Consumers’ perception of Live is shifting. Once seen simply as tentpole moments on TV, Live has become far more multi-dimensional.
This shift is particularly noticeable among younger audiences, driven by cultural changes that emphasize shared, authentic experiences, the rise of co-viewing, an increasingly influential creator ecosystem, and more. Platforms have facilitated this evolution by integrating functionalities that enhance real-time collective viewing experiences and two-way interactions. Today, the definition of Live transcends its traditional roots in tentpole TV moments, where more consumers now equate Live with live-streaming on social platforms than they do traditional TV/streaming. Live has expanded to include primary and ancillary content; a temporal dimension where the “before” and “after” are as important to consider as the “during”; and a growing set of elements ranging from content, to conversation, to commerce.
Marketers must meet the moment by re-thinking their own conventional wisdom around Live. This means developing comprehensive vertical and horizontal strategies that encompass all stages of Live events, optimizing content for multi-screen engagement, maintaining flexibility for spontaneous activations and interactions, and implementing robust KPI frameworks to measure success much more broadly and deeply.