Streaming Media and Fan Communities in African Esports – Sikanku & Okeke (ERNC25) скачать в хорошем качестве

Streaming Media and Fan Communities in African Esports – Sikanku & Okeke (ERNC25)

This presentation by Gabriel Atsu Sikanku and Kenechukwu Okeke from Esports Africa News examines how streaming platforms, media practices, and fan communities are shaping the development of the African esports ecosystem. While regions such as North America, Europe, and East Asia have built sustainable esports economies through digital broadcasting, influencer culture, and fan monetisation, African esports continues to face structural and economic barriers in these areas. The presentation explores how media engagement and community infrastructure can support long term growth across the continent. Using a mixed methods approach, the study combines interviews with African esports players, streamers, and media producers, platform data analysis across major social and streaming services, and comparative case studies from Africa, Asia, North America, and traditional African football media. This approach provides a detailed overview of current media usage, audience engagement, and monetisation challenges. The findings highlight low rates of consistent tournament streaming, limited earnings for African streamers, and the dominance of mobile friendly social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Case studies demonstrate how locally adapted, community driven content strategies can still achieve significant reach despite infrastructural constraints. The presentation outlines key challenges, including data costs, connectivity, and limited monetisation tools, alongside opportunities such as localised content production, fan economy development, and partnerships with government and educational institutions. The study positions esports in Africa as a potential driver of economic innovation, youth empowerment, and cultural expression, arguing that sustainable growth depends on prioritising streaming, fan focused media, and community ecosystems. Keywords: streaming, media, fan communities, audience engagement, esports, Africa, sustainability About the ERN Conference 2025: The Esports Research Network Conference 2025 took place online from November 12–14, 2025 as a continuous, 72-hour global livestream. Guided by the theme “Future Realities: Esports as a Global Lab,” the event explored how esports serves as a living laboratory for understanding digital transformation across education, media, technology, and society. This innovative digital-first format followed the sun across three regional hubs, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania & Michigan State University (Americas), Staffordshire University (EMEA), and UNSW Sydney (Asia-Pacific), creating a nonstop, interconnected academic experience available to participants worldwide. This ambitious production was made possible through the support of Corsair for Business, whose Elgato technology powered high-quality broadcasting and seamless livestreaming across all three hubs. ERNC25 continues the network’s mission to unite scholars, practitioners, and students while fostering open, global collaboration in esports research. Full abstracts for all presentations can be viewed in the official Book of Abstracts at: https://book.esportsresearch.net Website: https://esportsresearch.net