How Amazon IVS is helping build new online communities

Authored by Stu Grubbs, CEO & Co-founder of Lightstream. The content and opinions in this post are those of the third-party author and AWS is not responsible for the content or accuracy of this post.

With in-person gatherings limited, people are finding comfort and connection through live video online. Making livestreaming more approachable has always been the goal of Lightstream, and our mission has become even more important this past year. With the rapid maturation of cloud technology, live stream production tools that make this possible are more accessible and hitting the mainstream in new and interesting ways. Amazon Web Services (AWS) solutions play an important role in our offerings, and recently, we’ve leveraged capabilities of Amazon Interactive Video Services (Amazon IVS), which Lightstream Studio users have begun tapping to build specialized interest online communities.

A cloud-powered broadcasting suite accessible via web browser, Lightstream Studio takes the complexity out of a live stream production, allowing for seamless delivery of dynamic video feeds featuring graphics overlays, remote guests, multicam views, or console gameplay. Streams can be fed live to established platforms, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitch, or with Amazon IVS to any site with an embedded RTMP URL and streamkey. The Lightstream team has always focused on building a live production suite that’s simple enough for anyone to get started, yet powerful enough to impress audiences. Essentially, we wrapped complex live streaming technologies into an intuitive interface that can be used by streamers of any experience level, from Twitch streamers on PCs or consoles to high profile organizations for special event streams.

In a similar vein, Amazon IVS, via the power of the cloud, democratizes access to high-end streaming for custom platforms, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for creators. Amazon IVS provides a way to build interactive live experiences beyond sharing content direct to clients or via various content delivery networks (CDNs) that have been the standard until now. For example, we recently partnered with new livestreaming platform, NEWNESS, which is designed to be a collaborative space for the beauty community. Lightstream Studio handles all of the technical details of capturing and producing the livestreams, while also giving creators the flexibility to customize their streams in a few simple steps. Since NEWNESS is built on Amazon IVS, its livestreams are exported via RTMP and played within the platform. This approach makes it super easy for creators to livestream on the platform. Rather than having to educate creators on how to stream and learn OBS software or invest in a studio setup, NEWNESS creators can start streaming immediately.

We believe building niche content creator communities around specific hobbies or interests is really powerful and that’s being made possible by Amazon IVS. By removing technical barriers to livestreaming, creators can focus on curating and presenting engaging content rather than getting weighed down with the nuts and bolts of the process. I anticipate we’ll see similar use cases pop up as more people and brands are inspired to create and nurture their own livestreaming communities.