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The emergence of YouTube in 2005 opened the way to new opportunities in video streaming; the service hosted its first livestream event in 2008. Three years later the streaming service Twitch began hosting livestreams of video games, which became immensely popular. In the following years, platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram introduced livestreaming capabilities for users. Livestreaming subsequently grew to become a popular avenue for communication, entertainment, and marketing.

Livestreams are deployed over various platforms, including social media platforms like YouTube Live, Facebook Live, Twitter, Instagram Live, and TikTok, as well as through professional business services, such as Kaltura and Dacast. In general, live streaming platforms work by first capturing video footage via camera, with video content.

Livestreaming has multiple advantages over traditional means of broadcasting, especially in terms of variety of content, ability to reach a global audience, opportunities for social interaction, and providing a sense of community. Moreover, its likeness to reality TV, in which individuals can broadcast what they are doing in the moment, appeals to both streamers and viewers, with opportunities for creativity, improvisation, spontaneity, and mishaps. Livestreaming further enables presenters to be seen and heard and to receive immediate feedback, helping content creators to develop and hone their broadcasting skills.

The major concerns with livestreaming typically centre on privacy and children, for whom privacy, safety, and viewing of age-appropriate content are significant concerns. Children can be both streamers and viewers. As streamers, children expose themselves to exploitation, potentially harmful viewer comments, and inadvertent sharing of personal details; children in particular may feel pressured to act in a certain way when livestreaming, potentially setting unrealistic behavioral expectations for themselves and others.

Beam was one of the names that emerged when live streaming began to take off in 2016. Microsoft soon took over and launched Mixer as a Twitch alternative. Microsoft was determined to take Mixer to the next level and showed their determination by signing two big names from Twitch. Ninja (Tyler Blevins) and Shroud (Michael Grzesiek) changed the game when Mixer signed them exclusively to the platform for tens of millions. Sadly, Mixer could not draw a larger audience even after bringing on big names in the streaming space. This is because Twitch had too strong of a hold on the market. Twitch was so dominant that even a Microsoft-backed project couldn’t easily take it down. While Mixer didn’t last, it was a vital turning point in live streaming in terms of setting a precedent for creator contracts.

• 73% of Twitch users are below the age of 35.
• 65% of Twitch’s core demographic is male. 
• Just Chatting was the most-watched category on Twitch in Q1 2021 with 754 million hours.

A network of communities

The platform offers conversation-based communities where users can discuss and experience moments in real time. Twitch describes itself as a “living, breathing universe of communities, each one with a unique set of values.” For viewers, it’s a place where they can feel welcome and interact socially. For creators, the platform can provide a creative outlet, a steady income, and a community of supporters. 

Social interaction

The platform succeeds at community-building because viewers are able to interact with one another in real time. Engagement in the form of chats, follows, emotes (Twitch’s custom emojis), and gifts is higher for live content across social media platforms. Twitch viewers learn from watching streamers share their expertise, provide tips, and explain their thought processes. Streamers, meanwhile, entertain by knowing what to resonates with their audiences. 

Twitch’s Audience Demographic

• Young: Most users are currently below the age of 35; in fact, half of male millennials use Twitch. This means that if you want to learn how to build an audience on Twitch, you’ll be targeting a younger audience.
• Male: Male users comprise 65 percent of Twitch audiences. However, more women join the platform every year, with female viewership numbers up nearly 20 percent from 2017.
• American: Up to 107,800 Twitch channels are broadcasting at any given time. Most of the viewers—and nearly a quarter of all users—are in the U.S., followed by Germany, Korea, Russia, and then France.
• Enthusiastic: Twitch currently has 140 million unique visitors a month, up from 55 million users in 2015, according to Backlinko. Of those users, more than a quarter (30 million) are active daily, with the average user watching livestream videos for more than 100 minutes a day.
• Authentic: Real-time interactions means that most users value genuine relationships.
• Charitable: Nearly 80 percent of Twitch users said they want more charity in gaming. For many, charity means providing support for their favorite broadcasters.
• Connected: Twitch audiences engage with the platform and one another regularly both at home and away by using the Twitch smartphone app.

How do brands reach Twitch audiences?

• Influencer partnerships: Because Twitch audiences highly value authenticity, successful advertising campaigns capitalize on the streamer/viewer relationship. Studies indicate that streamer personality has a stronger marketing impact than stream subject, meaning that the right influencer partnership is the best way to garner user interest in your brand. 
• Sponsored streams: These streams include brand names in their titles. 
• Sponsored channels: Channels sponsored by brands showcase brand names on home page tiles.
• Channel points: This customizable rewards program is available to Twitch partners and affiliates. Channel points allow you to give members perks and benefits that are usually reserved for subscribers, such as emotes and color options in the chat.
• Brand placement: Streamers can mention your brand as part of their organic discussion, engage with your products (such as eating a snack item or using a hair product), or simply show products in view of the camera.
• Twitch chat: Broadcasters can bring up your brand through the Twitch messenger and respond to viewer questions about it.
• Branded emotes: Brands can pay to have a Twitch chat emote created for them. For example, the “DoritoChip” branded emote was used over 17 thousand times a day during the snack food company’s branded emote campaign.
• Extensions: Twitch channel extensions include branded active game overlays on top of your stream, countdown displays, and live sound alerts.
• Branded channels: Finally, brands can create their own channels and post streams to reach their audiences. For example, Wendy’s uses their Twitch channel to stream popular games to the tune of 113 thousand followers and potential consumers.

How do brands build audiences on Twitch?

• Find your niche: What problems does your target audience have that you’d be able to solve via an informative channel? Are you able to leverage a network of experts and have interesting conversations? Do you have a product that ties into a larger community you can find on Twitch? Look on the platform for other users discussing the same topics you’re interested in pursuing, and assess what’s successful and what can be improved. Once you understand the current landscape, you can better serve your growing community.
• Brand your channel: Make it clear from the get-go what your channel offers. Set a profile picture and bio that reflects your brand, what you do, and what you stand for. Create a trailer introducing your brand to potential followers, and upload a personalized channel or video player banner. 
• Be consistent: Consistency in content and timing will keep viewers coming back. Set your Stream Schedule to let viewers know what kind of content they can expect from you that week, and when. Your viewers should have a general idea of what to expect when they visit your channel; this expectation will keep them coming back. 
• Use helpful resources: The Twitch Creator Camp has practical tips and information on how to build an audience and create community. You can also use Twitch-specific analytics tools such as TwitchTracker and SullyGnome for detailed information about the best times to livestream, audience demographics, and competitor analysis. 
• Interact with your audience regularly: It helps to greet recurring viewers, answer questions, and chat with your audience. Acknowledge as many people as you can; giving viewers attention can go a long way. If the chat slows down, you can pick a universal topic like TV, food, or games. Ask what your viewers have been interested in lately, and create an ongoing dialogue from their responses. Once you’ve established a regular viewer base, you can further pull in your audience by using Twitch’s native engagement features. Once your unique offering has attracted viewers, then you can start to understand your Twitch audience. Talk to them, help them feel welcome, and give them a reason to come back. Then you can start to really cultivate a dynamic community