Exploring how community-based live chat has positively impacted the utility of various platforms and how to integrate it easily.

How and Why to Integrate Live Chat: Crucial Reasons and Simple Steps

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">On this page&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Why-Add-Community-Live-Chat-to-Your-Platform">Why Add Community Live Chat to Your Platform?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#Reclaim-Users-from-Social-Media">Reclaim Users from Social Media</a>&nbsp;<a href="#Differentiate-from-Competitors">Differentiate from Competitors</a>&nbsp;<a href="#Increase-Retention-Rates">Increase Retention Rates</a>&nbsp;<a href="#Understand-customers-needs-and-pains">Understand your customers’ needs and pains</a>&nbsp;<a href="#How-to-Implement-Live-Chat">How to Implement In-App Live Chat</a>&nbsp;<a href="#key-steps">Key Steps</a>&nbsp;<a href="#Get-in-Touch">Get in Touch</a>&nbsp;<hr style="margin-bottom:1vw;">User retention and engagement growth are among the most critical performance metrics for any digital platform. Research shows that improving customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by up to 95% (Bain &amp; Company). One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through community-based live chat features, which encourage users to connect, share experiences, and return regularly to your platform.Think of it as creating a digital coffee table — a place where your users naturally gather to discuss shared passions, whether it’s sports, language learning, or TV series. With the right tools, your platform becomes a hub of conversation, loyalty, and repeat engagement.<h2 id="Why-Add-Community-Live-Chat-to-Your-Platform">Why Add Community Live Chat to Your Platform?</h2><h3 id="Reclaim-Users-from-Social-Media">Reclaim Users from Social Media</h3>Businesses spend millions building audiences on social networks, but without in-app chat, users drift to external platforms to share their opinions. By implementing real-time chat functionality, you ensure conversations happen on your website or app, not on Facebook, X, or Instagram.<ul data-start="1518" data-end="1660"><li data-start="1518" data-end="1582">Users spend 2x longer on platforms with integrated chat.</li><li data-start="1583" data-end="1660"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232957437_Consumer_Engagement_in_a_Virtual_Brand_Community_An_Exploratory_Analysis">Engagement</a> increases by 30–40% when community features are available.</li></ul><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.laliga.com/en-GB/news/enjoy-the-clasico-with-la-liga-virtual-arena">A prime example is La Liga.</a> Despite millions of social media followers, La Liga struggled with limited access to first-party user data. By launching an app-based chat and “second-screen” experience via QR codes, they not only attracted fans directly to their app but also gained valuable behavioural insights. This move strengthened fan communities and boosted in-app retention rates significantly.<h3 id="Differentiate-from-Competitors">Differentiate from Competitors</h3>When users compare platforms, they choose the one offering the most interactive and engaging experience. Adding community live chat creates the same “stickiness” as social media — people log back in to check conversations, respond to mentions, and catch up with peers.<ul data-start="2392" data-end="2586"><li data-start="2392" data-end="2500">Platforms with unique social features report a 25% higher return rate compared to those without.