Bambuser restricts free streaming.

[AndrewSeabrook]

This from Bambuser!

"Starting September 27, 2013, we will restrict broadcasting via standalone RTMP-broadcasting applications. Our Flash-based web broadcaster will still be available for everyone. Using standalone broadcasting applications for RTMP streaming will be available only for Premium users.

As a part of our pledge to support freedom of speech around the globe, we continue to grant selected citizen journalists a complimentary upgrade to our Premium services. To apply, please send an email to support@bambuser.com, describing your use case and why you'd like to be considered for an upgrade."

[andrewzarian]

Yup heard about this on Computers 2k Now. A lot of people are upset at the way they announced this. They also gave people only a few days notice

[JaseRossi]

I hope this isn't a sign to come from all streaming providers. :/ Free to stream with there crappy software or just from the website and you have to pay to stream from programs like Wirecast and Vidblaster.

[andrewzarian]

Sadly I think it is a sign of things to come. We have seen Stickam and Blog TV go away, Livestream has changed its entire business model and Ustream is also changing its direction.

[TommySulivan]

Another bites the dust. this is the 3rd major CDN in 2013 to go under...

[mcphillips]

Bambuser has not bitten the dust. They've imposed restrictions to curtail what they refer to as abuse. One example is someone streaming dead air during significant periods of their 24/7 HD stream. I think they handled the new restrictions poorly. Even if everyone saw the notice in the newsletter (they didn't), they did not allow enough time for people to make alternate plans.

Whether the company is in financial straits remains to be seen. They're promoting "citizen journalists" as their ideal broadcasters. Many of those "journalists" are quite amateurish. It seems they've purge themselves of many broadcasters that might actually deliver eyeballs to Bambuser. Time will tell. They're pretty good guys.

[TommySulivan]

Bambuser was never friendly to us broadcasters. They have always had a hard on a bunch of maniacs walking around showing government protests. Never a fan of them

[Amnon]

Bambuser ALWAYS treated us nice !!! Even now, they are treating us in a fair way. Did they handle the change the right way? In my opinion, no! But like they say, you get what you pay for :-)
I understand why they changed their policies, and sort of agree with them. We didn't like Ustream when they went to mid-rolls, but life goes on, it goes on now as we speak. There are other free CDN's, and I think there always will be.
I am a fan, but then all our shows are always on the front page of 'Most Viewed', so I am not exactly objective :-)

[cseeman]

I believe Associated Press has invested in Bambuser.
AP wants to encourage citizen journalism since, in their case, they can make money by distributing your reporting.
Apparently if you explain that you're a citizen journalist and approved, you can get a free professional account.

I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind forcing free accounts to use the inbuilt encoding. I can't see any market advantage or cost savings in that. Maybe it impacts their server costs. It may be that they just want the citizen journalist streams to look better so viewers will gravitate to that.

Livestream, Ustream, Bambuser all catered to citizen journalists for a time. Livestream gave free Premium channels to many of the Occupy locations. I believe Ustream may have done the same at a later point. I know the Occupy media people were unhappy using Qik to send to Original Livestream so they approached Bambuser.

It seems AP so money in it by having an inexpensive source for live news coverage and so invested in Bambuser, which now as policy, will give free pro accounts to citizen journalists.