Community is often seen as a universal remedy for digital success. Community is the answer, they say, but what’s the answer to how to build one? Now it’s here. Follow seven strategic steps, along with several technical actions, to create it.

Learn how to build and grow a thriving online community for your app or website with these 7 essential steps, from defining purpose and audience to ensuring safety and engagement.

How to Turn The Platform into Community-driven

Number of messages, new regions, and exciting features: here are the highlights of 2024.

Discover the highlights of 2024: innovative live-streaming tools, enhanced APIs, an upgraded admin panel, advanced AI moderation, and increased user engagement. Learn how we empower platforms to build thriving communities.

Swift Glance at 2024

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">Table of Contents&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#product-updates">Product Updates</a><a href="#new-clients">New Clients</a><a href="#events-expos">Events, Expos, and Prizes</a><a href="#main-numbers">Main Numbers</a><hr><h2 id="product-updates">Product Updates</h2><h3>Exciting Opportunities for Live-Streaming</h3>We’ve launched advanced in-app tools for live streaming to help our partners significantly boost engagement and attract new audiences.While live-streaming is a growing trend, platforms can harness this new user behaviour to build communities and grow businesses. Our tools empower platform owners to host exclusive in-app live streams. Imagine a popular influencer hosting a stream on your platform, and the audience engages in dynamic conversations, exchanges stickers, and shares emotions—all within your service.This not only enhances business metrics but also adds unique content to your platform, elevating the overall user experience.Another approach is reusing content from other platforms. Our tools for embedding external players in chats let you seamlessly embed Twitch, YouTube, Kick, or Facebook players to keep your users entertained.<h3>A Plethora of Powerful APIs</h3>We’ve developed a comprehensive set of APIs to enable platform owners to connect chats with their platforms and manage them conveniently and easily. These APIs include tools for managing badges, marketing offers, audio streams, and AI bots that can be added to community chats to create the most engaging and functional spaces for users.<h3>Highly Developed Back Office</h3>We’ve significantly enhanced the admin panel with various instruments and tools for settings, customisation, localisation, and analytics. All data can be gathered and reviewed in one place. Everything you need is accessible and downloadable directly from the admin panel. Thanks to this streamlined approach, no extra kits or tools are required, and our solution ensures a safe and secure experience.<h3>Badges</h3>We’ve expanded opportunities for badge awards. Platform owners can now create intricate and dynamic badge structures, assign different badges to users, or transfer them via API. Users who receive badges are notified with a congratulatory message, while others can learn how to earn the same badges through additional alerts.<h3>New Marketing Widgets and Pop-ups</h3>In addition to marketing messages, we now offer marketing popups, powerful tools for promoting internal or external products and services. These pop-ups directly engage users, prompting them to take specific actions. They can be personalised, manually configured, or automated via API.<h3>New level of AI moderation</h3>We’ve integrated a new AI model into our moderation system, creating a trifecta of systems working together to provide the most secure environment possible. Additional tools include masking sensitive details like crypto wallets and phone numbers, expanded options for user bans of varying durations, and more.These are just the main tools—we continuously develop updates to ensure a highly efficient, convenient, and feature-rich chat experience. This allows platform owners to improve business metrics while giving end-users an engaging, trustworthy space to connect with like-minded individuals.<h2 id="new-clients">New Clients</h2>This year, we’ve established partnerships with companies from diverse regions. We now provide our services to platforms operating in Iceland, New Zealand, Taiwan, South Korea, and Poland while continuing to strengthen our presence in other regions in which we have already worked.<h2 id="events-expos">Events, Expos, and Prizes</h2>We participated in numerous industry events and expos, competing with promising startups, pitching at ICE London and showcasing at Web Summit Lisbon.Here are the highlights of three key events.SIGMAWe pitched at two SIGMA World events and won both! Our first victory was in Brazil at SIGMA Americas, followed by another win in Hungary at SIGMA East Europe. Additionally, our CPO, Adel Gaisin, spoke on a panel at SIGMA Malta, sharing insights on how this winning spirit propels our growth.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2048/1365;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/d539e0af-2476-44d5-bc78-f368dab86817.jpg" width="2048" height="1365"></figure>﻿﻿﻿South SummitAt South Summit in Madrid, we pitched in the Digital Culture section, connecting with leading experts and companies across various industries. Digital culture at its finest!SBCWe were nominated as a Rising Star in Service Provision at SBC, one of the largest and most impactful iGaming expos worldwide.<h2>Google for Startups Growth Academy</h2><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2048/1365;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/bd644937-55f1-4bfd-bfdd-720e51ab5250.jpeg" width="2048" height="1365"></figure>We were selected for the Google Growth Academy alongside 14 other high-potential UK companies. The programme is designed for AI-powered startups, and we are proud to be one of them.We use AI for multilingual content moderation, real-time translation, semantic analysis, and actionable insights derived from community chats. With 90% of AI startups built on GCP, now we are one of them.<h2 id="main-numbers">Main Numbers</h2>6,544,472 unique users entered our chats30,728,928 messages sent*We look forward to an even more exciting 2025, with plans to expand further and continue helping content platforms worldwide build thriving communities. Our next event is ICE Barcelona—come visit our stand. See you there!</div>