</li><li data-start="2501" data-end="2586">Keeping users engaged in-app also reduces exposure to competitor advertising.</li></ul><h3 id="Increase-Retention-Rates">Increase Retention Rates</h3>The number one challenge for digital platforms is customer churn. Studies reveal that the average app loses 77% of daily active users (DAUs) within three days of installation. Community-based live chat directly combats this by encouraging frequent interaction, keeping users active and invested.<ul data-start="2934" data-end="3105"><li data-start="2934" data-end="3015">Retention improves <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.alexanderjarvis.com/what-is-community-engagement-index-in-ecommerce/#:~:text=You'll%20find%20that%20a,others%20into%20your%20business%20ecosystem.">by 15–20%</a> with integrated chat and community features.</li><li data-start="3016" data-end="3105">Users who feel part of a community are 3x more likely to remain loyal to a brand.</li></ul><h3 id="Understand-customers-needs-and-pains">Understand your customers’ needs and pains</h3>Traditional analytics and support tickets show limited behaviour patterns — usually focused on problems. Live chat provides authentic insights into user interests, habits, and needs.You can track:<ul data-start="3357" data-end="3485"><li data-start="3357" data-end="3402">Which topics spark the most conversation.</li><li data-start="3403" data-end="3441">When your audience is most active.</li><li data-start="3442" data-end="3485">How users engage with specific content.</li></ul>This allows you to refine your platform, create more relevant content, and build a data-driven engagement strategy.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1000/1000;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/474c51ed-5545-49df-859a-51c44d631984.png" width="1000" height="1000"></figure><h2 id="How-to-Implement-Live-Chat">How to Implement In-App Live Chat</h2>Launching a community chat feature doesn’t have to be complex. Using modern SDKs, chat APIs, and webview integrations, you can quickly add scalable live chat functionality without lengthy development cycles.<h3 id="key-steps">Key Steps:</h3><ol data-start="3892" data-end="4496"><li data-start="3892" data-end="4064">Define Chat Visibility&nbsp;Will chat be open to all visitors or only authenticated users? Similar to a paywall, you can require a login or a subscription to participate.</li><li data-start="4065" data-end="4177">Choose AuthenticationAllow users to chat under their platform profile or create anonymous nicknames.</li><li data-start="4178" data-end="4307">Set the Entry PointPlace chat where it drives the most value (homepage, event pages, video content, or live streams).</li><li data-start="4308" data-end="4496">Customise and ModerateTailor the chat design, enable moderation features, and integrate engagement tools like polls, quizzes, or interactive widgets to keep discussions lively.</li></ol>By following these steps, you can create an engaging community that drives user retention, improves brand loyalty, and enhances the overall experience on your platform. By keeping conversations inside your platform, you gain control over user behaviour insights, reduce churn, and strengthen your competitive edge.***<h2 id="Get-in-Touch">Get In Touch</h2><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your">Book a call</a> if you'd like to integrate in-app community chats with the high-level moderation system into your website, app, or game. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.</div>

