Livestreaming reshapes newsroom video strategies

To reach people, you’ve got to go where the young people are. They’re going to YouTube, TikTok or Instagram. People are almost suspicious of high production, especially young people. They prefer less-polished, conversational content.”

Mike Beaudet, professor at Northeastern University and an expert on media consumption habits of young adults

If you’re a social media scroller, you’ve probably swiped upon a livestream. Chances are you’ve come nose-to-phone on a live breaking news event or a random influencer reading comments and cracking jokes.

The ability to stream live events is now available to just about anyone with a phone. As a result, newsrooms across the country are weighing video strategies — from TV stations experimenting with social livestreams to print outlets deciding what video to produce. Although livestreaming has been a tool in the broadcast toolkit for decades, it is now broadly accessible on phones, sparking new approaches for all types of media.

With these changes in mind, what’s the benefit of live coverage in today’s endless scroll?

Mike Beaudet, professor at Northeastern University, has studied the media consumption habits of young adults. The study, published as part of a “Survival Guide for Local TV News,” surveyed 1,000 adults ages 18 to 34.

Beaudet said “lives” are best used to make connections with viewers. It works for breaking news but is more about presence than metrics.

Young audiences prefer getting information on social platforms. About half consume local news daily, and about 91% consume local news weekly. Two-thirds described local news as relevant. Using social media is a habit, but watching television is not. YouTube was the leader in the most-watched news category, with 59% having watched news or information videos there on any given day.

Young adults want local news on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitch.

Given these preferences, publications that livestream but don’t produce other types of video content are unlikely to succeed.

Content is “in the consciousness of young people, right?” Beaudet said. “They just want everything on demand, and that’s why I think we’re seeing more people livestreaming and trying to connect with an audience. It’s less polished. It’s all about authenticity. It’s about having a conversation with someone, feeling like they’re a real person.”

For many news outlets, livestreaming can be promoted as an event at a specific time to invite viewers to ask questions about a certain topic or story. Journalists can repurpose livestreams into shorter clips for broader reach, he added.

“To reach people, you’ve got to go where the young people are. They’re going to YouTube, TikTok or Instagram. People are almost suspicious of high production, especially young people. They prefer less-polished, conversational content.”

These types of audience engagement livestreams take time to build. Breaking news livestreams attract audiences but can intimidate untrained journalists.

To that end, Simon Perez, an associate professor of Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Syracuse University, wrote a blog for the Radio Television Digital News Association and offered a few pointers for journalists to consider during live interviews.

Perez wrote that viewers of live events are learning what’s happening at the same time the journalist is, so those in front of the camera should think like a viewer.

He advises asking short, quick and clear questions rather than ones with long-winded preambles: “This is about working for the viewers and getting them the information they need.” As livestreaming becomes a key connection point — especially for younger audiences — authenticity and real-time engagement are essential for building trust and lasting relationships.

Bob Miller has spent more than 25 years in local newsrooms, including 12 years as an executive editor with Rust Communications. Bob also produces an independent true crime investigative podcast called The Lawless Files.