James Sutcliffe, LIVENow’s new chief marketing and content officer talks to Mike Fletcher about live streaming’s bid for mainstream acceptance 

Sitting at a desk flanked by artwork of Tupac Shakur and Liam Gallagher on the wall behind, LIVENow’s chief marketing and content officer, James Sutcliffe exudes excitement about the streaming platform he joined in December from his previous role as marketing director of Monster Energy.

His enthusiasm is understandable. LIVENow is owned by Aser Ventures, a global investment company that operates in the sports, entertainment and lifestyle sectors, headed up by the chairman of Leeds United Football Club, Andrea Radrizzani. 

Within Aser, sits Eleven Sports, which since 2015 has been live streaming thousands of hours of ‘pay-per-view’ sport to fans around the world, including UEFA Champions League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, F1, UFC, NBA and NFL action. 

The technology behind the sports broadcast platform is now being used to power LIVENow, a streaming solution for music, sport, fitness and entertainment events such as comedy and theatre. 

“From a technology perspective, we’ve basically had a seven-year head-start in terms of R&D, testing and proof-of-concept,” Sutcliffe says. “It would just be unthinkable for a live stream to drop out during a pay-per-view MMA fight or boxing match so our platform has been rigorously tested over the years to handle exceptionally high viewer traffic.”

The LIVENow platform had its first significant test in November last year when it hosted Dua Lipa’s ‘Studio 2054’ livestream concert (pictured above). 

Tickets for the event were priced at £7.50 (€8 / $10) and the show featured guests including Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Miley Cyrus.

A seamless broadcast drew a staggering five million-plus global views, thought to be a record for a paid livestream. Audience unique log-ins included 1.9 million from China, 95,000 from India and 263,264 tickets sold across the regular ticketing platforms.

Sutcliffe knows that these viewer numbers were a one-off exception for a ‘once-in-a-generation’ female artist but it also signals a growing worldwide appetite for live and curated events broadcast straight to the living room. 

Of course, the global pandemic has starved audiences of live entertainment and therefore demand for streamed concerts, theatre and comedy has accelerated during lockdown. But Sutcliffe believes it’s a trend that will coexist with the return of live events, due to a shift in consumer behaviours.

“The emergence of connected TV, people’s improvements to their in-home entertainment systems and an enhanced focus on the environment by both artists and fans alike are all lockdown factors that will pave the way for live streaming to go mainstream,” Sutcliffe argues. “The music industry is still working out where live streaming fits within its paradigm. The conversations we’re currently having with labels are about providing extended reach to touring schedules and adding value to the promotion cycle of a new single or album release.”

According to a recent study by Magnite on connected TV (CTV) use, nearly nine in ten (89%) UK respondents reported using a streaming service at least once a week and three-fifths (61%) now watch CTV daily.

LIVENow says that following a deal with Apple TV, by the end of March it will be available on all CTV platforms including Samsung+ and Amazon Fire Stick. 

“We’re also working with Dolby to incorporate Dolby Atmos. From an in-home entertainment system perspective, the platform’s sound will be unrivalled,” Sutcliffe says.

Even before the pandemic outbreak, Coldplay announced that they were putting plans to tour their new album on hold until they could figure out how to tour more sustainably. Whilst other artists such as The 1975 have been strong exponents of being more environmentally conscious and making positive changes for good.

Sutcliffe believes that the biggest percentage of carbon output is from music fans travelling to gigs, so live streaming’s role in the fight against climate change will be a pivotal one. 

“Live streaming won’t ever replace the live experience and we’d want to encourage fans to still see their favourite bands live in their local area. But we’d also encourage them to think twice about jumping on a plane to travel half way around the world when there’s a more sustainable way to watch a premium live streamed performance from their living room,” he says. 

Staying in as the new going out is also cheaper, as the £7.50 Dua Lipa ticket price proved. 

Sutcliffe says that live stream ticket pricing is an ‘evolving model’ but there’s certainly a level that people aren’t prepared to go above for a stay-at-home live experience. 

He says: “Billie Eilish charged $30 for her ‘Where Do We Go? The Livestream’ concert and sales were apparently sluggish. There’s definitely an ongoing eduction to get audiences comfortable with what they receive for their ticket price. That will come from consistency of production and high-quality streaming.

“We currently have a sliding scale model for buying tickets - the earlier the purchase, the cheaper the price. They go up in price right up until the week before the event but even then, we’d never set a price above $25. There needs to be some incentive for people to buy their tickets early. It’s not like they’ll sell-out, so we always see a spike in demand on the actual day of the event as people realise they don’t have any plans for that evening so they decide to attend.”

With stay-at-home audiences hungry for a taste of live through their connected TVs and music tours not realistically returning until the end of the year at the earliest, it’s no surprise that streaming platform competition is starting to heat-up. 

Sutcliffe is buoyed by LIVENow’s pedigree in the market but isn’t complacent, especially since the news of Live Nation buying a majority stake in rival platform Veeps back in January, plus the launch of new music streaming solutions such as Multiview Media in February. 

“The more players who jump into this space, the more mainstream live event streaming will become,” says Sutcliffe. “If there’s only a few of us, you’re either considered a pioneer or a fool. Increased competition will popularise the medium and breed confidence among brand owners, promoters and record labels that live streaming is here to stay. 

“I can’t deny that it also helps elevate our position when rival platforms are found to not be very good but what we really need is the reputation for high-quality live streaming to continue rising so that we can take our place alongside in-person live events as a value add-on, providing more reasons to engage with live.”

This interview was published in the April edition of Digital Event News