You decided to add in-app chat and live-streaming. Now your turn to decide will you build or buy it?

Build or buy? Discover the pros and cons of in-house development vs. SaaS solutions for community chats, copy-betting, and live streaming. Learn how to optimize resources, reduce costs, and achieve faster results with the right approach for business.

Accumulated experience or lessons from mistakes: Buy or build social features for your platform?

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">Table of Contents&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#building-a-feature-in-house">Building a feature in-house</a><a href="#buying-saas">Buying SaaS</a><a href="#outcome">So, what’s the outcome?</a><a href="#get-in-touch">Get in Touch</a><hr></div>Many companies face a critical dilemma when implementing new functionalities, such as chats, copy-betting, and in-app live streaming, alongside their core product. Should they build the solution in-house with their own team or leverage a specialised B2B SaaS platform?<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2000/1332;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/3391ca97-9631-4d1c-b665-3f4af3812122.jpg" alt="is it better to build chat solution or buy a saas - introduction" width="2000" height="1332"></figure>There can be many potential advantages and disadvantages for both answers. We have discussed these two variants with numerous potential clients, and we have decided to provide more detailed guidance on making the right choice.<h2 id="building-a-feature-in-house">Building a feature in-house</h2>Companies that lean towards building in-house see the following reasons.1. Resource optimisationCompanies may believe they can distribute costs across existing team members without significantly increasing overhead.2. Strategic alignmentBuilding in-house ensures the solution aligns closely with the company’s vision and strategy, avoiding “not quite right” products from the market. People who build in-house perfectly know and understand the needs and peculiarities of the company and can build something unique and fit for their specific product.3. Developing internal expertiseCreating the product internally can gradually build valuable expertise within the team, so its members can support and maintain this service, not only building it but keeping it in its initial state.4. ControlRelying on in-house resources eliminates external risks like vendor market exit, ownership changes, or pricing shifts. Also, they know everything happening with the feature perfectly: all crushes and all good feedback. Complete control is usually the main reason (perhaps after finances) for building the solution in-house.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2000/1200;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/27ce3d71-5c57-42c3-8d1e-6ec3ab0a9e6f.jpg" alt="why building in-house can look as a good idea" width="2000" height="1200"></figure><h3>Reality check✅</h3>While the idea of the building seems appealing for control and alignment, the reality often unveils hidden challenges.Despite these arguments, building in-house comes with significant challenges.Specific expertise cannot be replacedWithout a dedicated team, the product often remains at the MVP stage and fails to deliver meaningful results.Risk of dilutionFocusing on secondary products can detract from the core offering, stretching resources thin or the opposite—your team always have more prior tasks, and the feature will be underdeveloped.Unpredictable outcomesExperimenting with new features involves a lengthy trial-and-error process, which consumes time and budget without guaranteeing success. Because this feature is new to you, you will face many unexpected problems.Escalating costsInitial development costs can balloon as the product requires continuous improvements to stay relevant.Delayed ROIEven in an optimistic scenario, a functional MVP takes more than half a year to complete, and tangible results may only appear after extensive testing and iteration, which often lasts well over a year.<h2 id="buying-saas">Buying SaaS</h2>Using a specialised B2B SaaS platform offers a range of benefits.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2438/1612;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/316640fe-b5d1-4bac-8326-86cd8c4a32d0.png" alt="what benefits could you get buying the saas solution" width="2438" height="1612"></figure>Access to the most relevant teamSaaS solutions are built and maintained by dedicated teams with deep expertise, often at a cost lower than assembling an in-house team.Leveraging сollective wisdomSaaS platforms incorporate feedback and best practices from numerous clients, ensuring a more refined and effective product from the start. So, you don’t need to learn from your mistakes: use accumulated experience.Cost PredictabilitySaaS comes with clear, manageable pricing structures, reducing financial uncertainty.Faster ResultsWith no lengthy development phase, SaaS users can implement a new feature in days and see measurable outcomes within weeks, not months or years.Flexibility to transitionIt’s possible to start with SaaS to test the waters and later switch to building in-house if the solution makes sense for your business.<h3>Reality check✅</h3>Different SaaS companies offer various business models and communication schemes. Thus, disadvantages can vary, from implementation difficulties to a lack of flexibility: not all details and wishes can be released, and not all improvements appear as soon as desired.<h2 id="outcome">As a result</h2>The choice between building in-house or buying a SaaS solution depends on your company’s priorities, resources, and timeline. Building offers control and alignment but often at the cost of time, focus, and escalating expenses. SaaS, on the other hand, provides a faster, more efficient path to results with access to expert insights and proven solutions.For most companies, starting with SaaS is a pragmatic approach, enabling rapid implementation and cost-effective scaling while leaving the door open for future in-house development if needed. However, you need to have a checklist with questions and choose a SaaS company that perfectly meets your needs and offers you the solution and features you and your end-users will be happy to try.<hr><h2 id="get-in-touch">Get in Touch</h2><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your">Book a call</a> if you'd like to integrate in-app community chats with the high-level moderation system into your website, app, or game. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.

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" 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" 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" 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" 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" 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" 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" 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" 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" href="https://www.deloitte.com/cbc/en/about/press-room/deloitte-globals-2025-predictions-report.html">Deloiite</a></li></ul>

Last month, we boosted opportunities for engagement, which you can get with our social platform at times, with two significant features.

Integrated in-app live streaming, AI bots and many other engaging tools for the content platforms...Learn more about Watchers SaaS product updates!

