Fantasy sports applications are probably the best thing that happened to the world of sports and games since live streaming. Live streaming gets the fans ‘to the game’ whereas fantasy sports get the fans ‘into the game’.
The fan following, the craze of the fans over their favorite players and teams, the experience of sports being made global by the internet and live telecasts, and above everything, the intention to win cash prizes made fantasy sports one of the most promising and profitable business opportunities of the time.
There is no question that the process of creating a fantasy sports application is straightforward and there are amazing companies that develop fantasy sports apps out there. However, there are a lot of challenges that have stood in the way of an otherwise smooth path of creating fantasy apps.
Before we look at the challenges, let us look at the possibilities where the challenges might arise from. Fantasy sport heavily relies on the real game. This would mean that the application has to be directly linked to a provider who will supply real-time data about the actual game that is happening. The number of players in each game is quite high, and it is important for the fantasy game up to provide in-depth information about each player and each team. The comprehensive data should not in any way meddle with the functionality and speed of the app. To keep it short, the processes that go on behind the app must have no effect on the streamlined experience of the user.
While all the points mentioned above are about the world of technology, there have been a few challenges in the real world as well. The number of fantasy sports leagues has increased in proportion to the number of sports leagues themselves if not more. Yahoo has remained the largest player in fantasy Sports with over 80% of the revenue share.
Data Providers
It is undeniable that there is a lot of dependency on third-party data. However, the good news is that there are a lot of providers available. Some of the major third-party providers are:
- Bundesliga live scores API, La Liga live scores API and Premier League live scores for Soccer
- Sportsradar provides information about many sports and games like NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, PGA, and FIFA.
These providers give a lot more than just data. They offer advanced real-time statistics, a live play-by-play stream, live updates and a lot more. The data is available in multiple formats like CSV, JSON, etc.
The Challenges
The bots are very proficient in their technical domain. However, when it comes to learning the nitty-gritty of the game, the bots face challenges. Understanding a fantasy sport requires some cognition. Building gaming strategies is a simple process. It is the finer elements of the game like the hits, considering the player-skills and implementing a strategy that makes it hard work during the development and testing phases.
On a parallel note, this is one of the reasons why fantasy sports do not fall under the gamut of sports betting. It is more of a game of mental skill and not absolute reliance on probability.
Fantasy sports app development handles huge volumes of data, and it is important to ensure that the data is sanctified. Data integration and filtration consume quite a lot of time and effort. It is to be noted that the time spent is worth it because any inconsistencies in data can result in a flawed experience. With so much data coming from so many different sources, ensuring homogeneity and uniformity of data is also important.
There might also be challenges when it comes to the creation of the app. Sometimes, a perfect code might be ruined by a mediocre interface, and sometimes the other way round. It is for this purpose that your sports fantasy app development should be entrusted to a company that has exhibited all-round excellence in all the involved processes.
Conclusion
The area of fantasy sports still has a lot of gaps to be filled both in terms of business and user-count. There are a lot of opportunities for many sports fantasy apps to enter the market. However, what differentiates the great from the good is the way in which these challenges are being handled. Inoru keeps this in mind while creating your fantasy sports app. We ensure that all the challenges are more than adequately met, so your app does not falter either in functionality or in the market.