The technological revolution that has meant, not only the internet, but also that many people can afford to purchase recording and editing material to create audiovisual content reveals a deep crisis in the mass media, and covers a need: personalized content. From entertainment (makeup, video games, crafts …) to the most rigorous scientific dissemination, it is available on platforms such as YouTube, where the user can choose not only what information they consume, but who tells it and how it is told.
YouTube was born in 2005 as a video platform that would reach unsuspected limits. More and more creators have emerged organically around the world as time goes by. But, in recent years, YouTube’s regulations, due to a series of laws approved both in Europe and in Latin America (Article 17, COPPA law) have made it more difficult for youtubers to make their content profitable. Many creators have expressed their discomfort with the platform, which would have changed the way of recommending content, making non-viral videos invisible, and making their dissemination much more difficult. On the other hand, the content restriction rules for minors, copyright (YouTube’s algorithm sometimes does not correctly classify material as fair use ), and the demonetization of videos that may be offensive because they contain bad words or that incite hatred … all this has revealed a general malaise in the community. And the consequences have become palpable.
In 2011, the creators of a video platform called Justin.tv realized the enormous amount of content on the internet about video games, and they decided to launch a new video streaming platform called Twitch. Today a subsidiary of Amazon, Twitch soon became one of the main sources of Internet traffic in the world.
Why are content creators going to Twitch?
On the internet, life makes its way. For the reasons that we pointed out previously, and due to the growing popularity of Twitch to promote the world of E-sports , more and more creators of all kinds, and not only from the world of gaming , began to migrate little by little from YouTube to the young platform. Most of the top creators keep their YouTube account , which continues to hold a hard-to-snatch crown; But there is no doubt that youtubers have seen Twitch a series of advantages that make them feel less ‘corseted’.
The first is the streaming style. Although YouTube also allows this format, Twitch is a platform whose DNA is live broadcasting. The contents of this style have more and more value, due to the spontaneity of those who broadcast.
Another determining factor of its success is the economic advantages. Twitch allows you to directly monetize a video through the number of subscribers, in addition to facilitating user donations. Tiwtch’s format, more casual, free and youthful, has a refreshing freshness and is very attractive to content creators.
Not only gamers are taking advantage of the advantages of broadcasting on this platform; but also artists, disseminators, influencers of all kinds … and small unknown creators dare to open a profile and broadcast with some regularity.
Are we talking about YouTube’s great competitor? Will he give up his throne in favor of Twitch? In many cases, Tiwtch is not a substitute for YouTube, but a plug-in. It is common, especially among the most veteran youtubers such as Loulogio or Zorman, that they are broadcast live that are then retouched and uploaded to YouTube to give rise to a new, more durable and elaborate video. That is, Twitch allows an outlet for the most active creators, while they continue to have the possibility of uploading their content to both platforms.
In this case, we would be talking about different products and, as a consequence, also about different audiences. Although they converge, YouTube users tend to be millennials , who work and choose when and how to view their content (except for children); While Twitch subscribers, somewhat younger and with more flexible hours, can spend hours watching live shows from their favorite creators.
The Internet is probably the most important invention in history, along with three or four mills of a similar depth; and it is the maximum expression of freedom of expression, diversity, individuality and creativity. So we can draw a lesson: as content creation platforms try to dam the sea, it will again overflow to conquer genuine territory. And this seems to be the trend.
