What a live stream costs and what moves the price

The first question I ask an organiser is not how many cameras they want but what the stream is for. A recorded-feeling concert for ticket holders who could not travel is a different job from a conference session that a few hundred colleagues will watch with the sound half down. The purpose decides how much picture quality matters, how polished the graphics need to be, and how much margin we keep in case something goes wrong.

Price follows from that purpose in a fairly direct way. A single fixed camera with a clean feed to one platform needs one engineer and a modest amount of kit. A show with several cameras, lower-third graphics, playback and a monitored backup path needs more people, more equipment and more rehearsal time. None of that is padding; each addition is a job somebody has to do while the audience is watching.

When you send an enquiry, tell us the running time, the venue, the platform and the audience you have in mind. With those four facts we can usually describe a sensible scope in a first reply, and the written quotation that follows can be specific rather than approximate.

• Purpose of the stream and who will watch it
• Running time including doors, breaks and soundcheck
• Chosen platform and any rules it sets
• Venue and how far it is from Winchester

Streaming is priced on the work involved, and a handful of factors account for most of the difference between one quotation and another. Crew size comes first: an engineer who builds and watches the encoding chain, and, where cameras are switched live, someone on the vision mixer. Then comes the kit that travels, which ranges from a compact encoder case to a full flight-case rack with monitors and talkback.

Time on site matters as much as time on air. A stream that starts at eight in the evening usually means a morning arrival, rigging, cable runs, line checks and a rehearsal. We quote for that whole day, because the broadcast is only the visible part. Travel, overnight stays for distant venues and any early load-in are listed separately so you can see where they come from.

Graphics and extra sources add scope in smaller steps. Name captions, a sponsor board or a slide feed each need setting up and testing beforehand. They are not expensive individually, but a long list of them adds preparation hours, and we would rather tell you that plainly than fold it silently into a single figure.

• Number of crew and their roles on the day
• Length of the rig day and the rehearsal
• Cameras, graphics and extra video sources
• Travel distance and any overnight stay

Almost every stream we have run has hinged on the venue's internet connection. A strong signal for the audience is worth nothing if the building can only send a fraction of it out. So the upload route is a real cost question: some venues have a dedicated wired connection we can use, and others need us to bring bonded cellular links or ask the venue to arrange a line in advance.

We ask for the upload speed tested at the venue, ideally at the hour of the event, and we are glad to speak to the venue's own technician. If the connection looks marginal, we will say so before quoting and describe what a safer route would involve, so the decision is made on paper rather than in the loading bay on the day.

A second path for the signal, so that one failure does not end the broadcast, is an option rather than a default. It adds equipment and monitoring effort, and the price rises accordingly. For a ticketed show or a one-off occasion, many organisers decide it is worth having; for a low-stakes internal session, many decide it is not.

Streams that go smoothly are usually the ones that were tested properly. A rehearsal lets the platform, the encoder and the graphics all be checked against real content, and it gives your speakers or performers a chance to see how they will appear. We include rehearsal time in the scope we describe, and we list it so you can judge whether you want a short check or a full run-through.

During the show, someone has to watch the outgoing stream the way a viewer would, listening for audio drift, watching for dropped frames and being ready to act. That monitored delivery is part of what you pay for. It is quiet work, and when it is done well nobody notices it, which is rather the point.

Afterwards there may be small jobs: saving a recording, handing over the file, closing the event on the platform. If you want a recording, tell us early, because it changes how we set up and where the file is stored. We would rather agree these details before the day than improvise them at the end of a long evening.

• Rehearsal length and who attends it
• Live monitoring of the outgoing stream
• Recording, file handover and closing the event

There is no checkout on this site, and that is deliberate. You send an enquiry through the contact page, we ask whatever we still need to know, and then you receive a written quotation that sets out the scope, the crew, the kit, the travel and the price in pounds sterling. Nothing is booked until you have read it and confirmed in writing.

Once the work is confirmed, we issue an invoice, which is paid by bank transfer. The payment and refund policy explains how cancellations are handled and what happens if the plan changes, and it is worth reading before you confirm. Our Prices page gives the starting figures for each service so you have a realistic idea of the range before you write to us.

Because every event differs, we do not publish a single flat price for streaming. We would rather give you a figure that matches your show than a headline number that grows as the details emerge. If the quotation looks larger than you expected, say so; often the answer is to remove an extra, not to cut the safeguards.

A short list of decisions saves a good deal of back and forth. Which platform will carry the stream, and does it need a particular format or a stream key from you? Who owns the rights to what is being shown, and is any of the music or content subject to conditions you need to check? Who on your side will be the single contact on the day?

It also helps to decide what failure would mean. If the stream stopped for two minutes, would that be a nuisance or a serious problem? The honest answer sets how much resilience is worth paying for. We can describe the options, but the judgement about risk belongs to you, and we will not push you towards the most expensive route.

Finally, think about timing. The more notice we have, the easier it is to plan crew and kit sensibly, and the fewer compromises we have to build into the quotation. Autumn and the weeks before winter events tend to fill up, so an early enquiry gives everyone more room.

• Platform, format and who holds the stream key
• Rights and permissions for what is shown
• One named contact on your side for the day
• What a short interruption would mean for you