When varying lockdown measures were imposed on almost every country worldwide back in March and April, esports and gaming were pushed to the forefront of entertainment.
Although many LAN events were cancelled, the competitions largely continued online and the attention on esports grew whilst sporting events and other leisure activities faced severe restrictions.
Now, with many restrictions being lifted, the team behind Streamcoi has decided to highlight the activities of esports organisations, the needs of streamers as well as its take on the growing potential of streaming, its challenges, and solutions.
Live streaming is becoming increasingly popular, but do you know how to maximise its potential?
When the world went under lockdown, the importance of live streaming became increasingly apparent. On Twitch alone there were 3.5M new streamers in Q1 2020, and this growth translated to an increase in the number of hours watched from 3.1 billion in January this year to a whopping 5 billion in May. During times when the majority of tournaments are being cancelled or shifted to an online-only format, it is often the streamers that play a pivotal part in realising sponsorship commitments for esports organisations and marketing agencies.
We are witnessing the emergence of streaming networks whose rosters include the most prominent influencers. One such example is Team CORSAIR which is powered by 102 streamers, all of whom support the brand as part of an international partnership programme. Another example is the Giants organisation, which has 57 streamers on Twitch – a combination of professional players as well as content creators. Managing such a network, despite being a very potent marketing tool, poses its own significant challenges.
Philipp Neubauer, CMO at BIG Clan, told Esports Insider: “We have 22 streamers, many of whom are professional players, others are creators for BIG who we market as an agency. Managing streamers is always a lot of work, and if you have to do certain things three or four times with each streamer then it becomes very time-consuming. Fortunately, tools like Streamcoi enable us to run animated campaigns on our streams that are set up remotely.”
Live streaming opens up new tournament possibilities
An increasingly popular concept that is gaining momentum is tournaments held by streamers, where viewers can watch content from the perspective of multiple participants. This allows the organisers to obtain an audience from multiple countries and significantly increase the event’s reach. One such event was the G2 Valorant European Brawl which was organised a second time following its initial success.
The event consisted of streamers from popular esports organisation G2 Esports, as well as guests from around the world. Although they’re really popular, these events are an operational challenge for both organisers and participants because providing high-quality content from each stream is a difficult task.
The key is to manage multiple streamers simultaneously
Banner placement, chatbot configurations, and other organisational challenges require opening a dialogue with each streamer. With 10 streamers that’s a full-time job and with 100 streamers it is an impossible feat. The whole process of managing several streamers is time-consuming and complex. Despite the fact that streamers are delivering a solid performance with their viewership numbers, their reporting is rarely accurate because platforms report statistics for the entirety of a stream rather than statistics that are relevant to specific content.
To aid managers in making better-informed decisions, we are seeing the emergence of tools that can significantly simplify the process of managing a network of streamers. Streamcoi is one such tool that enables managers to oversee and organise streamers through one simple dashboard in order to monetise their content with an innovative approach.
Jakub Janaszek, Brand Manager at Streamcoi, added: “Over the last few years, I was involved in organising esports events where I would work closely with the players and managers. During such events, it is crucial to let the players focus on their game, but at the same time, they are expected to realise their contractual commitments. In today’s world, a player’s stream is their stage and managers should take care of the content which appears on that stage.”
One simple dashboard to maximise the potential of a network of streamers
Streamcoi enables individuals to display content and chat messages on multiple streams simultaneously, without involving streamers themselves. Thanks to such an approach, a manager can quickly realise partnership campaigns with as few or as many streamers as they wish. A simple dashboard allows managers to take control over a network of streamers, obtaining comprehensive data for partners and last but not least, the dashboard allows streamers to focus on what they do best – streaming.
One organisation that decided to try such an approach is BIG. The German organisation is running campaigns for six partners in addition to advertising its own merchandise. Displaying interactive content that does not interfere with a streamer’s gameplay, coupled with a link in the chat, allows the management and partners of BIG Clan to minimise their admin time and enjoy detailed performance statistics in real-time.
Until the end of this year, readers can use code: ‘Esports Insider’ for three months of free access to Streamcoi as well as comprehensive support from an account manager during the configuration and setting up of a campaign. Find out more here.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored piece by Streamcoi, to learn more visit its website