Google is moving “Hangouts on Air” to YouTube Live

While the company may not see it as a loss, especially since they have long taken the best bits of Google+ and parceled them off to other Google-owned entities, it may be heralded by some as another example of Google+ not being a success. The once-groundbreaking live streaming service, created in 2012, ushered in the live streaming trend, but perhaps too soon. The company even got Obama to use the service, and podcasters used the service in its first couple of years. But as YouTube rolled out YouTube Live the next year, Google Hangouts became less necessary, and with the rise of other live streaming apps, like Meerkat and Periscope, and most recently Facebook, it became a crowded marketplace for the technology.

As Hangouts transitions, some features will be dropped, like the native Q&A feature, “Showcase” and “Applause.” YouTube is certainly a natural place for live streaming, and no doubt any residual Hangouts On Air users will make the move with little disruption.