5 years ago, a company was created which would change the way that games were viewed forever. By offering players who were both professional and casual a chance to show others their skills, this company managed to aid in the growth of an industry which was already big in some countries and make it big in others. This company is called TwitchTV, with the purpose of the company being to allow for gamers to stream whatever game they are playing onto the internet for others to watch.
The website, twitch.tv, originated from another website with a similar name called justin.tv, which offered users a chance to broadcast any sort of video online. Over time, the portion of gaming users in comparison to other types of users visiting justin.tv grew to a point where the gaming portion split off and became a separate website. TwitchTV aided in the growth of the eSports industry, increasing the popularity of spectating games for international viewers. By offering broadcasters a chance to earn revenue off of streaming, TwitchTV also fostered the growth of professional players streaming practice matches in their spare time, allowing for spectators to receive new media almost every day. Though recently with many more internet users using programs such as Adblock and lowering the revenues of broadcasters, TwitchTV ensures that the best broadcasters still have a chance to make money, by allowing broadcasters to offer subscriptions and bonuses for more money. With people always looking for players to watch, many progamers rose to fame through TwitchTV, using the website to highlight their skills.TwitchTV has also aided in the success of tournaments, with the quality of the website’s servers making it easy for anyone to host a tournament and broadcast it online. Almost every tournament today streams on TwitchTV, and though some also stream on their own websites, TwitchTV allows for spectators who had not been informed of tournaments to learn about them, making Twitch the idea place to visit for both aspiring broadcasters and interested viewers. Numerous tournaments and famous broadcasters have also offered to exclusively partner with TwitchTV, among them being MLG, one of the largest North American tournaments which has previously been broadcast on ESPN, and Day[9] (who I wrote about in this article), who offers lessons to aspiring gamers.
TwitchTV understands their demographics and offers numerous ways which cater to these people to help them get more out of the experience. TwitchTV, like any other popular website, has an app available for both iOS and Android which offers users the ability to view games as well as adjust the resolution, allowing for users to view games in 1080p even if they’re using a phone or tablet. Another element which TwitchTV has added to allow viewers to have a more complete experience is the addition of chatting to each stream. These chat rooms allow for discussion of the strategy and for information regarding the broadcaster to be spread, creating a more enjoyable and in depth experience.TwitchTV has recently taken off, now receiving more than 16 million unique visitors every month and having more than 1000 partnerships, with both of these statistics boding well for the company’s future. As more and more people begin to spectate games online, the situation will only improve, offering gamers a better, more fun, future.