A Magic "Bullet": Exploring Sport Fan Usage of On-Screen, Ephemeral Posts During Live Stream Sessions.

This article examines how sports fans engage with the bullet-screen feature—a real-time, on-screen commenting system widely used by Over-the-Top (OTT) streaming services—while watching live sports, focusing on the 2020-2021 NBA Finals on Tencent Video in China. Through thematic analysis of 11,587 bullet-screen comments and interviews with 15 users, the study identifies five main comment categories: critical commentary, socialization, supportive interactions, random messages, and trash talk. It finds that fans use bullet screens primarily for entertainment, information gathering, interaction, and fostering a sense of belonging, though excessive comment overlay and impolite language can deter usage. The research highlights bullet screens as a unique platform enhancing synchronous fan engagement and self-expression during live sports viewing, while also noting challenges related to moderation and content quality.