AWS Launches Interactive Video Service (Amazon IVS)

Amazon Web Services today launched Amazon Interactive Video Service (Amazon IVS), a fully managed service that lets users  set up live, interactive video streams for web or mobile applications in just a few minutes.

Amazon IVS uses the same technology that powers Twitch, one of the most popular live streaming services, giving customers live content with latency that is less than three seconds. They can configure and stream live video through their own websites or mobile applications, with scalable delivery that supports millions of concurrent viewers globally.

With the Amazon IVS software development kit and application programming interfaces, customers can also build interactive features , like virtual chat spaces, votes and polls, moderated question and answer sessions, and synchronized promotional elements, into their interactive streams.

To get started, users send their live video to Amazon IVS using standard streaming software like Open Broadcaster Software (OBS). Amazon IVS ingests the video, then automatically transcodes and optimizes it, making it available for live delivery across AWS-managed global infrastructure in seconds using the same video transfer technology Twitch uses for its live streaming service. They can then attach structured text data to video streams and create interactive content, including polls, surveys, and leaderboards, all of which are automatically synchronized to the live video.

"Customers have been asking to use Twitch's video streaming technology on their own platforms for a range of use cases like education, retail, sports, fitness, and more,"; said Martin Hess, general manager of Amazon IVS, in a statement. "Now with Amazon IVS, customers can leverage the same innovative technology that has taken Twitch over a decade to build and refine. Any developer can build an interactive live streaming experience into their own application without having to manage the underlying video infrastructure."

"With Amazon IVS, handling live video streams is very simple, which means we can devote more time to producing engaging content and features that allow viewers to interact with creators in real-time," said John Katsavrias, senior development manager at Amazon Live, a page on Amazon.com where shoppers can discover livestream content and browse recorded livestreams, in a statement. "Amazon IVS enabled us to move quickly to unlock our creators' ability to livestream so they can produce awesome content that inspires customers and helps them discover new products."

ScreenCloud helps businesses communicate better with teams and customers by transforming their spaces with smart, connected digital signage.

"The ease of use and simplicity of Amazon IVS allows us to focus on delivering innovation rather than worrying about video infrastructure," said Luke Hubbard, chief technology officer at ScreenCloud, in a statement. "We have been able to quickly integrate video conferencing tools with Amazon IVS to provide our customers an interactive broadcast solution."

There are no additional charges or upfront commitments required to use Amazon IVS, and customers pay only for video input to Amazon IVS and video output delivered to viewers.