Live streaming and AI bots: share exciting new features we launched in October

<h2>Live Streaming Tools</h2>Even a month ago, you could use video in our chat only by redirecting video streams from other platforms; now, you can provide a live stream directly into chats, directing RTMP stream through OBS. Their video stream will be transmitted to the chat on your platform. You won’t lose your audience on Twitch, Discord, or Facebook Video because everything they need will be gathered on your platform exclusively.However, redirecting video streams is also possible if you got used to having such events on Kick or Facebook; you can easily embed this video into your in-app chats and gather maximum engagement there.<h2>Easy AI bots integration</h2>Do you have an AI bot, or are you developing one right now? You can add them to your community chats! It’s the best way to keep users busy and engaged and provide all the information they need. You can add any bots you wish via API and activate them at any time.&nbsp;<h2>Small adjustments</h2>There are many more options for a period of a ban: there are seven options now!The user counter works more precisely than ever.If users share their bet with a violent comment, the moderation system hides only the text, but the bet stays in a chat.Nickname block list: You can add words and phrases you would like to restrict users from adding to nicknames. Users will be able to text these words in messages but not in their names.Masking crypto wallet numbers: We used to mask only regular bank accounts and phone numbers, now crypto wallets.

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.

Watchers triumphed at the SiGMA East Europe Startup Pitch Competition, clinching the top prize with our innovative SaaS solution.

SaaS Watchers which integrates community chats to content platforms triumphed at the SiGMA East Europe Startup Pitch Competition, clinching the top prize with an  innovative solution.

Watchers Wins Top Prize at SiGMA East Europe Startup Pitch Competition in Budapest

Chosen from numerous industry startups, we had the opportunity to showcase our solution in Budapest and connect with investors, experts, and leading industry players among the six finalists.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1854/1052;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/858dacda-a5bb-4eeb-9826-b3039c9fddb7.png" width="1854" height="1052"></figure>On September 3rd, Alina Kuzo, Head of Content at Watchers, presented our company. The judging panel, consisting of Robert Duboff (Director at Velo Partners), Marianna Tavella (Chief Legal Officer at SiGMA Group), Harmen Brenninkmeijer (Managing Partner at NYCE International), Mariusz Gąsiewski (CEE Mobile Gaming &amp; Apps Lead at Google), Vinicius Moraes De Carvalho (Investment Partner at Ikigai Ventures), Vladimir Malakchi (CEO &amp; Managing Partner at Xanada Investments), and Jarek Bialek (CEO of Revenue Capital), selectedour pitch and solution as the best.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1786/1102;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/3dc379f8-b30a-4db9-99ea-f537a6ca1c29.png" width="1786" height="1102"></figure>The SiGMA East Europe Summit (September 2-4) brought together a vibrant community of providers, experts, operators, and investors. It is a significant platform for market leaders to network and explore the latest trends and technologies.

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.

Ensuring trust and safety in online environments is paramount in today’s digital age. We constantly develop moderation systems to guarantee a pleasant user experience without any issues. Our moderation system contains four layers and is suitable for 

AI tools for moderation to protect your users and make integrated community chats safe are great, but when they work together with users' moderation tools and convenient back office for in-flight human moderation, it becomes just the best solution

