Last month, the Artifact category on Twitch mysteriously sprung back to life. Did Valve manage to bring its card game back from the dead? Were big streamers suddenly interested in returning to the game? Nope. The Artifact category was so dead on Twitch that people were managing to get away …
Read More »YouTube shows serious contention against Twitch according to Streamlabs’ latest report
Streamlabs has teamed up with analytics firm Newzoo to showcase the state of streaming in the first quarter of 2019, comparing data from Amazon’s Twitch against competition from Google’s YouTube and Microsoft’s Mixer. Although Twitch firmly remains the industry leader, strong growth from YouTube Live could give investors something to …
Read More »Streamlabs converts its augmented reality Face Masks feature into a Twitch extension
In an effort to bolster viewer/streamer interaction, Streamlabs has partnered with Twitch to debut its brand new Face Masks extension. The simple-to-use plugin makes use of augmented reality, allowing viewers to apply animated 3D masks onto the content creator’s face in real-time as a part of their channel subscription or …
Read More »Streamlabs’ new merch extension makes it easier to make money on Twitch
It’s no secret that turning livestreaming from a hobby into a vocation is difficult, but fortunately Streamlabs has something special in store for those lucky enough to cross that barrier. Instead of burying official merchandise in the wealth of panels on a user’s profile page, a brand new extension allows …
Read More »Twitch Affiliates now have access to more emotes
Twitch launched its Affiliate Programme two years ago, allowing smaller streamers to monetise their content. Now, the Amazon-owned platform is making changes that are even friendlier for content creators, bolstering the amount of emotes a channel can have. “Nothing makes us happier than seeing your Chat flooded with custom emotes …
Read More »Fortnite helped streaming platforms grow, but battle royale view time is waning
Streaming platforms Twitch, YouTube Live and Mixer have all grown considerably throughout 2018, amassing 11 billion hours watched between them. Fortnite was responsible for over 1.3 billion hours on its own, but a breakdown of the data shows that viewership is on a downward trend. To no one’s surprise, Twitch …
Read More »Twitch promises to stop promoting big streamer events on smaller channels
Controversy enveloped Twitch at the end of last year, with content creators criticising the platform’s promotion of a Ninja-hosted event during their streams. After repeating the mistake a second time with Pokimane just last week, Twitch has finally promised broadcasters that it will no longer advertise big streamer events across …
Read More »Sea of Thieves is making a comeback thanks to streamers
Sea of Thieves may have launched to middling reviews but Rare has been keeping the game alive over the months with free expansions and content updates. Last year, we saw two big updates to the game and now, thanks to the third expansion, the game appears to be having a …
Read More »Elgato Cam Link 4K (tested with Panasonic GH4 & DJI Osmo Pocket)
Elgato released the original model of the Cam link back in 2017. The small device allows any compatible DSLR to be used as a webcam. This proved to be popular among professional streamers where grainy webcam quality just won't cut it anymore. It also removes the need to go out …
Read More »Twitch is criticised by its community for promoting Ninja’s New Year’s event on other broadcasts
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins’ significant growth alongside Fortnite: Battle Royale saw the streamer become the face of Twitch in 2018, something of which the platform is embracing within its New Year’s Eve stream. Twitch has since come under fire from other content creators for pushing adverts pertaining to its turn-of-the-year event, …
Read More »Twitch is selling Curse Media to Wikia’s Fandom
The now Amazon-owned Twitch acquired Curse back in 2016, and with it a plethora of websites, multimedia channels and applications housed within. Two years later, it seems as though Twitch is ditching the brand, selling Curse Media to information host Fandom. Fandom is a Wiki hosting service that currently provides …
Read More »Nintendo is finally loosening its grip on YouTube and Twitch content
Back in early 2015, Nintendo launched its own YouTube Creators Program after much criticism from channels having their Nintendo videos demonetised. The program itself wasn't ideal but it at least allowed certain channels to still earn money while producing Nintendo-focused content. Now several years later, Nintendo is ending the program …
Read More »China has blocked Amazon’s Twitch streaming service
Amazon-owned Twitch saw a boost to its application downloads at the end of last month, as Chinese viewers flocked to the platform to watch this year’s Asian Games. China has taken notice of this sudden rise in prominence, blocking Twitch in most of its provinces as of September 20th. Despite …
Read More »Dr DisRespect forced to end Twitch stream after shots were fired at his house
Guy Beahm plays the popular Twitch personality Dr DisRespect, a character streamer with over 2.7 million followers on the platform. Sadly, Beahm had to abruptly break character during his regular stream yesterday, after assailant shot at his house for the second time in two days. Amidst his livestream of the …
Read More »Streaming startup Caffeine gets $100 million investment from 21st Century Fox
Although 21st Century Fox plans to shed itself of its film and television studios in a proposed acquisition by Disney, the company isn’t leaving the entertainment industry completely. Its latest move is set to rival streaming behemoth Twitch, as Fox has sunk a whopping $100 million into a collaborative social …