The main trends in entertainment and communication industries we wait for in 2025.

The main trends in entertainment and communication industries we wait for in 2025. How will embeded AI move further? What should we do with live-video streaming? What is with tokenization, gamification, and mysterious hyber localization that became 

Six Trends of 2025 We Can’t Miss

Table of Contents<a href="#mainstream-adoption">Mainstream Adoption of Live Streaming</a><a href="#consolidation-of-embedded-ai">Consolidation of Embedded AI</a><a href="#surge-in-gamification">Surge in Gamification</a><a href="#hyper-localisation">Hyper-Localisation</a><a href="#blockchain">Blockchain and Tokenised Incentives and Crypto Growth</a><a href="#community-building">Community-building</a><hr>&nbsp;<div class="page-break" style="page-break-after:always;">&nbsp;</div>We studied numerous reports from 2024 and predictions made by the most influential research companies, media, and technological giants about the following year. We've gathered the most interesting trends, significant quotations, and the bravest predictions for the future of communication and entertainment—just for you and us to create the most exciting, ambitious, and realistic roadmap.We studied numerous reports in 2024 and examined predictions for the following year from the most influential research companies, media outlets, and technological giants. From these analyses, we selected the most intriguing trends, significant quotes, and boldest forecasts for the future of communication and entertainment. We’ve gathered insights to craft the most exciting, ambitious, and relevant roadmap for you and us.<h2 id="mainstream-adoption">Mainstream Adoption of Live Streaming</h2>Trend: Live streaming continues to dominate, with users focusing on interactive, real-time experiences.We've written it before: live-streaming has been one of the most notable trends in the entertainment industry for the last few years. Users get used to streaming, watching other users’ streams; everything can be streamed, and everything can be sold during the stream. Twitch and YouTube created this trend, but it doesn't mean that other services can use it for their interaction with the audience.<blockquote>“Live-streaming viewership is up 12% from Q3 2023 to 8.5B hours watched, indicating renewed interest in the industry following the post-pandemic dip. Kick solidified its position in the live-streaming space, now holding the #3 spot with 534M hours watched after growing it (together with Twitch and YouTube; the fourth place goes to Facebook Video). This resurgence has been fueled by a wider variety of platforms, like Kick, which has doubled in viewership compared to Q3 last year.” Stream Hatchet; Q3 2024 Report</blockquote><blockquote>“As live-streaming commerce grows, it’s&nbsp;clear that e-commerce will need to evolve or risk being overshadowed by this inherently dynamic approach. Through advanced personalisation, moderation and real-time analytics, content will be tailored to real-time preferences based on input and reactions." <a style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.forbes.com">Lux Narayan</a> for Forbes, October 2024</blockquote><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:896/1152;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/c7f8fa62-a0c9-4346-8385-c3fdfed96032.webp" width="896" height="1152"></figure><blockquote>“We now expect to see a new era of streaming, one that prioritises user experience and innovation. The future of AI-powered streaming lies in platforms that can anticipate individual preferences, deliver tailored content, and blur the lines between traditional viewing and interactive experiences.” Kevin Westcott, Deloitte Global Telecommunications, November 2024</blockquote><blockquote>“60% of those respondents who budget for influencer marketing intend to increase their influencer marketing budget over the next year.” Influencer Marketing Hub</blockquote><h2 id="consolidation-of-embedded-ai">Consolidation of Embedded AI</h2>Trend: AI integration becomes a demanded part of functionality for enhancing UX through personalization, chat assistance, and predictive analytics.The growth of embedded AI happened fast and users adopted it really fast as well. Now, companies and services should not fall behind and give users what they expect to see: convenient tools for interacting with AI or services improved with AI for better personalisation.