Twitch is the undisputed king of live-streamed gaming content, with millions of viewers watching esports, “let’s plays,” and other live shows, but the website is now a destination for prerecorded video as well. Twitch’s Video Producer tool suite gives content creators more options for sharing premade videos, as well as additional ways to engage with their audience.
The Video Producer tools give creators the ability to hold “Premieres” for their latest videos, with countdown timers and a landing page in order to attract an audience before the video actually goes live. Users will also see a new “Premiere” button on channels so they can tell if content has been prerecorded. The previous Vodcast feature has been replaced with “Reruns,” which allow streamers to rebroadcast previous videos, complete with a chat box so users can still discuss it.
“With Video Producer, creators can tap into an array of tools like Premieres to build momentum for videos, setting the stage for more impactful programming, while attracting and retaining fans,” said project leader Bob Bahramipour in a press release.
The new tools should make becoming a Twitch affiliate more attractive to video producers struggling with success on platforms like YouTube — joining the program requires a minimum of 50 followers. On January 16, YouTube announced it would be changing its monetization system, requiring channels to have at least 1,000 subscribers and at least 4,000 hours of watch-time over the last year. The new restrictions will be applied to current channels on February 20 and are already in place for new channels. The changes come as YouTube is being criticized for not doing enough to punish larger stars with inappropriate content, such as Logan Paul.
Twitch is getting the ball rolling on its own exclusive content through a new multi-year deal with Disney Digital Network. YouTube stars Jacksepticeye, LuzuGames, Markiplier, and Strawburry17 will all create exclusive on-demand content for Twitch, as well as live-streamed videos. Disney is no stranger to video game content, with its D|XP summer programming block including Polaris Primetime, hosted by Strawburry17 (real name Meghan Camarena.) The network also aired the gameplay commentary show Parker Plays as well as The IGN Show and Waypoint Presents.
