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.

Ably CEO, Matthew O'Riordan, recently joined sports and media veteran, Carlo De Marchis, on his podcast ("A Guy with a Scarf") to discuss the dynamic world of realtime fan engagement in sports and entertainment. In the interview, Matt and Carlo cover the evolution of realtime applications and how the changing expectations of fans, particularly younger generations, are shaping the future of fan engagement. Watch the full interview, including Matt’s predictions for the future of this space.

At Ably, we provide a realtime messaging service that aims to deliver messages between globally-distributed participants with the lowest latency possible. When powering apps that enable realtime collaboration, or require time-critical updates, low and consistent latency is essential.

Kafka is often chosen as a solution for realtime data streaming because it is highly scalable, fault-tolerant, and can operate with low latency even under high load. This has made it popular for companies in the fan engagement space, and where transactional data is used (e.g. betting) as low latency ensures that actions and responses happen quickly, maintaining the fluidity and immediacy of the experience.

We’ve had the privilege of working with a wide range of customers including global retailers, CRM vendors, sports franchises, creators, entertainers, and broadcasters - from HubSpot and SportsBet, to 17Live and InvitePeople - providing them with reliable, scalable and low-latency chat. Ably Pub/Sub is already a fantastic fit for a variety of chat use cases.

We are thrilled to announce that we are transitioning from our legacy status page to a brand-new, upgraded one. This change is part of our ongoing commitment to provide Ably users with the best possible developer experience. Our legacy status page has served us well, but technology and customer needs are constantly evolving. We recognized the need for a platform that can keep pace with these changes and offer an improved experience.

Fan expectations pose an existential threat to fan-centric businesses. And that's because what it means to be a fan has changed. Fandom used to be watching the Monday night game on TV or getting tickets for a concert when your favorite artist rolled through town.

Today's fans crave realtime engagement. They want to feel the energy, participate in interactive features, and connect with the action - and the brand - beyond the screen. But here's the challenge: delays and a lack of engagement kill the excitement. Frustrated fans will seek out alternative platforms that deliver the immersive and rewarding experiences that they seek. One company helping brands deliver on these needs is LiveLike.

As a veteran of the sports media industry with 35 years of experience at Deltatre, Carlo De Marchis recently delivered a thought-provoking keynote at our Fan Engagement Summit exploring the current state of fan engagement, the challenges faced by organizations, and the potential scenarios for the future of realtime fan engagement in sports and media. In the following video and post, Carlo shares what he presented at the Ably Summit with a re-recorded version of his presentation, and summary of key points.