<blockquote>“...companies hope to create an all-in-one app, where users can act on what they have learned and never have to leave. 73% of consumers believe customer service quality will improve with the&nbsp;use of AI and expect more interactions with it in their everyday lives.” CX Trend 2024; Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity</blockquote><blockquote>“If you think about the world’s data, the majority of it is sitting in cold tiers and archives. Enterprises are now using that data to feed AI models and realise the full value of the data." Arthur Lewis, <a style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/ai-technology-stocks-d289e665">Dell Technologies</a>’ infrastructure solutions group; Barron’s, November 2024</blockquote><blockquote>“In 2025, this democratisation of AI usage is accelerating, promising to reshape industries and revolutionise decision-making processes across every sector of the economy.” Forbes, November, 2024</blockquote><h2 id="surge-in-gamification">Surge in Gamification</h2>Trend: Gamification elements, like achievements, leaderboards, and streaks, are key to driving engagementGamification is not a new trend; it has been evolving over the last decade or so. As more users develop playing and video games habits, they increasingly tend to respond to achievements and expect to receive them for their behaviour. If platforms want to retain users and build loyalty, achievements are becoming a necessary element of this.<blockquote>“Gamification is about motivating people through data-driven experiences that tap into the core of what makes us human—our need to learn, grow, and be rewarded.” Gabe Zichermann, Onward, October 2024</blockquote><blockquote>“The gamification market size has grown exponentially, and it is expected to grow with GAGR in 24.4%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to the increased use of gamification in the gaming industry and the rise of mobile games.” Global Gamification Market Growth Drivers 2024/ Report</blockquote><h2 id="hyper-localisation">Hyper-Localisation</h2>Trend: Platforms demand tailored experiences to specific geographies, languages, and cultural contexts.<blockquote>Personalisation is no longer a luxury; it’s an expectation. Players want experiences that resonate with their individual preferences.” Yogonet iGaming news, October 2024</blockquote>This trend is closely tied to the development of embedded AI and the full adoption of big data, and interestingly, it intersects with both globalisation and anti-globalisation movements. Some platforms aim to protect their content, while others focus on offering users the freedom to move seamlessly across borders without losing their connection to the platform.Users demand a close, personalised connection with their favourite services, whether at home or abroad. Personalisation is a king, detailed localisation is a necessity.&nbsp;<blockquote>“The drivers for local differentiation include: Businesses in highly regulated industries must adhere to national or regional regulations and ensure that regulators’ systems can connect with their own. Data privacy and security laws, such as the European Union’s GDPR and China’s Data Security Law, apply to all industries and may include <a style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/risk-and-resilience/our-insights/localization-of-data-privacy-regulations-creates-competitive-opportunities">requirements affecting local infrastructure</a>, such as cloud providers, and mechanisms to control data flows, such as isolated access controls. The user experience may need to be tailored to reflect local&nbsp; communication preferences.”McKinsey and Company</blockquote><h2 id="blockchain">Blockchain and Tokenised Incentives and Crypto Growth</h2>Trend: Blockchain and tokenized economics are gaining traction for ease and transparency in processing and unique rewardsIf your platform operates globally and involves financial transactions—whether users trade stocks, buy or sell goods, pay for services, or place bets—they need a secure and seamless way to manage their money. To avoid complications with various currencies, some platforms have adopted crypto operations. While this trend may not exhibit the fastest growth, it remains strong and steadily gains confidence.