Spreecast Is Betting on the Rise of Online Live Video

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Name: Spreecast

One-Liner Pitch: A live online video platform that lets entertainers interact with fans.

Why It's Taking Off: Spreecast boasts a stronger feature set than similar apps and it serves the unique needs of the entertainment industry.

One of the contenders for Mashable's recent Innovation Index was HuffPost Live, a product from the news giant that broadcasts live, fresh content nearly 24 hours each day with highlights running late nights and weekends. While it's still in its infancy, industry leaders are quick to point out that the live video hub represents a shift in audience engagement with news content.

Spreecast brings a similar experience to any brand or publication which wants to host a live video session, along with a rich feature set for making the experience interactive for viewers. The site first launched in beta a little over a year ago.

When I spoke to founder Jeff Fluhr about the product, he initially compared it to Google+ Hangouts, which understandably falls into the same category of live video and has some of the same features. But, in practice, the two don't necessarily occupy the same space. Where Google+ designed Hangouts to work within its own social network, Spreecast is more of a platform, and Fluhr is quick to point out that users can invite friends to a Spreecast live video through any social identity — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ or email.

The feature set of Spreecast is comprehensive, if a bit deceiving, since it allows for public or private video sessions, large and small. There's so many possible ways someone could use it: for a private meeting between team members, as a video-style podcast, as an alternative to a group Skype call for friends or family, and the list goes on. Features include the live chat window next to the video viewer, options to tweet or share to Facebook directly from the viewer and subscribtions to brand channels — all the necessary makings of a social video site.

Nearly all features follow the experience when a Spreecast is embedded elsewhere, so brands or publications can host a Spreecast on their own site. While a Spreecast can be watched by anyone live, it's also captured and can remain online later, with the text chat timed in tandem with the video.

But in practice, the experience of Spreecast is unique from potential competitors such as Join.me, Skype or Google+ — it stands out as an experience ideal for entertainers, from film directors to writers to TV personalities. Recently, Extra hosted "After Hours" for its hit show, The Bachelor. Another popular Spreecast was this live chat with the director of Looper. Anderson Cooper experimented with a short "After Show" on Spreecast, although it's no longer running.

So, why is Spreecast the epicenter for entertainment and live content made to enhance other live content? First, Fluhr, who is CEO, has a background in live entertainment — he was co-founder of Stubhub, and has found partners in the entertainment space, such as Viacom's VH1.

But most importantly, the experience on Spreecast is conducive to entertainment channels. The design discriminates between who is on the show versus who is watching. It's consistent with how a fan wants to interact with a favorite entertainer, while also being accessible — fans can be added to the conversation easily. Unlike a social network (Google+), users are not trying to grow their personal following or a reputation on Spreecast, so the ease of signing in with whichever social platform is preferred makes sense. The admin controls make a Spreecast feel more highly produced than a Hangout does.

As for 2013 plans, Fluhr says they'll be testing possible ways to generate revenue — the platform is currently free. But, revenue could come in the way of charging users for additional features, or selling ads. The company also plans to release apps for iPhone and iPad, but no date is set.

Spreecast's mix of interactive video and discussion brings a lot of potential to the entertainment industry, who will need to take advantage of this new way to engage audiences.

Images courtesy of Spreecast, Zagrobot