Georg-Maximilian Bielfeldt

• Live streaming is on the rise. Platforms like Twitch.tv, Periscope and YouNow challenge the viewing habits of users around the globe. But that is not all. The advent of Web 2.0 has built the foundation for user-generated-content, which results in the transformation of consumers into 'prosumers'. It has become strikingly easy for anybody to broadcast anything for millions of viewers to see. The objective for this paper is to research the roots of video live streaming as a form of media, give an apt definition, evaluate the roles of consumers and producers and to assess the implications for live stream design. The methodological approach is to initially give a theoretical foundation by collecting prior research to subsequently check the findings in the light of a detailed report of a live streaming project. Hereby is not only shown that video live streaming fulfills consumers and producers needs according to the Uses and Gratifications model, but also calls for a way to make monetary incentives, expectations for fair technical quality, acceptable content and responsibility in the face of mass media meet.