<blockquote>“Tech-savvy players who value anonymity and fast transactions are particularly drawn to crypto-friendly platforms. Additionally, the rise of PayPal casinos is also notable, as many players prefer the security and ease of transactions that the platform offers. As global regulations around cryptocurrency and digital payment methods continue to evolve, their roles in the gambling industry will only grow stronger.” Yogonet Gaming news, October 2024</blockquote><blockquote>“Tokenized financial assets are moving from pilot to at-scale deployment. Adoption is not yet widespread, but financial institutions with blockchain capabilities in&nbsp;place will have a strategic advantage. For instance, we believe tokenization feasibility is highest for asset classes with lower technical complexities and regulatory considerations.” McKinsey &amp; Company, 2024</blockquote><h2 id="community-building">Community-building</h2>Trend: The social part of user experience is now a necessity.Two years ago, developing social tools were essential for entertainment businesses: users got used to social media, and social networks stole retention and attention from platforms, channels, and services. It was crucial, but now it is required. All users of all platforms need to share their opinions: your users can watch movies or sports, study analytical reports, share their ideas about the best cookie recipes, bet on hockey or buy tickets to the theatre: all need to receive advice or give them.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:896/1152;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/6c5e6e7c-2cdb-401d-8a1a-bef8bc876ebe.webp" width="896" height="1152"></figure>All of them were really into these activities, and they had to create WhatsApp or Facebook groups for such discussions, but now platforms see these needs and add this functionality. Interestingly, it doesn't matter if the platform is big or small; community chat, comment section, and in-app live-video streaming can be added on any platform with a topic to discuss, and users are interested in such discussions.&nbsp;<blockquote>“Engaging with your audience shows you value their input and are willing to evolve based on their needs.” <a style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescommunicationscouncil/2024/10/01/the-power-of-community-how-fashion-brands-are-building-loyalty-among-gen-z/">Forbes, October 2024</a></blockquote>***Sources<ul><li>Enhance your platform with in-app social tools and personalised widgets to meet users' needs, stay on trend, and increase engagement. Contact us or fill out the form below. We'll help you find the best solution!</li><li>The Power Of Community: How Fashion Brands Are Building Loyalty Among Gen Z &nbsp;| <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescommunicationscouncil/2024/10/01/the-power-of-community-how-fashion-brands-are-building-loyalty-among-gen-z/">Forbes</a></li><li>From ripples to waves: The transformational power of tokenizing assets | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/from-ripples-to-waves-the-transformational-power-of-tokenizing-assets">McKinsey &amp; Company</a></li><li>Localization of data privacy regulations creates competitive opportunities | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/risk-and-resilience/our-insights/localization-of-data-privacy-regulations-creates-competitive-opportunities">McKinsey &amp; Company</a></li><li>Where is the trend going in 2025? | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2024/10/23/82878-casino-gambling-or-betting-where-is-the-trend-going-in-2025">Yogonet</a></li><li>Gamification Market Report 2025 | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5767632/gamification-market-report?srsltid=AfmBOoriLrCKKC9ACzNqLmKaz2C0qktZwymWdVuvjaQz4lpnvIhnhN_1">Research and Market</a></li><li>The Age of AI Is Still in the Early Innings. These 3 Stocks Will Keep Winning | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/ai-technology-stocks-d289e665">Barron's</a></li><li>Deloitte Global’s 2025 Predictions Report: Generative AI: Paving the Way for a transformative future in Technology, Media, and Telecommunications | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.deloitte.com/cbc/en/about/press-room/deloitte-globals-2025-predictions-report.html">Deloiite</a></li></ul>

