# Video Streaming Protocols: 6 Preferred Formats for Professional Broadcasting

DevFeed: [Video Streaming Protocols: 6 Preferred Formats for Professional Broadcasting](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/video-streaming-protocols-6-preferred-formats-for-professional-broadcasting-38028.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.dacast.com/blog/video-streaming-protocol/>)

Author: Jon Whitehead

Published: 2026-09-02T09:35:50Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [DaCast](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/dacast.md>)

Topics: [Streaming](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/streaming.md>), [Protocol (disambiguation)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/protocol.md>), [Latency](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/latency.md>), [Low Latency](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/low-latency.md>), [WebRTC](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/webrtc.md>), [Playback](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/playback.md>), [format](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/format.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data.md>)

Tags: [data](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data.md>), [format](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/format.md>), [latency](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/latency.md>), [low-latency](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/low-latency.md>), [playback](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/playback.md>), [protocols](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/protocols.md>), [streaming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/streaming.md>), [the-video-experts-blog](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/the-video-experts-blog.md>), [video](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/video.md>), [video-streaming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/video-streaming.md>), [webrtc](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/webrtc.md>)

## AI overview

This guide explains six video streaming protocols used in professional broadcasting: HLS, RTMP, WebRTC, SRT, RTSP, and MPEG-DASH. It compares their purposes, strengths, limitations, latency, compatibility, and suitable use cases. It presents HLS as a broadly compatible delivery default, RTMP as an ingest standard, WebRTC for real-time two-way interaction, SRT for one-way broadcasting over unreliable networks, RTSP for surveillance and IoT, and MPEG-DASH as an open alternative with limited Apple support.

## Source excerpt

By Dacast Editorial Team | Reviewed by Jon Whitehead, COO at Dacast | Updated September 2026 A video streaming protocol is the set of rules that governs how video data moves from your encoder to your streaming host to the video player your audience watches on. Common examples include RTMP, HLS, WebRTC, and SRT, each [...] The post Video Streaming Protocols: 6 Preferred Formats for Professional Broadcasting appeared first on Dacast.