Part 4: Airing eSports Events on Your Sports Bar’s TVs

Ok, so you’re onboard and ready to show streaming eSports at your sports bar, but how do you do that? We’re glad you asked.

There are two basic elements to providing streaming eSports at your location — the device and the content source. We’ll review both and give you the tools you need to get rolling. It’s also important to note that the amount of streaming eSports available via traditional inline broadcasting has increased dramatically in the past few years. When you are done, you’ll know how to access it all and from there it’s up to you how to proceed.

What are My Device Options?

Let’s start with the devices for streaming eSports. This is way less complicated that you may think, but it does require some consideration of how you will access the programming. Start by determining your TV configuration. This is crucial to the choices you will make for device and service. We describe each specifically below and will review how they impact each device type we review.

Those of you that have a matrix system will be able to add pretty much any source (device) to your system and send that signal anywhere you want in your restaurant. However, if you have a modulated system, you may opt to locally connect a device to the TV on which you display the content. Finally, a peer-to-peer system (one TV, one receiver/device) requires that you only deliver content directly to the TV with a single device.

TV Casting

eSports TV Casting tips

The use of casting is a simple method to expand your ability to show all streaming, including eSports events. It requires a device like an Apple TV box (or Apple TV enabled monitor) or a Google Chromecast device to access it. From there, you send the content to the device via the built in systems on your Apple Computer, iPad or Chrome browser to the device connected to either your matrix system or a specific TV.

There’s a clear advantage here for Chromecast, because you can use your computer and open multiple browser windows to send a signals to more than one device. This gives you greater flexibility on the programming options, since it allows you to show more than one event at a time (think matrix system through casting). AppleTV devices rely on the base device for the connection and not a browser which limits them to one stream per Apple TV and paired Apple device (think of a peer-to-peer, but for casting).

Casting is a powerful option even if it’s to a single TV, because it allows you to send a signal to a TV without having to do any expensive wiring or reconfigure your A/V systems. There is a requirement that you have a decent internet connection and computer that you can dedicate to be the source, but those are fairly easy hurdles to overcome.

OTT Devices

OTT Sports Providers Directory for Sports Bars

Over-the-top (OTT) devices deliver aggregated streaming content via a third-party platform. Employing platform based devices like Roku or Amazon Fire is also a solid option if you want to display streaming eSports (or regular streaming sports for that matter) onto TVs in your restaurant. Once again, these function fine in any of the three A/V configurations you may have installed at your location. However, they absolutely function best on a matrix system, because that infrastructure allows you to send the signal wherever you want in your building.

With any of the well-established device/content providers, you will have access to some streaming eSports content, but may likely need to access a browser using them to navigate to streaming only. We will be discussing where you can view live eSports streaming content providers later, but suffice to say, none of these platforms makes it easy unless they own the content.

For example Amazon owns Twitch, the premier provider of gaming content on the web, so it’s easy to access that content on their platform. Whereas to show Twitch on Apple TV you can only do so via casting, as we discusses above. The same is true for Google TV and Roku. So if you want Twitch and are using an OTT device, you can only access it via the Amazon Fire platform.

Laptop/Do-it-Yourself

eSports device to device sports bar connection

This is the format that allows total flexibility in accessing content, but isn’t best with the peer-to-peer configuration. Consequently, your A/V infrastructure will influence the extent you can distribute it. For example, a Netbook connected to a matrix system allows you to show any event that is available via stream and distribute it to any TV in your location.

In peer-to-peer configuration, you can employ an HDMI dongle device that is attached to an individual TV. You can access an internet browser with most of them and also show regular web based streaming. The dongle can work in a matrix or modulated system as well with no trouble. Both of these devices mean you are using a web browser to content the eSports streams your guests want to view.

What are My eSports Content Options?

eSports content for sports bars

If you believe the “crowd,” the following sites are the best places to find live streaming eSports. We have noted their most popular game content:

  1. Twitch – Overwatch, League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Fortnite and everything else you can imagine.
  2. MLG – Call of Duty, Overwatch, Gears of War
  3. Huya – Overwatch
  4. Douyu – It is the biggest platform in China
  5. Smashcast – StarCraft, League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Grand Theft Auto
  6. DLive – Apex Legends, League of Legends, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, Dead by Daylight
  7. Streamago – Various
  8. Mixer – Various

These sites do more than just show championship quality tournament play; they also allow you to cast your own programming directly onto a stream. This is a fun thing if you are actually hosting eSports competitions because you can share the live stream of the matches and invite folks to watch them live or for the participants to view later.

As far as shear volume of streaming eSports content is concerned, Twitch.tv is, by far, the leader in streaming programs. Their purchase by Amazon has made them both the largest and the most accessible version of these sites. By that fact alone, if should also tilt your device choice to one that gives you easy access to it. Consequently, any Amazon Fire device is your best bet. You can buy a few different versions that will be compatible with any A/V configuration.

In the final analysis, showing streaming eSports isn’t hard if you focus just a modicum of attention on it. This primer gives you some solid steps to get you rolling, but it’s up to you to source the content that you want to feature. If you are more interested in real sports simulation games like Madden or NBA Y2K, it’s available as well impotenciastop.com. The only limit is on your imagination and how much effort you direct towards making the content available. As we have already demonstrated in this series, the market is there and waiting for you to give them a reason to stop by and watch.