There’s a good chance that if you’re over 25, the idea of watching someone play video games competitively is completely bizarre. But eSports are growing fast. 15 million people watched the DOTA 2 International in 2018, an annual tournament of the 5v5 strategy game. Twitch, the gaming-focused streaming service, where anyone can stream, and the most popular streamers have millions of subscribers, saw 560 billion minutes watched in 2018.
Over the next two years, streaming video is set to make up more than 85% of US consumers’ internet traffic, a great deal of which will be over mobile networks. This is clearly a challenge for operators—but also an opportunity. eSports revenue is projected to grow 32% to $905m this year— with no sign of slowing down. The growing army of eSports fans will be one of the big reasons a 5G mobile connection, which is approximately a hundred times faster than 4G, will be attractive to consumers.
No pain no gain
The growth of video represents a massive capacity challenge. By 2025, it’s predicted that the next generation of network technology will only reach 14% of the global market—therefore, operators must ensure that current networks are up to scratch to deal with the increase in traffic.
A slow or poor connection can cause viewers of video to suffer freezes and drop outs. This is a particular problem with sports, both virtual and not, because of the industries that surrounds them. Recently, esportsbets24.com received complaints from users who missed opportunities or lost money because of freezes and lag time.
If customers believe that their network provider cannot provide them with the quality of service they are looking for, this could be the catalyst that sends them to another provider who will promise them the speed they need.
Secret weapon
But operators can’t simply double networks capacity overnight to solve latency issues—getting the most out of current infrastructure in the interim will be key. To do this, it’s critical to analyze subscriber behavior in real time. Behavioral insights can shape the network for video platform content, based on where the usage will occur and when. Machine learning can be used to predict how video streaming will affect the service, and what should be provisioned to meet these needs. The value of analytics is not just about managing the network, it can drive the marketing department too—insights into subscribers’ behavior around streaming can help to create new products and services.
With advanced analytics solutions, operators can gain actionable insights and ensure the network runs smoothly despite high traffic peaks, and importantly without the latency that will affect video streaming. Whether it’s streaming a global sporting event—real or virtual—machine learning and heuristics, together with real-time digital analytics, can get deeper visibility into issues across the network. Armed with this intelligence, the operator can make adjustments to the network and service without compromising data security, privacy and, most importantly for the users, the stream of the game.
Real-time monitoring tools can be used to provide sufficient visibility of the traffic flow so that the network can effectively ‘self-identify’ the application service being used, for example streaming video on demand from specific gaming app in HD resolution. Armed with that knowledge, the operator can then apply modelling to understand how it should adjust the network to deliver the highest quality of experience.
The future of eSports
Whether you are watching or playing, eSports require vast quantities of capacity over networks, and operators need to put the tools in place to ensure customers don’t face problems. Currently, professional eSports players tend to rely on wired connections only, to make sure they have the lowest ping possible. In some games, such as Starcraft, the most skilled players can perform between 300 and 600 actions per minute (APM) —up to ten mouse clicks or keyboard presses every second. For mobile connections to be attractive to these demanding customers, latency must be as low as possible, as good as a wired connection. Increasingly, popular streaming games such as Fortnite are available on mobile platforms—but mobile networks have some way to go to tempt the top players away from being plugged in.
Machine learning and real-time data analytics can be used as a vital tool to enhance the network during the transition to 5G. And in a world of eSports, these improvements can ensure the highest quality of experience for its customers. Without this, it could all be game over for the provider.
