5G’s capacity to connect vastly more devices at low latency than previous protocols has long been heralded as a home run for in-arena live sports streaming experiences, though its predicted impact on contribution, distribution, play-by-play prop betting, and other rapid-fire interactions has not always been readily apparent. Has the promised 5G future finally arrived for live streaming delivery? Where is 5G making a splash, where are the untapped opportunities, how can stakeholders strategically leverage them, and where do the roadblocks remain?

In the wake of the “Streaming Olympics” and a series of eye-popping premium sports licensing deals, what remains to hold sports streaming back from surpassing linear broadcast sports? This panel examines the state of sports streaming and its day-to-day challenges, how tech debt and technological shortcomings directly impact monetization, and what emerging innovations in 2025 will help everyone, from video tech teams to revenue and ad operations, to better manage large tentpole events as the viewership shifts from linear to digital and on a variety of streaming platforms.

The growth of highly interactive streaming genres such as gaming, auctions, and sports betting has put pressure on networks while increasing the need to integrate interactivity and heightened engagement into more traditional methods of content delivery. With the challenges organizations face to ensure that their users have the smoothest and most dynamic interactive streaming experiences, and the additional investment in delivery infrastructure required as those experiences scale, how can streamers deliver ROI from interactive streaming every time?