Ustream was a live video streaming platform that allowed individuals and organizations to broadcast and view live video content online. It was particularly popular in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and played a major role in the early era of user-generated livestreaming.
📺 Overview of Ustream:
- Founded: 2007
- Founders: John Ham, Brad Hunstable, and Gyula Fehér
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Purpose: Initially created to help military personnel stationed overseas connect with family via live video.
🚀 Key Features
- Live Streaming: Users could broadcast live video using webcams or external video equipment.
- Chat Integration: Viewers could interact with broadcasters in real time via live chat.
- Mobile Support: Ustream was one of the early platforms to offer mobile broadcasting through its app.
- Recorded Content: Broadcasters could save and share past live sessions.
- Channels: Users and companies could create channels for regular content distribution.
🌐 Popular Uses
- Tech Events & Conferences (e.g., Apple keynotes, product launches)
- Gaming Streams
- Music and Concerts
- Talk Shows
- Citizen Journalism (notably during the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street protests)
🤝 Acquisition and Rebranding
- Acquired by IBM: In January 2016, IBM purchased Ustream for approximately $130 million.
- Ustream was later merged into IBM Cloud Video, a division of IBM focused on enterprise video streaming solutions.
- Over time, the Ustream brand was phased out in favor of IBM’s enterprise branding.
📉 Why It Declined
- Competition from platforms like YouTube Live, Twitch, and Facebook Live
- Shift in focus from consumer to enterprise video solutions
- Discontinuation of many free/consumer features under IBM ownership