Four-layer moderation system for the most trusted space

We consider the differences between various industries and establish a moderation system that is suitable for all our partners, allowing end-users to feel safe and free.<h3>Four levels of moderation</h3><h2>Blocking lists, masking of sensitive data, and some extra tools for the spam-free area</h2>The first moderation layer is based on lists of words, phrases, and links. It is the simplest yet effective way to prevent users from sending generally violent lexicon or competitors' names. To prevent spam, you can restrict sending links to a chat. To avoid sharing private data—any phone numbers—we also mask phone numbers, bank accounts, cars, and crypto wallet numbers to protect users from fraud.The benefit of blocking lists is that they can be updated at any time, and adding new items after the launch is possible. The default stop lists are prepared for different languages and activated when we receive the GET parameter with the user interface language.<h2>AI-powered tools for text and pictures</h2>The AI moderation system checks all messages sent to a chat in 10 ms. It automatically takes predetermined moderation actions when it detects content that matches criteria set in rules, such as profanity, hate speech, sexual content, self-harm, politics, fraud, etc. The tool automatically hides all messages that match the criteria, with a mark indicating the reason for hiding. Additionally, the AI tool flags such messages on the admin panel, allowing in-flight moderators, if necessary, to focus on rule breakers who posted these messages or send such issues to the CRM system.This tool can be used for preventing self-harm, for example, in the context of responsible betting. If the system identifies messages that could be interpreted as potential self-harm content, these messages can be forwarded to the CRM system for a ticket to resolve the issue, potentially blocking access to betting. Chats can be crucial for responsible betting because the main platform sees what is really happening with users and what they have on their minds. Moderation helps you keep chats clean while staying in touch with users and always knowing what they want, doubt, plan, and think about your platform.<h2>Users’ moderation</h2>People have become accustomed to using social media to make their personal space comfortable and friendly. Users who see offensive messages tend to report such content, delete inappropriate posts and comments, and block their authors from their feeds and private space. So, we allow users to report messages and rule breakers and hide and block them. Users can block other users if they don’t like each other. Both can continue to communicate in a chat but won’t see each other's messages.Tools for human in-flight moderationThe first three layers cover 97% of violations in a chat, but if you need a chat which is 100% clean, we provide convenient tools for in-flight moderation. Moderators can hide messages, flagged by AI, ban users, and check how often particular users break the rules. Moderators also review user reports and transmit technical issues to the CRM system, which helps users feel safe on different levels.<h3>All levels are responsible for different benefits and advantages</h3>Pre-moderation is easily customised. Platforms can tailor their own rules to fit community standards and cultural sensitivities, considering habits and possible violations on the platform. AI tools support scalability: regardless of the number of users and messages gathered on the platform, AI processes all content at the same speed and with the same high quality. AI helps to reduce routine tasks for human moderators by handling violations of the same type, allowing human moderators to focus on more challenging tasks or nuances. AI, combined with in-flight moderation, enables real-time moderation, ensuring users do not encounter any violations in the chat, as all examples of profanity are caught by AI or human intervention.Coverage for all nuances: users’ moderation tools protect individual preferences and help them maintain a good mood. If someone cheers for a different football team, users can simply hide such fans for themselves, and everyone is content.<h3>What about chat rules?</h3>We have a default scope of universal chat rules for all domains and platforms; however, they can be customised for each platform along with the settings of AI tools. Regular chat rules include the following restrictions:What is prohibited?- Obscene and inappropriate language, socially inappropriate/unacceptable words or phrases, as well as abuse, swearing, and hostile remarksCursing, vulgar and offensive language aimed at denigrating the honour and dignity of other users are all prohibited. By hostile remarks, we mean messages aimed at offending people because of their race or ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability or illness, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation.Aggressive or degrading statements, harmful stereotypes, and statements referring to the inferiority of others are prohibited. Harmful stereotypes, which mean degrading comparisons, are also forbidden. Speech that degrades human dignity through comparison, generalization, or behaviour description is also forbidden.- Flooding and advertisements- Threats- Private dataIt is forbidden to send phone numbers, addresses, IDs, any other document data, bank card details, etc.—whether users' own data or that of others.- Fraud and begging- Cybersecurity breachesAny attempts to gather users’ confidential information or data or to gain unauthorized access to a service, product, or platform are forbidden.- Nicknames/usernames containing anything restricted by any of these rules are forbidden. Also, you can activate a tool that will check users' nicknames from the main platform’s profiles.- Political and sexualized provocationsPropaganda and any provocative content are forbidden.<h3>Threshold for violations</h3>All of these topics and threads can be settings specifically for AI tools. The default threshold for marking such a message is 75%. This means that if AI tools are 75% certain about the existence of one of the threats in a message, it will be flagged and, if suitable, hidden automatically. However, if you have a more sensitive thread for your platform, you can decrease the entry threshold for such a violation and flag it even with 30 or 40% certainty. So, if even a hint of sexual issues or self-harm is inappropriate, add the low threshold for these topics, and AI will catch all possible variations and even veiled messages in this area.

Blog with tag: technology