Twitch

Do you already know Twitch? Learn more about the platform that is one of the biggest in live broadcasting.

At first, very famous in the gamer universe, the streaming platform has gone further and has already expanded its format, allowing anyone to stream their own content. This way it is possible to follow artists' lives, reality shows, sporting events and everything that users are watching and want to share.

What is Twitch?

First of all, Twitch is more than a streaming service. Created in 2005, under the name justin.tv, its main focus was the possibility of people transmitting lives about their lives, their daily lives, as in a reality show. Despite this somewhat controversial concept, some people began to routinely expose their own content.

Thus, the platform was gaining more and more followers until what we know today as Twitch was born. In 2014, Amazon bought Twitch in a million dollar transaction and since then the platform has consolidated itself as one of the largest in online game transmissions, having as a differential the direct interaction between the viewer and those who produce content.

It is currently possible to find content on various subjects on the web. Users share everything they like and what they think is relevant for their followers to watch as well. So, in addition to being seen, you can be heard when commenting on what you've chosen to broadcast.

Furthermore, there are many advantages for those who decide to create a channel as a streamer. There is, for example, the possibility of making broadcasts become a source of income, through donations from people who watch, partnerships with large companies and even receiving commissions through sales of games and other products.

How to use Twitch?

First, to use Twitch you need a good connection to get the most out of the platform experience. As a spectator user, you can access it via the web on a computer or in the app on your mobile phone. To use Twitch as a streamer, that is, to produce content on the platform, you need to create an account.

Creating your account

Thanks to the great Twitch interface it is possible to quickly create an account, providing data such as birth date and email address. There is also the possibility to register using your Facebook account, if you have one.

Once that's done, you can edit your information such as your username, if and when you want. If the username of your choice is available, a green tick is displayed in the corresponding field.

How are the transmissions?

Streams are displayed in split screens, so you can not only see the same image being displayed on the streamer's monitor, but also see and hear its comments and reactions during the stream.

A differential of the platform is that during the lives, viewers can send questions through the chat and receive answers in real time, which makes the interaction between the streamer and his audience very intense and close.

As mentioned, all types of content can be streamed on Twitch. Therefore, it is very easy to find someone showing and commenting on movies, series, sporting events, band lives, people cooking, dancing and, of course, the championships between gamers, which in a way made the platform known worldwide.

Although Twitch's flagship is live broadcasts, the content is recorded after the broadcast and thus can be accessed as soon as possible, but within a limited period of 14 days. However, the user has the possibility to download the content in the meantime.

Twitch Glossary

Check out the glossary with the main terms we have prepared for you and stay on top of the Twitch universe.

Follows

when you are interested in the content of a streamer, you can follow it and, if you wish, receive notifications when it is online. Following a channel on Twitch is the same as subscribing to a channel on YouTube.

Chat

This is where the interactions between audience and streamer take place. Each channel has its chat, and the channel owner and moderator are responsible for overseeing the chats. There are specific commands in the chat, which allow, among other functions, to know who the moderators are, chat in private, control the chat speed and even block a user.

Emotes

Twitch emotes are the equivalent of emoticons or emojis. Basically, it's the way both viewers and streamers express their feelings without using words. Any user has access to so-called global emotes. Custom emotes, on the other hand, are specific to each channel and are only available when the user subscribes to that channel.

Bits

These are emote packs that users can purchase by purchasing or watching the ads that are displayed during live broadcasts. This is one way to monetize a channel. In other words, acquiring bits is financially supporting the channels you follow on Twitch.

Subs or subscriptions

At Twitch, being a channel subscriber is the same as being a member of a YouTube channel. By signing up, the user agrees to pay a pre-set amount for the channel, which can be renewed monthly. Once subscribed, the user has some streamer defined benefits.

Ads

Ads are nothing more than the ads that appear in broadcasts. This is another way to monetize a channel, as big companies pay streamers to display their logo at lives.

In short, Twitch has become one of the largest streaming platforms because it is possible to find every type of segment on it, from famous games to even the most diverse art content. It is also, above all, a place for those who want to post content at the speed of ideas and happenings in the current world.

If you liked this content, read more articles on streaming platforms.