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Razer built an RGB microphone that displays live stream emotes
If you're a livestreamer determined to stand out from the pack with flashy effects, Razer has your back. It's introducing a Seiren Emote microphone whose 8x8 LED screen displays (what else?) emotes in sync with Twitch and Mixer stream events, including through common tools like Streamlabs and XSplit. You can display a custom channel emote when someone subscribes, a puking rainbow emote when someone thanks you in chat, or seemingly anything in between. It'll even sync with Chroma-compatible gear, so your mic can go berserk alongside your Hue lights and headphones if you're so inclined.
Logitech just bought the software of choice for many top streamers
Logitech is expanding its repertoire by snapping up Streamlabs, the company that created the popular livestreaming app Streamlabs OBS. The peripheral-maker has agreed to acquire the company for $89 million in cash and an additional $29 million in stock, though the latter depends on whether it hits significant revenue growth targets.
Twitch finally releases Apple TV app as public beta
It's been easy to find official Twitch apps for consoles, mobile devices and a handful of media hubs, but Apple TV owners haven't had any such luck -- you've had to turn to third-party apps that don't quite match the experience you find elsewhere. There's a native app at last, though. Twitch has released a public beta version of its Apple TV app through Apple's TestFlight program, letting you tune into your favorite livestreamers from tvOS-based devices. The layout will be familiar if you've used any of Twitch's other recent apps, but that's not a bad thing -- you'll have the same live channel previews, on-screen chat, your followed channels and suggestions for popular games and broadcasters.
Twitter and Adidas are bringing back their high school football series
Friday Night Stripes, the livestreaming series of high school football games on Twitter, is coming back for a second season later this month. The show, which was created by Adidas, Intersport and Twitter, debuted in 2018 and focused on broadcasting eight football games from high schools across the US. And it turned out to be quite a success. According to Twitter, Friday Night Stripes generated more than 32.6 million total views and had over 15.6 million live viewers tuning into the series, which are great figures for what was essentially a social media experiment.
Ninja calls out Twitch after his dormant channel highlights porn (updated)
Ninja (aka Tyler Blevins) has largely avoided any bad blood between him and Twitch following his jump to Mixer, but that apparently didn't last long. The well-known streamer has posted a video chastising Twitch for not only using his dormant channel to promote other streamers, but to let porn find its way into those recommendations. As esports consultant Rod Breslau observed, the number one stream on Twitch the morning of August 11th was a bootleg porn broadcast that lasted for more than two hours -- imagine someone looking for Fortnite gameplay only to find X-rated material.
Twitch unveils its own desktop broadcasting app
Until now, people who stream their gameplay or lives on Twitch have done so through a PS4, Xbox One, Twitch's mobile app, Twitch Sings or third-party software. As of today, there's another option for those hoping to become the next Ninja, Dr. Disrespect or Pokimane: Twitch Studio.
Duolingo and Twitch help streamers teach new languages
You won't have to rely on canned videos if you want to learn a new language through online streams. Duolingo and Twitch are launching a Duolingo Verified Streamer Program that will showcase broadcasters using their channels to teach new languages. Some of them might use Duolingo lessons in their streams, but others will promote the use of other languages in cooking, travel and other real-world situations. They'll also encourage you to practice your linguistic skills in chat.
Twitch is testing subscriber-only streams
A Twitch channel subscription might soon get you considerably more than emotes, ad-free viewing and access to special chat rooms. The service is launching a beta for Subscriber Streams, or live broadcasts that are (you guessed it) limited to people with active subscriptions, mod privileges and VIP status. It won't be thrilling if you don't like paying for Twitch, but it could help creators who want to reward paying fans with behind-the-scenes specials, all-request game sessions and other perks. Non-subscribers will get a preview of these streams with immediate access if they choose to sign up.
Watch Games Done Quick's summer charity event starting June 23rd
If you're hoping to immerse yourself in video games now that summer has officially reached the northern hemisphere, you're in luck. Games Done Quick is kicking off its annual summer charity livestream (below) on June 23rd at 12:30PM ET, and you can expect some very eclectic speedrunning in the name of a good cause -- this time, for Doctors Without Borders. The week-long event will include more than its fair share of classics, but you'll also find relatively recent games as well as the occasional left-field game to keep it fresh.
