Game streaming has become one of the biggest markets in gaming. The streamers that dominate the various platforms set the tone for gaming discussion in certain circles. Fans watch players take part in the esports tournaments, play general games, or even just chat. While this has primarily grown up on Twitch, other platforms have been trying to break their dominance for some time. YouTube vs Twitch is often a conversation here. YouTube completely dominates online video content, in every area other than live gaming streaming. However, as time goes by, they are increasingly adding more features to compete with Twitch.
If you’re looking at streaming YouTube vs Twitch, new content creators now have a lot to think about. In the past, Twitch would be the easy pick for most aspiring streamers. However, YouTube is establishing a bigger portion of the market. So how does it shake out between the two platforms in 2021?
YouTube vs Twitch – Which is Better for Streaming?
When looking at YouTube vs Twitch streaming, there are a few areas to compare the two. While Twitch is still the dominant force, YouTube does have quite a few factors going in its favor. This is how we’ve broken it down to compare the two:
YouTube’s New Features and Expansion
When comparing the two platforms YouTube vs Twitch, it is hard to get around their recent history. YouTube isn’t a dedicated game streaming platform and Twitch is. YouTube is built for various types of content and largely the features used by Twitch streamers weren’t available. However, recently YouTube has added a number of new features to their streaming platform.
? Streamers & gaming creators! We’re sharing 3 updates to some highly requested features:
✂️ Clips, ? Subs-only chat, & ? Polls!
Get a quick breakdown of each update below? + more details here: https://t.co/mGURxOgyF6
(1/4)— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) July 14, 2021
They have added in polls, clips, and sub-only chats. These are major parts of Twitch. Clips allow viewers to grab their own favourite portion of a stream and share it with that streamer’s community. Along with restricted chats, these features go a long way towards making the platform more welcoming for larger communities.
Twitch or Youtube better for streamers?
When looking at YouTube vs Twitch, you have to consider which is the better platform for streamers to join. Content creators go to the platform that can best serve them. For many, it is Twitch since the platform has so many viewers and it is easier to build a following. However, YouTube has attracted some major names in gaming like Dr Disrespect and Lazarbeam. These streamers have been pulled in by exclusivity deals, or out of frustration at Twitch.
For new content creators, Twitch holds a lot of allure. They have an inbuilt audience. Whereas it is difficult to grow an organic audience over on YouTube. Fewer gaming streamers show up on a users’ home page unless they actively seek it out. This means most new streamers are pushed over to Twitch, at least until they grow enough of a following to move to YouTube.
The larger platform has its downsides though. Twitch’s revenue sharing has dipped recently, always a bad move for creators. They’ve also had a lot of issues with their enforcement of content policy. Female Twitch streamers walk a constant tightrope. Some overtly sexual content is allowed while actual gaming streamers are banned for their choice of clothing. This can be frustrating and it is representative of how much Twitch overlooks the needs of individual creators.
Twitch and YouTube both have their pros and cons for streamers. While YouTube is definitely less attractive to smaller streamers, Twitch is far from perfect and both have their faults from this view. It’s important to bear in mind though that YouTube is pushing more features for gaming. While Twitch is more attractive at the moment, that could change as YouTube continues to build on their
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