Warning
Microsoft Stream (Classic) will be retired February 15, 2024 and replaced by Stream (on SharePoint). It is recommended to start using Stream (on SharePoint) by uploading videos to SharePoint, Teams, Yammer, or OneDrive. Functionality in Stream (Classic) will be changed and removed leading up to the retirement date. Learn more...
Live events across Microsoft 365 in Yammer, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Stream (Classic)
Important
For the latest information on Microsoft 365 live events temporary limit increases see the Microsoft 365 live events assistance program to learn more.
Live events and Microsoft 365
Discover new ways to foster connection and engagement between leaders and employees at every level in your organization.
More than ever before, employees in the modern workplace seek work environments that unlock creativity, make their lives more productive and fulfilling, and foster a sense of connection with their organizations mission and purpose.
Tip
Do you have a question about or need help with live events? Contact our Live Events Assistance team to get started!
A critical first step for your organization to thrive in this new culture of work is to drive alignment of your people around shared purpose and goals. Leaders realize that organizations who do this well have an advantage in attracting and retaining an engaged workforce.
Microsoft 365 live events brings live video streaming to a new level, going beyond what was previously possible with Skype Meeting Broadcast. Live events in Microsoft 365 help to drive connection throughout the entire life cycle of engagement with attendees before, during, and after live events.
You can create a live event wherever your audience, team, or community resides, using Microsoft Stream, Microsoft Teams, or Yammer. Attendees receive notifications and can participate in real time, with high-definition (HD) video and interactive discussion, using web, mobile, or desktop apps. For employees who are in different time zones or unable to attend live, the conversation keeps going so they still feel connected to leaders and peers, helping to overcome geographical or organizational boundaries.
After an event, it’s easy to make the recording available on an event page, so people can watch the event on their own schedule and catch up quickly with powerful AI features that unlock the content of the event recording. The recording is automatically transcribed and detects changes in speakers, making it simple to search for content later. The event and recordings are powered by Microsoft Stream, the intelligent video service in Microsoft 365.
Yammer
If the people you want to connect with in your organization are already in Yammer, you can create live events and have them show up directly in Yammer where the viewers can participate in live discussion while watching the event directly in Yammer. Learn more
Microsoft Teams
If instead, you want your audience to view the event in Microsoft Teams, you can create the events so your viewers can join and watch from Microsoft Teams. Learn more
Microsoft Stream (Classic)
Finally, if you want your viewers to watch in Microsoft Stream (Classic) instead of either of the above, you can do that, too. Learn more
Features breakdown by service and event type
Depending on which service you create the live event from and event type selected, there will be a different set of features available as a producer and presenter as well as as a viewer or participant of the live event. The following tables represent the current feature differences.
In the future, as we enhance live events across Microsoft 365, we'll strive as much as possible to make the same features available from all the services.
There are two production types supported by live events:
With Teams production type (formerly known as Quick Start), you use Microsoft Teams to share your webcam, screen-share, or invite other presenters—just like a regular meeting.
With the External app or device production type (formerly known as External Encoder), you connect a software or hardware encoder via RTMP(S).
Watch event
| Production setup | Teams (started from Yammer) | External app or device (started from Yammer) | Teams (started from Teams) | External app or device (started from Teams) | External app or device (started from Stream) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watch in Yammer | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Watch in Teams | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Watch in Stream (Classic) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Embeddable live event player in Stream (Classic) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Guest Access* (attendee) | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Anonymous viewers (External or public) | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Interact during event
| Production setup | Teams (started from Yammer) | External app or device (started from Yammer) | Teams (started from Teams) | External app or device (started from Teams) | External app or device (started from Stream) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderated Q&A | No | No | Yes | Yes (in Teams only) | No |
| Yammer conversation | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Produce event
| Production setup | Teams (started from Yammer) | External app or device (started from Yammer) | Teams (started from Teams) | External app or device (started from Teams) | External app or device (started from Stream) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams client as video producer | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| RTMP(S) ingest | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic real time closed captions | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Live captions fed into encoder** | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple presenters | Yes | If encoder supports | Yes | If encoder supports | If encoder supports |
| Guest Access* (presenter) | Yes | If encoder supports | Yes | If encoder supports | If encoder supports |
*Guest access lets you add individual users from outside your organization to your teams and channels in Microsoft Teams. Learn more about Guest Access **708 passthrough closed captions from stenographer
Post event follow-up
| Production setup | Teams (started from Yammer) | External app or device (started from Yammer) | Teams (started from Teams) | External app or device (started from Teams) | External app or device (started from Stream) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic live to VOD transition | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic post-event closed captions | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| VOD stored in Stream (Classic) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Download recording by owner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Viewer attendee report | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Live Events Assistance
You can leverage the Microsoft 365 Live Events Assistance program, which is in public preview. Its goal is to help customers walkthrough a first time live event set up as well as to provide assistance for an upcoming live event. For more information, please refer to the live events assistance documentation.
See also
Yammer live events overview Microsoft Teams live events overview Microsoft Stream (Classic) live events overview