We are excited to announce that the Ably Chat SDK for JavaScript now includes support for custom contexts and hooks for React and React Native applications allowing developers working with these platforms to integrate chat features in an efficient and idiomatic way. Ably Chat is designed to meet a wide range of chat use cases, such as livestreams, in-game communication, customer support, or social interactions in SaaS products.

Today’s fans are global - often based across the world from their favorite team, sports star, or artist; and they are also virtual - for example, 99% of NBA fans across the world will probably never set foot in an arena. These trends are driving a shift in not only fan behaviors, but also expectations. Fans engaging in live events virtually rely on applications to deliver rich realtime experiences with such low latency and reliability that it can almost replace the in-person experience.