Purpose: This study aims to examine live streaming experiences of business students' at the tertiary education level, and how the use of this interactive platform satisfies their affective, cognitive, social and hedonic needs in learning. Likewise, it explored the influence of live streaming class on the learning outcome needed in achieving self-directed learning. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on the uses and gratifications theory, a conceptual framework was developed to discover the impact of interactive live streaming platform in meeting learners' needs required for self-directed learning. A survey was conducted with a sample of 402 business undergraduate students from 5 universities. Data was analyzed with covariance-based structural equation modeling. Findings: This study confirmed that learners' gratifications gained from live streaming encouraged them to collaborate with the instructors in meeting the learning outcomes. The findings also supported that the interactive nature of live streaming offers the opportunity for students to learn independently. Thus, it sheds new light on how a live streaming learning environment can be further developed in promoting self-directed learning. Originality/value: This study offers a novel understanding of live stream class adoption by examining learners' needs from a uses and gratification perspective. It also contributed new insight to the existing literature on live streaming technology use in education to promote self-directed learning.