Audio streaming usually engaged by radio stations with music and talk has been around now for over a decade. In many cases the corporate world with utilize presentations that consist of slides and audio combined giving the viewer a nice platform to engage either simply to watch or to chat with the presenter or the listeners themselves. Radio station using audio only can benefit by reducing the cost of streaming as they are not using video which will use much more bandwidth.
Comparison – Audio With and Without Video
If one would use audio only and incur a monthly expense of $400.00 it would be at least 4 times the cost to add a reasonably good quality video to the mix. It can get quite a bit more expensive if the station has many thousands of listeners. Bandwidth is king when you broadcast online so the better price you get on bandwidth and keeping your bitrate to the lowest kbps will reduce your cost.
Quality
It is important from a streaming point of view to make sure the actual sound quality is good enough to create an enjoyable experience for the listener. It is also a way to judge your cost to stream usually on a monthly basis. Be assured that barring too much quality degradation is the best way to keep costs under control.
MORE READING:
How Streaming Video and Audio Work
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/streaming-video-and-audio.htm
Where to Host Streaming Media
http://hostingstreamingmedia.com/resources/