How to use interactive consumption content pattern to boost the platform usage?

Boost content engagement with integrated community chats and interactive tools. Audiences of all ages now seek interaction through mobile devices, gaming, and second-screen strategies. Increase retention with live chats and gamification features.

​​​​Who enjoys the interaction while consuming content? Spoiler: Not just Gen Z

Who enjoys the interaction while consuming content? Who finds classical TV broadcasting a bit outdated and struggling for interaction while watching news, shows, and sports, applying to their smartphones and other mobile devices? Who adores interacting with a gamer before gaming themselves? The popular answer to this question is Gen Z, but this answer looks a bit outdated.&nbsp;When Gen Zers became a goal of entertaining companies, patterns with high levels of engagement and interactions appeared. However, patterns quickly spread around users and viewers of different ages and generations. As discussed during the ‘The Future of Content Viewing’ talk at the IBC summit this year in Amsterdam, talking about YouTube users as only young people is a mistake. That’s just a cliche; if you use it, you just avoid statistics and big data provided quite widely.Yet, if the cause differs, conclusions stay the same and even become more critical. Suppose such a pattern is widespread and applied by various people. In that case, services and brands must meet these needs through communication strategies and product development.Let’s look at various cases of such content viewing to realise how platforms can use this new habit for the greater good of both the business and the users.<h3>Boost games with social interaction</h3>There are different ways for games: from video games to iGaming, from single-player games to group and public ones. All of them can be enhanced with a high level of interaction while gaming, if we are talking about group games, and observing other players’ games, or between games, considering single-player games. This player can comment on their actions with audio or video, while other users comment on a chat with text, stickers, emojis, and gifs. Twitch, it seems like a video stream with commenting actions is a more customary and convenient approach, but we can argue that audio is much simpler. Streamers don’t need to prepare much for the technical part or, for example, their appearance; if the game is simple, they can play and comment from any place they locate in a moment. Also, their audio won’t distract users from the game when the video stream is too complete, content itself and sometimes can be very distracting from the main content we want users to pay attention to. At the same time, they can like, share, comment and respond to the streamer and the game process; this is engaging and sticky: users share their emotions here and are more likely to come back to your platform/app as they used to come back to Twitch and YouTube.&nbsp;How to do itYou can add audio or video streams with a chat to your platform with any type of game. Your gamers will provide streams to their gaming process, which will accumulate more users. Particular gamers can gather communities with the habit of consuming gaming content on your platform.<h3>Enhance watching of sports with dynamic interactivity and after-messengers habit</h3>Mobile-first and mobile-only audiences are growing, at the same time, the same audience watches programmes on TV because of traditions, habits, collective watching, and coverage. For example, some significant sports games and popular reality shows are broadcasted exclusively on TV. Such viewers lack attention to the TV screen and consume mobile content while watching TV. So, the goal for such an audience is to ‘keep their attention to the main content. It can be achieved with several tools. The first and primary is a second-screen approach: if viewers want to use their mobile phones while watching TV, you can provide them with this opportunity with a link to the main content. They can chat and discuss what’s going on in the main content; in this case, the second screen will be used as a community-building tool. Also, the second-screen approach helps to provide additional content for viewers, such as polls, quizzes, trivia, and bots that enhance the watching experience and focus the viewers’ attention on the content even when they would love to be distracted by their phones.How to do itThere are simple and more complicated ways. The easiest one is to connect a big screen to a mobile phone by scanning a QR code. So, users can scan QR on a TV screen and get into the chat as a specific mobile page or into your main app with additional features, polls, and tools for communications. The next level is to connect these devices in both directions: when users get into mobile by scanning something on the big screen, then they can send something to this screen: it can be some moderated messages, stickers, or emojis, which will be shown as a feed, or poll results.<h3>Grow retention with specific tournaments and rewards</h3>When users play on your platform, watch something, or use your app in any other ways but regularly, spending much time there, they wish to be noticed, and they wish to be entertained. Such a desire is also connected with gaming as it is: people get used to getting rewards even for the activities they like. Because of that, you can use gamification mechanics for users by assigning them different badges and achievements. But what does it mean if they can not show off with their rewards? It returns us to the talk about the community. Even achievements work better and give more joy to their owners if other users can see them and comment. Also, users value specific and exclusive things like special stickers, emojis, or new opportunities, with the usage of tools unavailable to most other community members. Users become sticky to the service if they get something there—you don’t want to throw away something you achieve.How to do itYou can add an opportunity for users to communicate in community chat, show their achievements there, and reward them with specific stickers. When you award users with badges, it is necessary to show the others how to get such a badge and stimulate them to take the target actions.*There are many opportunities to give users tools and ways to communicate how they got used to doing so. Variants depend on the type of content on your platform and the results you want to achieve. However, you should remember that retention is a crucial metric for almost all platforms, and successfully integrated community-building solutions grow it in any case.***<a style="color:inherit;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/form">Connect with us</a>&nbsp;if you plan to integrate or develop in-app social tools for real-time communication. We will help you find the most suitable solution.

When was the last time you watched or listened to a live stream? Do you do it regularly?

Learn about the different user motivations and platform-specific interactions during live streaming, and why video and audio streaming integration on your platform can significantly boost engagement, retention, and revenue.

Internal audio and video streams: Let's delve into the most interactive type of content

Platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Steam have become integral to our digital habits, where participating in and consuming live streams is more than just a trend—it's a routine. When a new game is released, many users prefer watching others play before purchasing it. Often, users are uncertain about engaging with content, playing, or buying a game, but they are eager to see how others experience it, feel about it, and what they think.Users' attitudes towards participation in streams vary widely. Understanding these differences is key to exploring the specific uses and gratifications that attract new viewers to streaming sites.<h3>What are the motives for watching streams? Types of users according to their goals</h3>In our participatory culture, digital users increasingly feel the necessity to interact with the content they consume. Live video streaming, particularly of gaming or watching processes, is one of the most interactive forms of content. Analysing these interactions offers valuable insights into user consumption behaviour, emotional involvement, and audience engagement.Emotional involvement is crucial for platforms to build strong connections with their audiences and foster loyalty. Meanwhile, user interaction is a major factor in attracting and retaining viewers. Video Game Streaming (VGS) motivates viewers to actively engage with broadcasters and other co-viewers, sharing their passion and experiences with the game.﻿A study of 1,060 streams across video gaming and talent shows, provided by Xu, Wu and Zao for the study “Exploring viewer participation in online video game streaming” found that the streamer’s level, number of fans, and stream start time have little impact on real-time user interactions and comments. Frequent updates and the constant influx of new streamers have made audiences accustomed to seeing fresh faces, reducing the importance of a streamer’s level or fan count. Notably, female streamers received more real-time comments than male streamers, while the duration of a live stream had minimal negative effects on comments. The number of viewers, likes, and gifts all positively influenced real-time comments.Comparing game video streaming and talent show streaming revealed that the number of viewers had a stronger positive effect on real-time comments in-game streams. In talent shows, likes were a more powerful stimulus for real-time comments, unlike in-game streams where they had a less significant impact.Through a questionnaire study, provided by Sjöblom and Hamari for their article “Why do people watch others play video games,” five distinct types of motivations for using streaming platforms were identified: cognitive, affective, personal integrative, social integrative, and tension release. Information-seeking was positively associated with the amount of time users spent on the service and the number of individual streamers they watched. Social integrative motivations were the primary predictors of subscription behaviour.At the same time, Speed, Burnett, and Robinson divided users who interact with streamers into four groups:Try before you buyUsers who watch video streams for entertainment and making a final decision about a purchase.Antisocial viewersUsers who watch streams for entertainment but reject any other interactions.Loyal LurkersUsers who consume a variety of content related to their favourite streamers but are not interested in others.Social viewersThose who use the platform to create and support social communities with other streamers and viewers.Considering these groups, you can predict the stream's level of interaction and engagement and imagine how many users stay with the platform, how many stick to the particular streamer, and what share of users will be ready to buy content per product the stream is dedicated to.<h3>Differences in Streaming Across Various Platforms</h3>Three primary platforms for live video streaming are Twitch, Discord, and YouTube. However, each of these platforms serves a different purpose, even at the most fundamental level. Twitch is a dedicated streaming service designed to enable individuals to broadcast live content to others. On the other hand, Discord began as an instant messaging app tailored for gamers, allowing them to communicate through text and voice while gaming. Then, the platform developed other functions for community activities, such as co-watching YouTube videos via Discord. YouTube, primarily known as a video-sharing platform, is the most public and traditional of the three. As a result, both users and streamers have different expectations and goals when using these platforms, even though they may all seek to deliver a similar live-streaming experience.When discussing Discord, it’s important to mention audio streaming, which is a unique and intriguing avenue for platforms, users, and streamers.Audio streams require significantly less energy, time, technology (such as OBS), and financial investment compared to video streams. While audio streams can be just as interactive as video streams, they have their own specific characteristics and cannot be used in exactly the same way. One example is the Clubhouse app, where users were able to join groups to discuss topics via voice. However, it didn’t gain long-term traction because users lacked pre-planned topics or events, making it challenging to continuously generate new themes for discussions.<iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fOkNd4y57YU?showinfo=0"></iframe>Despite the ease of use associated with audio streams, streamers still need to invest effort into creating engaging content. If streamers are willing to dedicate more attention to this medium, audio streams can serve as open podcasts. One of the simplest formats could be live commentary on various types of content, such as sports games or films, where influencers can rewatch movies with their audience and provide real-time commentary without worrying about their appearance.Additionally, major social media platforms like Instagram offer streaming capabilities, notifying all of a streamer’s followers when a stream begins. This is effective for both streamers and the social media platform itself. However, a key question remains: how does this benefit the platform that pays the streamer?&nbsp;<h3>Why Hosting Streams on Your Platform is Beneficial</h3>For companies, hosting streams on their own platform rather than relying on third-party services like Twitch or YouTube offers several advantages. First, it keeps the audience within your ecosystem, which boosts engagement and retention rates. For example, brands that integrate live streaming into websites or apps often see a 20-30% increase in user engagement and a similar boost in user retention compared to those relying on external platforms. Additionally, owning the streaming platform allows you to monetise content directly, capturing 100% of the revenue from ads, subscriptions, and virtual goods. It also strengthens brand loyalty, as users associate the streaming experience with your brand rather than a third-party service.Finally, having direct control over the streaming environment enables better data collection and analysis. This allows companies to refine their content strategies and improve user experiences based on real-time feedback and interactions, and it provides an absolutely trustful space that cannot be guaranteed by social media platforms.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/ai-tools-to-protect-athletes-and-users-watchers-moderation-approach">Read about social media and trusted spaces during sports tournaments</a>***If you want to integrate community-building tools for real-time communication or use in-app live streaming to get first-party data from users,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/form">connect with us</a>. We will help you&nbsp;find the most suitable solution.