Twitter now lets guests join your live video broadcasts
Twitter will start letting broadcasters on its app open up their livestreams to guests, similar to what it brought to Periscope in February. The new feature, which is now rolling out to Twitter's iOS and Android app, is going to allow up to three people to call into your live videos during a stream, making it easy for them to ask you questions or just have a conversation with you about anything that may be on your mind.
Trolls swamp unused Twitch category with pirated shows and porn
Twitch just learned first-hand about the challenges of moderating live video. Trolls have hijacked the site's largely unused category for Valve's Artifact (which previously had few if any streamers) to livestream material that most definitely violated Twitch's terms of service. Motherboard noted that it started out with memes, but on Memorial Day weekend included pirated Game of Thrones episodes, porn and in one case video from the Christchurch mass shooting.
YouTube Gaming will merge with main site after Thursday
After almost four years, YouTube is closing its dedicated gaming portal and merging it with the main platform. It announced the move late last year, but missed the original March shutdown date. YouTube Gaming will cease to exist on May 30th; visitors will get directed to a new channel for games on the main YouTube site instead. The app will also shut down.
Twitch streamers can soundtrack shows with Anjunabeats' dance tunes
Twitch streamers don't have great options for legal music -- if they're not willing to pay for licenses, they typically have to either rely on free-to-use fare or accept that parts of their on-demand video will be muted. They'll have a better option from now on, though. Dance music label Anjunabeats has cleared 350 tracks (over 29 hours' worth) for use in Twitch streams, giving you a thumping soundtrack when you're chatting with viewers or just want to hear more than game sounds.
'Madden 19' championship finale breaks series viewing records
EA's Madden esports ambitions appear to have borne fruit. The gaming giant has revealed that the Madden NFL 19 Bowl, the final match in the Championship Series, broke franchise viewing records to become the most-viewed event in Madden's history. In some cases, it wasn't even by a small margin. The simultaneous audience topped out at 97,000 viewers, or 650 percent more than for the 2018 finale, while total view count jumped a whopping 850 percent to 2.5 million. Those aren't records for livestreaming by any stretch (Ninja would have something to say), but they certainly put Madden on the map.
YouTube will exclusively stream 13 MLB games this season
YouTube has just made another major push with its sports broadcasting agenda, announcing a deal with Major League Baseball (MLB) that will give it exclusive rights to 13 games during the 2019 season. The games will be livestreamed for viewers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico for free on MLB's official YouTube channel, and on a forthcoming dedicated channel on YouTube TV.
Twitch officially debuts its free karaoke game
Twitch is finally ready to launch its first game after months of testing. The free karaoke-style title Twitch Sings will debut worldwide today (April 13th), giving you a chance to belt out tunes for a large audience. While there is an offline mode, the game is designed from the ground up to involve an entire Twitch channel. Streamers can invite broadcasters in for duets, while viewers can request one of the 1,000-plus songs, cheer to start light shows and issue challenges (say, singing like they're underwater).
Twitter is streaming live commentary shows for the NCAA's Final Four
Twitter is following March Madness with a frenzy of coverage for the basketball season's end. The social network is streaming an as-it-happens NCAA Final Four commentary show through @marchmadness, Final Four Twitter Live, starting with the Auburn vs. Virginia game on April 6th (that's right now, if you're watching in time) and wrapping up with a championship show on April 8th at 9PM Eastern. Whenever you tune in, the Turner Sports-produced show will "highlight" the Twitter discussions around each game using a host of analysts, reporters and special guests (such as Tiki Barber and Takeo Spikes).
Twitch is letting streamers broadcast together in the same window
Multi-view streaming has already invaded the live sports arena, but it's always made sense for multiplayer gaming. Enter Twitch, which is today debuting its Squad Stream feature that lets up to four creators livestream together in the same window.
Periscope details plan to cut down on spam and fake activity
Periscope, the livestreaming app owned by Twitter, is banning fake engagement on the platform. This includes fake hearts, chats, followers, and views. In a Medium post, the company told users to expect an "increase in enforcement actions" as the policy takes effect. Similar to Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms, Periscope users can also expect account-level spam reporting options in the future.
Mixer highlights the top 'Apex Legends' streamers with new leaderboards
Apex Legends has grown its player base at lightning speed since it appeared almost out of the blue in February, citing 50 million players after just over a month since release. It's not much of surprise, then, that livestreaming platform Mixer has just added it to its HypeZone, a dynamic stream that showcases the players mere moments away from achieving victory in different games, which includes the likes of Fortnite, PUBG and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
