When auction streaming emerged during pandemic restrictions, the industry pivoted fast. Platforms that had been niche suddenly became essential. Bidders registered remotely. Auctions proceeded despite lockdowns.

Three years later, with restrictions long gone, what’s stuck? The technology proved something could be done. The question now is whether it should be done—and when.

The Technology Landscape

Several platforms dominate Australian auction streaming:

Gavl: Perhaps the most widely adopted, with strong integration into agency workflows. Offers both streaming and remote bidding functionality.

Auction Live: Direct competitor with similar features. Some agencies prefer the interface; others find Gavl’s integrations superior.

Custom solutions: Larger agency groups have built proprietary platforms with specific features tailored to their processes.

Social media streaming: Some agents simply stream via Facebook or Instagram Live. This provides visibility but lacks bidder registration and secure remote bidding.

The technology works. Streams are reliable, latency is minimal, and remote bidding functions effectively when properly implemented.

What’s Actually Working

Auction streaming has found genuine use cases that persist beyond pandemic necessity:

Interstate and Overseas Buyers

For properties attracting buyers from outside the local market—prestige homes, investment properties, developments with interstate appeal—streaming removes geographic barriers.

Sydney agencies selling to Melbourne-based buyers report remote participation has become normalised. Buyers who would have previously flown in for auction day now participate remotely without hesitation.

This particularly matters for auctions with competitive dynamics. A buyer who can’t attend in person but can bid remotely is a buyer who might push prices higher.

Transparency and Documentation

Streamed auctions create permanent records. This matters for:

• Vendor reporting: Clear evidence of bidding activity and final result
• Dispute resolution: Documentation of exactly what happened
• Marketing: Successful auction videos demonstrate capability

The transparency builds vendor confidence. Showing prospective vendors recordings of competitive auctions proves capability more effectively than testimonials.

Marketing Content

Auction recordings, properly edited, become marketing assets. Highlight reels showing competitive bidding demonstrate agent skill and market strength. Before-and-after content (listing to sold) tells compelling property stories.

Accessibility

Some buyers have legitimate reasons for remote participation: physical disability, work commitments, childcare responsibilities. Streaming accommodates these situations without excluding interested parties.

What Hasn’t Worked

Not every promised benefit has materialised:

Mass Remote Participation

The prediction that most bidders would prefer remote participation hasn’t eventuated. In-person attendance remains the strong preference for most buyers. The theatre of auctions—reading the room, feeling the energy—appeals to participants.

Typical auction streaming numbers: many viewers, few active remote bidders. Streaming creates spectators more than participants.

Expanded Buyer Pools

The theory was streaming would dramatically expand potential bidder pools. In practice, most properties still sell to local buyers who would have attended anyway. The geographic expansion benefits prestige properties more than mainstream listings.

Reduced Costs

Early predictions suggested streaming would reduce auction costs by eliminating some logistics. This hasn’t happened. Agents still attend in person. Auctioneers still work on site. The technology adds cost without reducing existing expenses.

The Clearance Rate Question

Does streaming improve auction outcomes? The data is mixed.

Some agencies report marginally higher clearance rates with streaming enabled, theorising that remote participation adds competitive pressure. Others see no statistical difference.

My observation: streaming alone doesn’t improve outcomes. Combined with effective marketing to relevant remote audiences, it can add value. As a generic addition to standard auctions, the impact is minimal.

Implementation Considerations

For agencies evaluating auction streaming, consider:

Which Properties Benefit

Not every property warrants streaming investment:

• High value: Prestige properties with potential interstate interest benefit most
• Investor appeal: Properties targeting investment buyers may attract remote participation
• Development potential: Builders and developers increasingly operate across regions
• Unique features: Unusual properties may find buyers outside local markets

Standard three-bedroom houses in suburban markets rarely benefit from streaming. Local buyers attend in person.

Technical Requirements

Effective streaming requires:

• Reliable internet connectivity at auction venues
• Quality audio capture (outdoor auctions present challenges)
• Camera positioning that shows key action
• Backup systems for technical failures
• Staff trained in platform operation

Half-measures produce poor results. Bad audio, unstable streams, or technical failures during critical moments damage more than no streaming at all.

Bidder Registration

Remote bidding requires proper registration: identity verification, deposit arrangements, contract acknowledgment. This adds administrative overhead but provides legal protection and serious-buyer filtering.

Platforms with integrated registration streamline this process. Manual registration creates friction that reduces participation.

Auctioneer Adaptation

Auctioneers must adapt technique for streaming. Managing remote bids alongside in-person participation requires skill. Not all auctioneers have developed this capability.

The best streaming auctioneers acknowledge remote participants, maintain energy for camera, and handle technology smoothly. This is a learnable skill but requires practice.

The Vendor Conversation

When discussing streaming with vendors:

Set realistic expectations: Streaming provides optionality, not guaranteed additional bidders.

Explain the target audience: Who might participate remotely, and why.

Address costs: If streaming adds expense to VPA, justify it with specific benefits relevant to the property.

Provide evidence: Show examples where streaming contributed to outcomes for similar properties.

Overpromising streaming benefits erodes trust when reality doesn’t match expectations.

Looking Forward

Auction streaming is now permanent infrastructure. The question isn’t whether to have capability but when to deploy it.

My prediction: streaming becomes standard for higher-value properties and optional-upon-request for mainstream listings. The technology continues improving—better integration, lower costs, simpler setup. But it remains a tool for specific situations, not a universal transformation.

The fundamentals of successful auctions remain unchanged: realistic pricing, effective marketing, strong buyer engagement, skilled auctioneering. Technology amplifies these elements but doesn’t replace them.

Days on market, clearance rates, and final prices still depend primarily on getting the basics right. Streaming is a useful addition, not a substitute.

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Linda Powers consults with real estate agencies on auction strategy and technology. Her 25-year career includes thousands of auctions across Sydney markets.