The business of live sports streaming is a busy one, with 70% of executive decision-makers saying they have little time and resources needed to innovate their workflows.
However, these streaming pros do have “low-hanging fruit” available to them — improvements in user engagement, including through interactivity, as well as personalized ads and content, that are relatively easy to implement and could yield significant viewer and revenue growth opportunities.
Those are the conclusions of a new study conducted by analyst Dan Rayburn for StreamTV Insider Research and sponsor Dolby. (Disclosure: This writer penned the report based on survey data Rayburn gathered from more than 300 sports streaming executives from around the world.)
According to the survey, integrating personalization features is viewed as one of the least technically challenging tasks in live sports streaming, with only 18% of those polled suggesting a significant associated level of difficulty. However, 63% of respondents said personalized ads and content could deliver opportunity. Viewer engagement enhancement features presented a similar low-difficulty/high-level-of-opportunity proposition.
Notably, when asked which personalization and interactive features they plan to add over the coming three years, a significant level of survey respondents (51%) cited enhanced audio, such as surround sound and AI-driven commentary tracks, which mimic the in-stadium audio experience. The most popular expectation (54%) was for low latency streaming.
Indeed, the emerging importance of interactive features, in addition to ancillary activities including live sports betting, has placed greater importance on latency (the time it takes from image capture to delivery) and latency synchronization (streaming the images to everyone at the same time). Of the 308 executives polled, 190 of them (62%) said they strive for latency of now more than five seconds.
Sixty eight percent of respondents said they strive for latency synchronization of 5-15 seconds.
Latency is listed as one of the biggest video quality challenges. In fact, 42% said it was the most significant video quality issue, tied with device compatibility — designing apps that serve, with quality at scale, the dozens of connected TV, mobile, gaming and desktop platforms.
Not surprisingly, among the flora and fauna of video devices, the smart TV reigned supreme as the most important consumer video gadget to serve.
Meanwhile, with 70% of respondents indicating that advertising is a primary monetization source for them, the survey panel listed ad blockers as a top source of ad-insertion difficulties. To improve resistance to ad blockers, live sports streaming execs say they’re moving to server-side ad insertion technologies (aka SSAI, or “ad stitching), as well as server-guided ad insertion (SGAI), a hybrid solution that also includes the benefits of client-side ad insertion (CSIA).