A Checklist for Live Streaming Production Before You Commit

The first item on the list is the audience, because it shapes every technical choice that follows. Ask who will watch, on what devices, and from where. A conference stream for members on office broadband is a different job from a concert stream that people open on phones over mobile data. Write down the expected number of viewers as a range rather than a hope, and note whether the stream is public or restricted to invited guests.

Then name the platform. The destination decides the encoding settings, the resolution you can send and the delay between the stage and the screen. If your organisation already has a channel or a player on its own site, tell us early, since we build the workflow backwards from that endpoint. Deciding the platform late is one of the most common reasons a stream plan has to be redrawn close to the show.

• Expected audience size as a realistic range
• Main viewing devices and connection types
• Public stream or invited guests only
• Platform or player the stream must land on

A streaming workflow is a chain, and a chain is only as steady as its weakest link. Before deciding, ask for the path to be described in plain steps: which cameras feed the switcher, where audio joins the picture, which device encodes, and what connection carries the result out of the venue. If a supplier cannot explain that path simply, it is worth asking why.

Pay particular attention to the venue's own internet. Many sites promise a fast line and deliver something shared with a whole building. We prefer to know the upload speed measured on the day of the recce, not quoted in a brochure. Ask whether a second route out has been planned, such as a separate line or a bonded connection, because one cable pulled from a wall should not end the broadcast.

• Camera, audio and graphics sources listed in order
• Which unit does the encoding and where it sits
• Upload speed measured at the venue, not assumed
• A second route out if the first fails

Graphics are easy to leave until last and awkward to fix once the show is running. Work out which names, titles, sponsor marks, scores or captions need to appear, who supplies them and who approves them. A speaker's title spelt wrongly goes out to every viewer at once, so the approval step matters more than the design of the lower third.

Think too about how graphics are triggered. Some shows suit a prepared set that an operator fires on cue; others need late changes made live. Tell us which you expect, and whether you want slides, video clips or a countdown before the start. Each of these needs a source, a format and a person responsible, and settling them in advance keeps the gallery quiet during the show itself.

• Names, titles and sponsor marks, with spellings confirmed
• Who approves graphics and by when
• Slides, clips or a pre-show countdown, if wanted

Sending a stream out is not the same as knowing it is arriving well. Ask who watches the output during the show and what they watch it on. Good practice is a person dedicated to the outgoing feed, looking at the picture as a viewer would see it, listening on headphones and keeping an eye on the health of the connection.

Ask also how problems are reported and who decides what to do. A dropped frame rate, a sound that has drifted behind the picture or a platform that has stopped accepting the feed all need a calm, quick answer. We like a short list of agreed actions written before the doors open, so nobody invents a response while the audience is waiting.

• A named person watching the live output
• Sound and picture checked on a separate device
• Agreed actions for common faults, written in advance

Every plan should include a fallback, and it is worth asking about this directly. What happens if the encoder fails, if the line drops, or if a camera loses power halfway through? A sensible answer names a spare encoder, a backup connection or a recorded copy running alongside, and says how quickly each can be brought in.

Consider also what viewers see during a gap. A holding slide with a short message is far better than a frozen frame or a blank player. Decide who writes that message and who switches to it. A recording made locally during the show is a modest safeguard that lets you publish the full event afterwards even if the live feed suffered along the way.

• Spare encoder or backup connection identified
• A holding slide ready, with the wording agreed
• A local recording running throughout the show

Finally, look at the humans. Ask who will be in the gallery, who will be at the venue and who is the single contact on your side. A stream with too many decision makers tends to stall at the moments that need a quick yes or no, so choose one person who can give answers during the show.

Agree the schedule backwards from the start time: access to the venue, camera positions, sound check, a full run through and a short pause before going live. Ask for a rehearsal with the real graphics and the real connection, even a brief one. The checks we have listed cost little when done early and a great deal when found on air.

• One named contact on your side during the show
• Venue access, set-up and rehearsal times agreed
• A rehearsal using the real connection and graphics