According to a recent report by Streaming Media, “Current Trends in Ultra-Low Latency

Interactive Live Streaming”, the streaming industry is experiencing a shift toward live streaming-first workflows, with a focus on low latency, hardware acceleration, and hybrid infrastructure. This shift is principally driven by the increasing demand for real-time interactivity in applications such as video conferencing, e-sports and live betting. The report also highlights how 1080p continues to dominate over 4K, how “green streaming” is becoming a key consideration, and looks at future trends in live streaming over the next couple of years. This research provides valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities in delivering high-quality, ultra-low-latency streaming at scale, helping industry leaders make informed decisions about the kinds of solutions they employ today and in the future. 

In this post, we dig into some of the highlights and conclusions from Streaming Media’s recent report, to see how the industry is looking and what viewers expect from live streaming services as we enter boldly into 2025. 

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1080p dominance over 4K

Despite the ongoing developments in 4K streaming technology, it appears that 1080p (Full HD) remains the most popular resolution for live streaming. While 4K is often seen as the gold standard for high-quality video, practical challenges related to bandwidth, hardware efficiency and cost have kept 1080p firmly in the top spot as the preferred resolution for most streaming strategies. Unsurprisingly, 4K streams require significantly more bandwidth than 1080p streams, almost four times as much, in fact. Many regions and networks simply lack the capacity to support seamless 4K streaming at scale, making 1080p a much more reliable option for global audiences. 

What’s more, according to Streaming Media’s report, viewers are increasingly likely to consume content from a mobile device, such as a phone, tablet or laptop, which have lower-resolution displays. This makes it difficult for viewers to appreciate the resolution benefits provided by 4K, and coupled with the fact that streaming services struggle to see a strong return on investment, 4K is no longer a priority. For now, 1080p is here to stay as a more practical, scalable and cost-effective choice for low latency, real-time streaming. 

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Top applications for low latency live streaming

Ultra-low-latency live streaming, defined as streams with less than 200 milliseconds of delay, is no longer a luxury, but a necessity, for many industries. According to the Streaming Media report, it's the sectors that rely on real-time interactivity that benefit the most from this technology. Web conferencing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams depend on ultra-low latency to make sure that conversations are smooth and free from awkward delays. E-sports and online gaming are another sector that demands near-instant responsiveness, especially in competitive environments where even a slight lag can impact play and audience engagement. 

Beyond entertainment, ultra-low-latency live streams are hugely important for industries where time is of the essence. Live betting and wagering require real-time synchronization to prevent unfair advantages caused by streaming delays; trading requires real-time updates and responsiveness to react to market movements and buy or sell at precisely the right time; live auctions and interactive game shows depend on instant audience participation, while real-time news and weather alerts can help people stay informed and safe. In these sectors, adaptive streaming technologies, such as our Edge Intelligence solution, can minimize lag and offer businesses a competitive advantage. 

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The call for “green streaming”

As live streaming continues to evolve, the environmental impact of digital content delivery is becoming a growing concern among many players in the sector. Streaming is responsible for a significant portion of internet traffic, meaning that any improvements to efficiency and reductions in power consumption will not only make streaming “greener”, but also make live streaming strategies more cost-effective. Streaming Media’s report suggests that one way of tackling this challenge is through hardware acceleration, and using GPUs, ASICs, and FPGAs to make encoding and processing more energy-efficient, as these solutions consume less power. 

That being said, some content providers fear that a greener content delivery strategy would come at the price of performance; but this is not necessarily the case. Solutions such as Edge Intelligence are greener than multi-CDN solutions as they significantly reduce the reliance and strain on centralized data centers. Data transmission over long distances and the need for extensive server infrastructure are minimized by using an orchestrated P2P network that can offload up to 80% of traffic.

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Future trends in live streaming

As we have discussed in recent posts, traditional broadcast television might not be around for much longer, and not just because of political bias. Streaming platforms are making bold steps into the live streaming game, investing in the rights and necessary infrastructure to host hugely in-demand events, such as NFL and soccer leagues. Streaming Media’s recent report also picks up on this trend, highlighting how traditional broadcasting models are gradually being replaced by IP-based solutions that provide greater flexibility and scalability. As legacy media becomes increasingly digitalized, could we be witnessing the slow extinction of satellite transmission? Will channels such as NBC and CBS be swallowed up by streaming giants? 

Another future trend in live streaming highlighted by the report is how content delivery strategies will be increasingly AI-driven, allowing machine learning algorithms to optimize how video streams are processed and delivered. This is precisely the digital infrastructure we have developed for our Edge Intelligence solution. Through constant monitoring and analysis of the vast, open internet, based on proprietary data, Edge Intelligence is able to find and use the least-congested route. Using P2P technology, the solution creates centrally orchestrated broadcast trees to scale up content delivery as needed according to demand, maintaining high QoE for up to 94% of the audience, even in typically hard-to-reach regions. For a more detailed look at Edge Intelligence, download our report, Reduce churn and increase revenue with System73.

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For more insights into trends in live streaming and content consumption or to find out more about our content delivery solutions, visit system73.com.