Rebuilding a Sports Streaming Platform for High Performance

Sports streaming

Reengineering

Third-party API Integrations

Cloud migration

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Reengineering a sports streaming platform for better performance and more interactive user experience

The client
Our client is a sports media startup that provides engaging content and information about all kinds of sports. In 2012, they created a sports streaming platform to broadcast sports events with no ads, let users place bets on their favorite teams, and keep up with the latest sports news. The solution was highly appraised by the community and immediately became a success.
Challenges
But over time, our client faced technical challenges. First, their solution couldn't handle rapidly increasing traffic volumes, which was a major drawback in the highly competitive sports streaming market. Second, the platform’s users wanted to stream other sporting events, which weren’t available on the platform.

The company turned to Wetelo to achieve the following goals:

Re-build the web platform from scratch to improve its scalability
Provide integrations with live sports data platforms to extend the functionality

Tech audit to define how far to go with the re‑engineering

To gauge the extent of the necessary improvements, we began with a product discovery phase before diving into platform re‑engineering. This marked the initial stage of our client engagement process. During this phase, we conducted a technical audit and analyzed user feedback to guide our decision-making.

The company agreed to our suggestions and we started the development process from rebuilding the solution’s frontend and backend.

Based on the results of the discovery here’s what we suggested to our client:

New technologies
Update the platform’s frontend and backend to new technologies
API integration
Add third-party APIs to enable users to access more sports-related content
Cloud migration
Migrate to AWS to increase the platform’s scalability

Modernizing the tech stack with Node.js, Nest.js, and more for real-time data streaming

To make sure the platform offers a seamless, uninterrupted user experience for sports fans, we needed to use technologies that allow users to access live updates of sports scores, game stats, and other relevant data in real-time.

Nest.js was an optimal choice because it seamlessly integrated with WebSockets and had the ability to manage substantial data and traffic loads. With RabbitMQ, we could manage numerous message queues and store a large volume of messages in the database. Redis helped build a scalable infrastructure for real-time data streaming. Finally, WebSockets were needed to update online game results in real time.

To rebuild the backend, our developers used the following technologies:

Since WebSockets were required for the platform's backend, we found that Node.js was an ideal option to manage the connections. To build an engaging user interface and enhance performance, we rebuilt the frontend using React.js. Additionally, we selected Next.js to optimize the platform for SEO purposes.

The deliberate combination of these technologies resulted in improved productivity and high-quality video streaming on the platform. We managed to successfully implement real-time updates like sports scores and news, which significantly increased user engagement.

To support our tech stack on the backend, we used these technologies on the frontend:

Migrating to AWS to achieve greater scalability, cost savings, and advanced security

Sports streaming platforms can experience sudden spikes in traffic during live events like Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup, or Summer Olympics. To handle these traffic surges more effectively, we needed to move the platform to the cloud. Cloud service providers like AWS allow to automatically scale resources up and down as needed, without requiring significant upfront investments in infrastructure.

Plus, using cloud platforms is cost-efficient because they offer a pay-as-you-go model where companies only pay for the resources they use. This is particularly beneficial for our sports streaming platform, which may experience periods of low traffic during off-seasons or non-major events.

With their sports streaming platform now hosted on AWS, our client can quickly roll out new features and updates to keep up with user demands and competition.

They also get advanced security features, such as data encryption, access control, and threat detection – all while saving money on platform maintenance and avoiding low‑performance issues.

Integrating SportScore and FlashScore APIs for live sports data

SportScore

FlashScore

The sports streaming platform lacked sports data, which made it difficult for users to stay informed about the latest scores and events.

By integrating the SportScore API using Rapid, we were able to fill this gap and give users access to sports scores and regular season data. We also integrated the platform with FlashScore which provided more sports options, live scores, results, and statistics. This third-party integration allowed for a personalized user experience by enabling users to receive notifications when their favorite teams were playing.

Integrating live sports data from third party providers helped us improve the overall user experience and increase engagement on the platform.

Adding live score and expert predictions

To make the platform even more engaging and attract new customers, our client wanted to extend the platform’s functionality. Here are the features we added:

Live score

for users to seamlessly access the current live sports scores from all the competitions in the world in one click.

Predictions

from teams of experts who analyze athletic events, so that users can place their bets based on the experts’ opinions.

A fast, scalable, and engaging sports streaming platform

Sports streaming platform

Sports media

After our work was done, the client received an upgraded, more advanced sports streaming platform with features their users were craving for.

The new version allows users to stream their favorite sports at high speed without any performance drops. The platform is also much more interactive and engaging thanks to third-party integrations and real-time updates. Last but not least, thanks to migration to AWS, our client will no longer have to worry about traffic spikes or scalability issues.

All in all, we delivered a successful project and our collaboration with the client continues. Now we’re developing a mobile app that will bring new business opportunities and even better experience to the platform’s users.