What content matches perfectly for second-screen, and why is this solution so important for television today?

Second-screen solutions became a natural part of video consumption and influenced the appearance of social TV phenomena. What content is a perfect match for a social screen? How can it be implemented quickly without any complicated developments?

Why We Never Stop Talking About Second Screens

It's interesting that the Super Bowl's experience with the second screen began over 10 years ago. Since 2010, marketers have realised that using short commercials for millions of dollars isn't as effective as interacting with them throughout the entire game. This realisation has led marketers and broadcasters to develop second-screen experiences for viewers and sports fans.Some early second-screen examples for the Super Bowl included Coca-Cola's Facebook fan page, Chevy's first Super Bowl-specific app with trivia and quizzes, and Arena's community live chat. These are just a few examples, and there were many more, with goals that were both similar and different depending on the platform and the type of video content the second screen complemented.James Blake, a researcher specialising in video consumption and social experiences, published a book highlighting that second screens are no longer an additional benefit but rather a natural part of the television flow and a necessary stream for TV viewers and their experience. If a TV channel, specific program, or commercial brand doesn't use the opportunity to engage viewers with a second screen, they risk losing them to social media or online stores that are not connected to the programs directly. After all, viewers are no longer glued to the TV screen.A significant amount of data from surveys indicates that 83% of TV viewers use their smartphones at least once while watching, and 43% of them tweet or post about the shows they watch on other social media platforms. This is significant data for broadcasters. Imagine a viewer who is a fan of a show like "Big Brother" or curling. This viewer watches episodes of Big Brother daily and every curling game they can find. They also post about their favourite shows and games on social media. However, their friends on social media, who are colleagues and gym buddies, may not be interested in these topics. As a result, the viewer's excitement goes unnoticed because they don't receive a reaction.Broadcasters can achieve a win-win situation by providing a second-screen solution for such a viewer. The broadcaster gains an even more loyal viewer who interacts while watching, not on Twitter, but on a pre-prepared platform that is part of the broadcast show. The viewer gains a dedicated audience for their emotions—a live chat room or social media page that gathers other fans of the show or curling enthusiasts. The high level of engagement here is essential and beneficial for both viewers and the channel. One of the best parts here is how easily such a solution can be implemented and how easily and seamlessly the viewer can dive into this experience.<h3>Perfect content for second-screen usage</h3>Live Sports EventsImplementing a second screen for significant sporting events is the most obvious solution. The more popular the game, the better, but it's not that important whether one million or one thousand viewers watch the game simultaneously. Even a thousand fans can build and drive a community full of energy and emotions. There are different ways to provide them with this opportunity. For example, the Israeli broadcaster used WhatsApp to gather all smartphone and football lovers in one place for the 2018 World Cup games. This case became a perfect example of using second-screen features to create a meaningful and collaborative viewing experience with significant engagement.However, there's one point to consider: users will use messaging apps regardless. Why not attract them to a second screen that is strongly linked to the broadcaster rather than something external like WhatsApp?﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿<img src="https://watchersweb-prod.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/f099a64b-d17b-4482-8381-65a7c9024709.png">In 2022, Watchers gathered viewers of the Olympics broadcaster in a chat created specifically for them. It wasn't a chat within the existing messenger app but a separate chat that opened in a browser, becoming something like a specific messenger just for this occasion. Users scanned a QR code on the screen while watching the game or during a commercial break to enter the chat. It was only open during the sports days (closing when the last game finished and reopening with the start of the first game the next day). This prevented the chat from becoming inactive, and viewers began to look forward not only to the games but also to the chat opening, starting from the second day of the project.Finally, the third opportunity is to gather TV viewers on this particular broadcaster's mobile app, which helps achieve the highest level of digitalisation and makes viewers multi-screen users.Reality TVWe used the example of Big Brother for a reason: reality shows are also a perfect match for the second screen. While sports games can significantly boost engagement in a short burst, reality shows typically last longer. Their viewers develop a habit of being connected to the show and its characters and participants and always have something to discuss. This content is also perfect for quizzes, polls, and additional games because, on the one hand, there's always a topic to discuss in a reality show, and on the other hand, there aren't many things happening all the time. Giving users the opportunity to do something else besides watching while still staying engaged with the content can be a great solution for your show and its fanbase. For example, the show "Love Island" created a specific app for viewers to use as a second screen. The app allowed viewers to participate in elimination votes during the broadcast, and the results affected the episodes of the show. The launch results were impressive: hundreds of thousands of app downloads, record-breaking viewer counts, and loads of positive feedback.<img src="https://watchersweb-prod.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/8cf3129d-1419-4cc9-9634-0bf2f0a6d6c7.jpeg">Talk Shows/Game Shows/Live EventsThese categories may not be as obvious as sports or as frequent as reality shows, but live events like elections or award shows can also be the perfect base for launching a second screen. While viewers might find it difficult to concentrate on the screen for the entire duration of an all-day election broadcast or an awards ceremony that lasts all night, these events are still significant. As a broadcaster, you want to get the most out of them. Gathering viewers on a digital screen keeps them engaged and within the broadcast event's sphere. It also helps keep them updated and provides them with an interlocutor to discuss the winner without waiting for the morning. This fosters a sense of community and makes them feel like they are part of the event itself.***The second screen has become so crucial that a new term, "social TV," has emerged. It's defined as the use of communication technology to connect television viewers in order to create shared experiences around television content remotely. This includes communicating with others while watching television. Social TV situations significantly impact how viewers form opinions about the content of broadcasts, even if it comes at the expense of shaping an independent position or opinion. In the streaming and social media era, forcing people to form opinions about your content and discuss it can be quite challenging. Therefore, avoiding such easy-to-use technology can be a big mistake.***Contact us if you want to implement a second screen on a TV channel, sports platform, or other service to enhance the user experience through social-building tools and real-time communications.***For writing this article, we used the materials from:"Social Second Screen: WhatsApp and Watching the World&nbsp;Cup," by Dana Weimann-Saks, Yaron Ariel, and Vered Elishar-Malka, 2019

