SonyLIV engages millions in real time with Lightstreamer

SonyLIV, the flagship OTT platform of Sony Pictures Networks India, offers a rich mix of live sports, TV shows, original series, and movies to a vast and diverse audience. With over 350 million app downloads and 26 television channels under its umbrella, SonyLIV has established itself as a powerhouse in India’s digital entertainment landscape. To enhance audience engagement, SonyLIV has pioneered interactive experiences such as KBC Play Along, enabling real-time participation from millions of viewers. We interviewed a spokesperson from the SonyLIV Technology team to learn how Lightstreamer powers these interactive features at scale.

Can you tell us about the role and responsibilities of the SonyLIV Technology team?

The team’s primary responsibilities include leading backend engineering initiatives for interactive features, as well as user and subscription management. We work on building scalable, high-performance infrastructure to support real-time digital engagement across SonyLIV’s platforms.

Can you provide an overview of what SonyLIV does, including key metrics any notable achievements in the Indian market?

• SonyLIV is a prominent media and entertainment company in India, operating under the global umbrella of Sony Group Corporation. 
• SonyLIV is SPNI’s flagship digital OTT platform offering a wide array of content including live sports, original web series, TV shows, movies, and more.
• Key metrics:
  • Over 350 million app download
  • 26 television channels across multiple genres and languages

Sony Pictures Networks India has been a pioneer in integrating interactive features into its programming. Could you elaborate on how Lightstreamer technology powers the KBC Play Along feature on the SonyLIV app?

The KBC Play Along feature on the SonyLIV app allows viewers to participate in the Kaun Banega Crorepati game show in real-time. This requires the app to deliver questions, options, waiting pages and scoring updates to many users simultaneously with minimal delay. This is where Lightstreamer has helped us in communication to millions of users with minimal delay.

Beyond Kaun Banega Crorepati, are there other shows or events where Sony utilizes Lightstreamer to enhance viewer interaction?

We have integrated Lightstreamer in our score card widget where scores for football and cricket are broadcast to millions of users.

Considering the technical aspects, what are the key advantages of using Lightstreamer for real-time data streaming in your interactive features? How does it compare to other technologies you’ve evaluated or used in the past?

For a real-time interactive feature like KBC Play Along, Lightstreamer excels because:

• It handles millions of users simultaneously.
• Offers dynamic latency tuning for live events.
• Provides a robust pub/sub model essential for sending live questions, answers, waiting pages and submitting right answers.

While alternatives like Socket.IO or Firebase might suit basic real-time needs, Lightstreamer provides a complete, enterprise-grade real-time messaging solution with superior performance, reliability, and scalability. For complex, broadcast-heavy, interactive features where uptime and synchronization matter, Lightstreamer is often a better fit than lighter or more developer-intensive solutions.

Scalability is crucial for platforms experiencing varying traffic volumes. How does Lightstreamer help during peak traffic events?

With a single instance, we were able to serve around 500K users.

How did you build your backend Lightstreamer adapters?

BE programming language is Java. Key considerations were scalability, availability and latency.

Looking ahead, does SonyLIV plan to expand the use of Lightstreamer technology to new shows or digital initiatives?

Yes, we are looking forward to power our tennis score card as well.

Lastly, what feedback have you received from viewers regarding the interactive features enabled by Lightstreamer? Are there particular success stories or user testimonials that stand out?

KBC Play Along, which lets viewers participate in real-time during Kaun Banega Crorepati, has seen millions of concurrent users. The low-latency sync ensured questions appeared on all devices simultaneously, leading to a fair and immersive experience.
The interactive experience became a case study within Sony Pictures Networks India, showcasing how Lightstreamer enabled scalability and reliability even during massive user spikes. The feature was so well-received that similar real-time interactivity was extended to other shows and formats like Shark Tank, Master Chef, Quizzer Of The Year (QOTY).