When planning a hybrid or virtual event, an essential but often overlooked element is the content delivery network, or CDN—the technology that delivers on-demand or streaming video content to audiences anywhere in the world. When hosting a virtual or hybrid event, the CDN works together with your event platform to give audiences a seamless, enjoyable experience. Some event platforms come with a CDN already integrated, while others require you to add one.
In this blog, we’ll rank our top four event platforms with integrated CDNs, breaking down the pros and cons of each.
#1. Brightcove
With a high level of customization, robust analytics tools, and a responsive customer support team, Brightcove takes its place as our favorite CDN. Notably, this CDN supports white labeling, allowing event planners to customize video players and streaming settings (like closed captioning) for an entirely branded experience. In addition to customizability, Brightcove also offers in-depth analytics, including viewership, geography, device type, streaming quality, and engagement for both live and on-demand content. To make it even easier, Brightcove integrates with other analytics tools you may already be using.
With a high level of customization, robust analytics tools, and a responsive customer support team, Brightcove takes its place as our favorite CDN.
Brightcove provides direct access to its customer support team, which is critical because it operates via a sophisticated backend that requires setup and management with a trained member of the Brightcove team. Lastly, Brightcove is highly secure and offers a global reach.
Brightcove at a glance
On-demand: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Streaming: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cost: 💲 💲 💲 💲 💲
#2. WOWZA
We like to call Wowza the “Swiss Army knife of streaming” because of its versatility. Although it has complex operations, Wowza allows you to fine-tune streaming settings—down to the tiniest details. With the highest level of flexibility and customization, you can make adjustments with Wowza that just aren’t possible with other streaming platforms.
Wowza boasts global reach, in-depth engineering support, and a cost-effective pay-as-you-go model, which we love.
One key point to consider is that Wowza functions primarily as a streaming tool, and its on-demand capabilities still aren’t super user-friendly. Still, Wowza boasts global reach, in-depth engineering support, and a cost-effective pay-as-you-go model, which we love.
Wowza at a glance
On-demand: ⭐⭐
Streaming: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cost: 💲 💲 💲
#3. Vimeo
With Vimeo, we get a unique case. Harking back to its origins as an on-demand service for filmmakers and professional consumers, Vimeo offers an easy way to upload and share short, high-quality videos. Thanks to its original design, Vimeo features a highly polished user experience and a few critical features. It offers access controls, allowing users to choose audiences; it enables monetization; it includes the option to send a “review” link to audience members; and it offers in-depth subtitle management.
Harking back to its origins as an on-demand service for filmmakers and professional consumers, Vimeo offers an easy way to upload and share short, high-quality videos.
In 2017, Vimeo purchased Livestream and moved into the streaming space, expanding its offerings to attract companies and other organizations. Their streaming service is an easy-to-use, plug-and-play option, ideal for a DIY event. It offers a guided workflow and clear visibility from an engineering perspective. Lacking the white labeling offered by Brightcove and Wowza, Vimeo is still a solid, easy-to-use option for specific types of events—and we have big hopes for further expansion of their livestream options.
Vimeo at a glance
On-demand: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Streaming: ⭐⭐⭐
Cost: 💲 💲
#4. Microsoft stream
Microsoft Stream is the enterprise video platform service from Microsoft that replaced Office 365 Video in 2017. The Microsoft suite is used by over a million companies worldwide, the majority of them in the United States, so Microsoft Stream is familiar and available in many settings.
The advantage of Microsoft Stream is that many companies already own this app as part of their existing MS package. For that reason, the cost is low and familiarity is high. But as a stand-alone CDN product, we ranked it 4th for a reason. We find Microsoft’s on-demand service a bit clunky, and the video content management lacks the user-friendliness of the other CDNs listed above. It’s also not as easy to share assets or collect analytics via MS Stream.
We get the impression that MS Stream wasn’t built for the express purpose of video delivery—so it feels like an afterthought. Users can’t customize the player, and it doesn’t offer insight into the quality of streams. The quality also caps out at 720p, lower than most competitors. While streaming with MS Stream, we routinely experience buffering, and live customer support is limited, so there’s minimal expert help. For all these reasons, when it comes to live streaming your important event, we just don’t feel it can compete with the other products on the market.
Microsoft stream at a glance
On-demand: ⭐⭐⭐
Streaming: ⭐
Cost: 💲 💲
Today, Virtual Attendees Expect More
After enjoying a decade of increasingly sophisticated at-home streaming options, today’s consumers have high expectations for video delivery. But delivering the seamless experience that your attendees expect requires a combination of the right tech platform and the right production team—no easy feat. Hiring an experienced production partner who can audit your existing tech stack, make recommendations for CDNs, and then help you produce broadcast-level video will guarantee that your event is hindered by glitchy streams or amateur production. Contact Stagedge to find out more about how our team can support your event-planning efforts, from choosing technology to day-of production.