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Why do people add weather bugs to a live broadcast? And when would sharing the weather be useful to you as a streamer – or your viewers? Here are five discreet ways that a simple weather overlay improves the overall experience of watching your live stream.
Sharing the weather provides an additional piece of context that helps set the scene, adding to the total experience that you’re sharing with your viewers. Like every kind of online communication, a live stream can sometimes feel separate from reality – especially if you’re streaming indoors.
Sharing your local weather grounds your live stream by connecting it to the ‘real world’ outside. Plus, if your viewers are stuck with miserable weather, they can also vicariously enjoy your sunny weather – or get cozy with you on a snowy night!
When watching news broadcasts, we often expect to automatically receive key data visually, including something informing us where the broadcast is being streamed from, the local time – and of course, the local weather. Adding weather overlay on OBS takes less than five minutes, but the rewards are creating a more well-rounded news live stream.
You’ll also notice that reporting on the weather from a scene is a trick that a lot of reporters use when going live on location to help ground the audience, before easing into the main headlines of the day.
For any sport played outdoors, the local weather can play just as important a role as the competitors themselves. High speed winds can make a game of golf, beach volleyball, or baseball even more difficult and unpredictable. Heavy rains or scorching temperatures can make soccer, football, rugby, and other similar sports even more gruelling on athletes, no matter their skill level.
Adding a weather bug helps viewers at home get even more invested in the game, as they unconsciously reassess the stakes for their favorite teams. What’s more, knowing whether it’s sunny or freezing pitchside or courtside can help a sports fan imagine what it might be like to be at the stadium themselves.
Adding a weather ticker to any live stream adds to its production quality, but it can also keep things real when you’re streaming physical activity. While it might not have the same consequences on your workout as it does in a tennis match, the weather will impact your performance.
If you’re leading a live workout from your back yard during a heatwave, or streaming a yoga class on a chilly morning, you can share your struggles with your audience. This helps build a stronger connection that ensures they keep tuning back into your next class!
The last reason on our list is the obvious one. A simple weather overlay is always going to help when you’re talking about the weather – especially when you’re sharing important weather warnings with your audience.
When you’re reporting on upcoming hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones around the world, it can be useful to use a lower third or ticker to fully highlight vital messages and warnings. If you’re in the U.S., you can also take advantage of our US NWS Weather Alert Ticker to share live weather updates.
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