How Much Does it Cost to Stream an Event in Houston
Event streaming, often referred to as live streaming, is a popular activity that many businesses are engaging in more frequently since 2020 when COVID-19 caused widespread shutdowns, panic and social distancing.
At Beverly Boy Productions, we face businesses all the time that are considering the idea of hosting a livestream event and wondering, “How much does it cost to stream an event in Houston?”
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That’s why we’ve decided to do our part and provide a detailed explanation of the potential costs involved with livestream event production in Houston to help you understand what’s involved.
When live streaming an event in Houston, several factors come into play. Of course there are costs associated with the director, camera crew, and equipment needs as well as those related to things like technical skills and the intricate needs of the client.
To help you understand the total costs, as a good range, most of the time it will cost somewhere between about $1,000 and $5,000 or more to stream an event in Houston.
But we’re going to break it down for you a bit further:
Individual Event Streaming Costs
It typically costs between about $100 and $200 per hour for each crew member involved in live streaming an event in Houston.
So, naturally when you ask, “How much does it cost to stream an event in Houston,” we first start to think about the size and structure of the crew that will be involved in streaming the event.
You’ll have the following potential costs:
- Director – up to $250 per hour
- Camera Operator – up to $400 per hour
- Equipment – up to $100s per hour
- Narrator – up to $400 per hour
- Switcher – up to $200 per hour
- Streaming platform – $50 to $1,000 (depends on the platform and usage)
- B-Roll – usually a percentage of the total cost between 10 and 50%
- Miscellaneous Fees – very little or could be 1,000s
Hiring a broadcast engineer may also be required which will further add to the total cost involved in streaming an event in Houston. As such, the hiring of crew can add up quickly and you may find yourself with a hefty bill, especially if you’re streaming an event over several days.
Can’t I Just Stream for Free?
This may seem like a viable opportunity, there’s Facebook Live and it works well sometimes, right?
But the reality is, Facebook LIve, YouTube Live and other “free” versions that allow you to live stream are not ideal for actually streaming an entire event.
Doing so puts you at the risk of the host and you have no control over whether the event gets cut off, streamed only for a short period of time, or potentially streamed with ads and other interruptions.
This doesn’t make for a very engaging and exciting experience for your audience and, if your event were to be disconnected right at the start, your audience may be disappointed right at the beginning — you get what you pay for, and free is almost certain to be not worth much!
Houston Live Stream Event Costs
In addition to the cost of cast and equipment needs you should also consider the costs associated with gear that the crew may need to ensure the live stream is a success.
Things like a live production switcher that includes 4K resolution support and integrated display are important to ensure the success of your stream.
Further, things like a backup connection to the internet will bring some additional costs to the stream but will also ensure that there are no interruptions to the uptime of your event. Your audience will thank you!
So, when you ask, “How much does it cost to stream an event in Houston?” and we answer somewhere between $1,000 and several thousand dollars, don’t get discouraged.
While you may pay anywhere from about $1,000 to several thousand or event tens of thousands of dollars to stream an event in Houston, hiring a professional to help you produce live stream footage of your event and distribute it to your audience is well worth the investment.
Viewers will appreciate the professional quality of the stream, the interactive components, and the consistent uptime that comes from a professional event stream. And your event will have a strong potential to profit as a result.
