Change is the only constant in the live-streaming world. I clearly remember that a few years ago, being able to live stream a big game meant everything. Cut to today – it’s just not enough anymore. We all want more! Sports fans want personalized exceptional viewing experiences, while advertisers, broadcasters, and platforms look for better revenue opportunities.
So, what’s the next step? How can we meet the expectations of all stakeholders involved? The answer lies in the next big thing in the streaming world – multistreaming.
Fire up live sports viewing & monetization with multistreaming
Earlier, live streaming a game meant having one stream that all users tuned into on a platform. Compare this with multistreaming, allowing you to provide different experiences for the same exact game on a platform. Sounds impressive, right?
We recently saw multistreaming in action with the National Football League’s (NFL) Thursday Night Football on Amazon.
Let’s dive deeper into what it means for each stakeholder involved.
To each their own viewing experience
In my opinion, everything ultimately boils down to whether it adds any value to the live viewing experience of a sports fan. Fortunately, sports fans crave hyper-personalized game-viewing experiences. One of the primary reasons more fans are steadily moving towards digital viewership of sports is the freedom to watch a live game from anywhere via smartphones. A recent report by Nielsen further strengthens this fact by stating that about 46% of younger fans prefer live-streaming games on their smartphones.
Not just that, they crave data! The same group is 15% more likely to look for on-demand content such as game highlights, fan engagement sections, etc.
Fans consider the option to further analyze the game in the form of data and highlights anytime, anywhere, a continuation of their viewing experience of their favorite team.
So how does multistreaming add value to the fan experience? With several streams available for the same live game, fans get to choose a stream based on:
- A particular camera angle
- Preferred commentary language
- Extensive real-time data and insights and much more.
Most recently the LA Clippers launched a streaming platform to offer custom viewing experiences to NBA fans called ClipperVision. While you don't need a separate subscription to avail of this service, it comes with six different live streams. The idea is to reinvent basketball-viewing experiences keeping in mind the diverse needs of viewers.
This phenomenon is not limited to one sport or region. Let's look at another sport that is no less than a religion in the Indian subcontinent. Cricket, you guessed it right! The next IPL (Indian Premier League) tournament is all set to enthrall fans with multistreaming. Viewers will have the option to enjoy UHD-quality games from an angle of their choice.
I firmly believe that experiences like these are crucial to elevating the overall experience of avid sports fans like myself. The best part is that the goodness of multistreaming is not limited to viewers; it's also good for your business.
Read more: Power your live sports channels with Amagi's nex-gen cloud solutions
Tap into higher reach, better revenues
Stakeholders including advertisers, platforms, and broadcasters stand to benefit through multistreaming.
As it lets you deliver multiple live streams, you get to cater to a broader range of fans with varied expectations. Some want more real-time game insights; some crave a better visual experience, and so on. A personalized stream means better reach and better engagement. As a result, you unlock added content monetization opportunities. The end product of this chain reaction is newer, untapped revenue streams.
There's another critical factor in every live sports streaming – disaster recovery. If you have a single stream and it goes down for any reason, it can destroy the viewing experience for everyone. On the other hand, since you already have multiple streams running, fans always have a backup to go to in case of issues in one stream.
That sounds like a great opportunity.
So, what are you waiting for?
Do more with live streaming. Do more with the Amagi advantage.
Write to us at cloudandme@amagi.com to explore more.
