly over mobile devices like smartphones or tablets connected to fast 4G Internet connections. And now that form of mobile communication is happening in Iran with a locally developed app.
Amir Hossein Faghihi is CEO of Iran’s first indigenously developed live streaming app called Lahzenegar.
The site had around 16,200 views in April according to online analytics programs and the average visit duration of six minutes seems to be promising.
The majority of its viewers are from Iran with 73.86% logging from Iranian ISPs and 10.48% supposedly from the US.
Faghihi explained the challenges he faced when creating the new software to Financial Tribune in an email interview:
Explain the software and how it differs from live TV.
In mobile live streaming, audio and video are produced live through a mobile medium and reaches the audience simultaneously [on smartphones]. But this is not all. In this type of live streaming, the viewer can interact and affect the way live content is produced. By sending Emojis, which we call ‘emotions’, and writing his/her opinion, they transmit that feeling to the person who is live streaming.
Why should people watch a video live when it can be saved and shared on social media?
The use of every medium is different. The content that is defined in Lahzenegar is an event or a live situation. Mobile live streaming is the least expensive and fastest method of transferring audio and video. There is no other way to share an event cheaper and faster than mobile live streaming.
Any plans to prevent illegal use?
The strategy that social media and virtual communities have been using for a long time is, firstly, establishing terms of use and policies, and second, carrying out procedures for permanent protection. We are sensitive to the content that violates copyright rules or is against rules (norms) of the society. An important part of this environment depends on users themselves. If a content policy for a product is defined correctly, users will handle the content and won’t allow violations to happen.
This is one of the businesses with big challenges.
Every startup has its own challenges depending on the industry in which they are working. Usually these challenges are technical or market-related. Although at first glance Lahzenegar is a technical-based startup and the first step should be taken by the technical team, but marketing and promotion is very important.
How would you define the biggest challenge regarding mobile live streaming?
The biggest challenge that exists in this industry is related to production of valuable live content so that people leave their current activity aside to watch that live content. It is important to know what kind of content should be created and how, so that thousands of people receive an important notification in real time, stop what they are doing and watch the content live.
What future for your app in the coming years?
Our goal is to create a product that people use and get a good feeling when they use it. One of the features that could be effective to reach this goal is for users to earn money from the content they produce. This feature will be added to the application in the future. Moreover, we are constantly working on the product to give people the feeling of ‘being in the moment more than ever.’
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