About

Use this quick-reference guide to choose the right Kaltura event experience based on audience size, interaction level, and event format.

This guide covers:

• Kaltura Rooms
• Kaltura Events session types
• Live Studio experiences
• Broadcast and webinar options
• Typical participant and stage limits

Room and event types at a glance

Type	Best for	Typical capacity	On-stage limit	Available in	Notes
👥 Kaltura Room – Interactive mode / Kaltura Room for Interactive sessions	Meetings, workshops, classes	Up to 100	25–30	Content Hubs / Events	Everyone can actively join with camera and microphone access
📢 Kaltura Room – Webinar mode / Kaltura Room for Webinars	Webinars, lectures, town halls	Up to 300	Up to 10	Content Hubs / Events	Presenters / moderators join on stage; attendees join as viewers
🏢 Channel Room	Persistent collaboration spaces	Depends on room mode: Interactive - up to 100   Webinar - up to 300	Depends on room mode: Interactive - 25-30 on stage Webinar - up to 10 on stage	Content Hubs	Room remains attached to the channel
🤝 Interactive Session	Collaborative event sessions	Up to 100	Up to 30	Events	Includes breakout rooms and collaboration tools
🎥 Live webcast	Large-scale broadcasts	Depends on configuration - up to 1,000 participants are available through Kaltura	Broadcast-style	Events	Designed for large audience viewing rather than interactive participation
🎬 Live Studio / DIY live broadcast	Studio-style productions	Depends on template - typically up to 30	Depends on template -typically up to 25	Content Hubs / Events	Includes storyboard and production tools
🎛️ Broadcast Studio	Produced broadcasts with hosts/panelists	~30	Up to 25	Content Hubs	Designed for managed live productions with presenters and moderators
📡 External broadcast	OBS / RTMP encoder streaming	Large-scale broadcast	N/A	Content Hubs	Streams into Kaltura using OBS or another RTMP encoder
▶️ Pre-recorded live	Simulated live broadcasts	Large-scale broadcast	No live stage	Events	Uses prerecorded video presented as live
🌐 Large-scale room	Large virtual events	Up to 1,000	Up to 5	Events	Designed for very large audiences with a limited number of presenters, available through Kaltura configuration
⚙️ Interactive Room (API)	Custom interactive experiences	Up to 100	Up to 25	API	Interactive room experience integrated into a custom application

Choose the right experience by audience size

Audience size	Recommended options
Up to 30 participants	Interactive Room, Broadcast Studio
Up to 100 participants	Interactive Room
Up to 300 participants	Webinar Room
Up to 1,000 participants	Large-scale room (contact your Kaltura representative)
Large-scale view-only broadcasts	Live webcast, Webcast Mode

Collaboration and engagement features

Feature	Available in
Chat & Collaboration (C&C) widget – chat, Q&A, reactions, updates, interactions	Interactive Rooms, Interactive Sessions, Webinar Rooms, Live Studio
Breakout rooms	Interactive Rooms / Interactive Sessions
Whiteboard and collaboration tools	Interactive Rooms
Storyboard tools	DIY live broadcast / Live Studio

FAQs

What’s the difference between viewers and participants?

• Participants have camera and microphone access and can join the stage.
• Viewers watch the session without stage access.

What’s the difference between webcast and studio experiences?

• Webcast experiences are audience-facing broadcasts.
• Studio experiences are production environments used to run and manage broadcasts.

What’s the difference between Interactive mode and Webinar mode?

• In Interactive rooms, participants typically join directly on stage.
• In Webinar rooms, most attendees join as viewers while presenters/moderators join as participants.

What’s the difference between persistent rooms and scheduled events?

• Most live events are scheduled experiences created for a specific date and time.
• Channel Rooms are different because they remain attached to a channel and can be reused continuously for ongoing collaboration.

What’s the difference between Interactive Rooms and Interactive Sessions?

• Interactive rooms are standalone Kaltura Rooms created in Content Hubs for meetings, workshops, classes, and collaborative sessions.
• Interactive sessions use the same collaborative room experience as Interactive Rooms, but are managed as part of a Kaltura Event and integrated into the event site, agenda, and speaker workflows.