The Revolution Will Be (Sort Of) Televised

This week, our CEO Justin Dellario attended the Boardroom x CNBC “Game Plan” event in Los Angeles, where some of the most influential and innovative minds in sports and entertainment gathered together to share thoughts and considerations on what drives emerging opportunities in these industries at large.?

It was an insightful event filled with the kind of gems one could only get from an event that featured everyone from investors to athletes, owners to entrepreneurs, all giving talks under one roof.?

One theme close to our hearts? was the rise of co-streaming and live commentary by creators on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. This is no longer a deal point in a contract, but a major shift in how sports and esports content is consumed and distributed. Co-streaming and live commentary allows creators to add their own personality, perspective and humor to sports and esports events, creating a more engaging and interactive experience for their fans and followers. It also allows sports and esports leagues and organizations who are more accustomed to streaming platforms than traditional media outlets to showcase their personalities.?

Co-streaming and live commentary are not just interesting content formats, but also potential infrastructural distribution pathways for sports and esports events.?

Imagine watching your favorite NBA game on Twitch, with your favorite streamer providing live commentary, analysis and reactions. Or tuning in to YouTube to have a live comedy overlay during Worlds??

Not just fantasy, the above reveries are already a reality for a number of creators that will only continue to grow in number, scale and in diversity of personality.?

Esports has been at the forefront of this trend. Twitch itself only exists because the creators of its predecessor, Justin.tv, recognised that gaming was the most lucrative category on their platform, and so created a separate platform dedicated solely to the management of live and competitive gaming.?

Esports fans have now become accustomed to using those platforms to watch their favorite games, players, and teams, with creators operating as standalone media brands providing live commentary or analysis.?

Esports leagues and organizations have wisely embraced this trend to-date, partnering with creators and inking media rights for? them to officially co-stream their events, increasing their exposure and reach. For example, BLAST has allowed streamers such as fl0m, to co-stream their events since 2021. And as fandom has expanded geographically, esports operators have also turned to language-specific creators for regional co-streaming exclusivity – much like “traditional” sports have negotiated for decades on a linear level.

Sports, though, has been trepidatious? in adopting this approach, but times are a changin’. As linear TV audiences age up, “traditional” sports operators have had to give increased consideration to the consumption differences of younger viewers – which means turning to the very same streaming platforms where esports co-streaming has been thriving.?

In something of a toes-in-the-water approach, the NFL has partnered with Amazon Prime Video to stream some of its Thursday Night Football games, with gaming creators like TimTheTatman or GoldGlove providing commentary and analysis. The NBA has partnered with Twitch to stream some of its G-League games, with creators like Shonduras or cashNasty providing commentary and analysis.?

Co-streaming and live commentary is changing the way we watch sports and esporting events, making them more accessible, engaging and fun – especially as the power of viewership across competitive entertainment gets younger. And as a player within this space, we have a unique opportunity to grow with this trend, – to create compelling content and further diversify the viewing experience, with potential products like advanced stats, live-market perspectives and more.?

Needless to say, we plan to be both in the owner’s box and courtside for the next phase of the co-streaming revolution in live entertainment, and of course, will always be looking for ways to add more value to the viewers who already tune in for the experience. More to come. ??