Sports Viewing Experience on Social Live Streaming Services: Examination of the Impact of Live Chat and Streamer Presence on Flow

Social Live Streaming Services (SLSSs) have emerged as a novel distribution channel for mediated sports, necessitating an exploration of their impacts on viewers’ flow experiences. This study integrates flow theory and the limited capacity model to assess the extent to which interactive elements, specifically live chat and streamer presence, contribute to viewers’ flow experiences under different suspense levels. The findings revealed that the live chat positively affected viewers’ flow, while streamer presence had a negative impact. Moreover, under low suspense conditions, both informational and emotional messages were positively correlated with flow, whereas only emotional messages exhibited a positive impact on flow under high suspense conditions. Notably, the negative impact of streamer presence on flow remained consistent regardless of suspense conditions. This study expands existing knowledge on flow within the context of SLSS and provides insights for practitioners seeking to strategically leverage SLSSs as an effective distribution channel for mediated sports.