Community chats are integrated with the Icelandic live-streaming platform and help direct and engaging communication between hosts and their audiences.

Livey: Chats for pay-per-view live streaming

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watch.livey.events/">Livey</a> is a pay-per-view live streaming platform for content creators. Creators can host live streaming events through Livey and monetise their content. The audience watches content also on the Livey platform: so you can find there both the back office for creators and a catalogue of videos for viewers.&nbsp;The platform is based in Iceland, available in Icelandic and English.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1920/1428;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/e4682606-0ddb-453f-84d2-7d673f49321e.png" width="1920" height="1428"></figure><h2>What we have provided for Livey</h2><ul><li>Placed customised community chats to allow hosts and streamers to communicate with their viewers. The functionality is available on the web. Users can communicate via text, animated emoji, threads, and stickers. Chats are available only for participants of events: hosts have the admin rights (can moderate messages, pin important ones, publish polls), guests communicate as regular users.</li><li>Delivered tools for moderation, which provide a healthy space for users' conversations.</li><li>The tool for automatic translation is provided, allowing users who don’t speak the main language of the discussion to translate all messages in chats to their desired language.&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>User journey on Livey</h2><ul><li>Hosts start the stream and can communicate in a chat with their guests. All needed instruments are available right in a chat, including moderation tools for manual management and the opportunity to publish polls. So streamers don’t need to use any external platforms or links.</li><li>Users click the chat button and can engage with each other and with the host, ask streamers questions and share their emotions about the stream. They can reply to each other’s messages, start threads, and send stickers.</li></ul>Chats help keep users engaged during broadcasting and build connections between hosts and viewers.<h2>Get in touch</h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.35417vw;margin:0px 0px 1.30208vw;orphans:2;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">Please <a style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(87, 89, 255);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:inherit;font-weight:400;line-height:1.35417vw;margin:0px;outline:0px;overflow-wrap:break-word;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;transition:color 0.4s;vertical-align:baseline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your?month=2025-08"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">get in touch with us</a><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr"> if you'd like to integrate community chats with your website or app. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.