Read More »CD Projekt Red is livestreaming Cyberpunk 2077’s E3 gameplay reveal
Back at E3, CD Projekt Red showed off a 48-minute gameplay demo for Cyberpunk 2077 in a behind closed doors gathering with the press. We've already heard a lot about the demo, but we had no idea when to expect a public unveiling. That changed today, as CD Projekt Red …
Read More »CD Projekt Red is teasing more Cyberpunk 2077 with a cryptic Twitch stream
CD Projekt Red has been teasing us with Cyberpunk 2077 details all year long and the studio is showing no signs of slowing down. At Gamescom, we were treated to some new screenshots and concept art for the game. Now, the team has launched a mysterious livestream on Twitch, leaving …
Read More »Valve is gearing up to launch Steam.tv
Way back in late 2014, Valve began experimenting with broadcasting, bringing the ability for Steam users to livestream their games to their friends. Now almost four years later, we are seeing bigger moves being made, as Valve has launched Steam.tv, which appears to be a competitor to Twitch. The site …
Read More »Ninja becomes the first Twitch streamer to breach 10 million followers
Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins has broken many records on Amazon’s streaming platform, Twitch, currently holding the record for most concurrent viewers at 667,000. The superstar streamer isn’t stopping there, however, as Mr Blevins has become the first Twitch user to reach 10 million followers. Ninja took to Twitter to share his …
Read More »Facebook introduces FB.gg, a one-stop hub for video game streams
Despite the numerous controversies it’s found itself in as of late, Facebook is still moving ahead with its plans to further combat streaming platforms such as Twitch and Mixer. Moving things over from the main site, Facebook has now launched FB.gg, a one-stop hub for viewers and content creators alike. …
Read More »Twitch files a countersuit in response to Phantoml0rd’s legal action
James ‘Phantoml0rd’ Varga began his crusade against Twitch earlier this year, when he launched a lawsuit alleging that he was unfairly dismissed without written notifications of his violations, as well as not being allowed a period of time to correct them. Twitch has now responded, adapting the case into a …
Read More »Fortnite streamer Ninja has broken his own record for concurrent viewers
While Ninja had made a name for himself as one of the largest Twitch streamers before his collaboration, it was his partnership with superstar Drake that helped him set a record number of concurrent viewers on the platform. Ninja isn’t slowing down now, though, as he manages to smash his …
Read More »CS:GO commentator temporarily steps back from eSports scene amid controversy
CS:GO commentator Matthew “Sadokist” Trivett landed himself in hot water on Friday, using racist language during a Twitch livestream while directing another community member to commit suicide. Trivett took to Facebook this morning to apologise for his “derogatory and hateful language,” voluntarily taking a temporary step back from the eSports …
Read More »Twitch’s KFC emote controversy prompts a harder look at online toxicity
Twitch is no stranger to toxic chat filled with racism, sexism and just about any other ‘ism’ you can think of, making the implementation of an official Kentucky Fried Chicken emote all the more bizarre. It took mere hours for the new KFC emote to be devolved in such a …
Read More »Facebook moves on Twitch’s territory, adding in-game rewards & deeper analytics to livestreaming
Earlier this year, Facebook announced that it plans to improve its livestreaming features in hopes to attract more content creators. Livestreamers aren’t the only focus, however, as Facebook has now revealed its new SDK, allowing developers to reward viewers with in-game items and keep an eye on deeper analytics. Facebook has been testing these new …
Read More »Ninja’s collaboration with singer Drake breaks Twitch viewer records
Twitch streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins broke platform records for concurrent viewers on a personal stream earlier, thanks to a guest appearance by Hotline Bling singer Drake. The two were close to doubling that of previous record holder Dr. DisRespect, but still fell shy of the all-time record of 1.1 million …
Read More »Twitch Prime members are getting a monthly selection of free PC games
At the end of February, Amazon-owned Twitch announced that it would be giving more to its Prime subscribers, allowing members to vote for the indie title they wanted to receive each month with its Twitch Prime Indie Amplifier program. Now, Prime members are getting even more, as Twitch has announced …
Read More »Twitch updates its stance on hateful content and dress code as improved guidelines go live
Last month, Twitch announced that it intended to update its Community Guidelines to better stomp out hateful content as well as giving direction as to how creators should conduct themselves on and around the platform. Today, these new rules come into effect, with Twitch outlining the do’s and don’ts. Content …
Read More »Blizzard is holding a Warcraft III tournament next week and will be patching the original game
Earlier this week, we learned that Blizzard had been inviting a bunch of Warcraft 3 pro players to its HQ for a ‘secret offline event'. This immediately sparked rumors surrounding a remaster of the original game, or even perhaps a Warcraft 4. Now in order to keep a lid on …
Read More »Twitch is getting sued by James ‘Phantoml0rd’ Varga over 2016 suspension
Back in July 2016, Twitch banned James “PhantomL0rd” Varga from streaming to his 1.4 million fans for connections and promotion of gambling site, CSGOShuffle. Approaching two years later, Varga is suing Twitch for the move, based on not receiving written notification of his violations as well as a period to …
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