Twitch
More info
- Creator
- Justin Kan, Emmett Shear
- Released
- Owner
- Amazon
- Type
- Live-streaming platform
- Website
- twitch.tv
- Wikipedia
- en.wikipedia.org
Live-streaming platform with a gaming focus — started as a Justin.tv spin-off in 2011, acquired by Amazon in 2014 for USD 970 million.
Real-time video via HLS, chat via an IRCv3-based protocol (TMI) — genuinely IRC under the hood despite the web UI. Subscriptions, bits (micro-donations), Twitch Drops, Channel Points. Powers e-sports streams, "Just Chatting", music, art.
Competitors: YouTube Live, Kick (has lured major streamers with a better revenue split), Facebook Gaming. Stack: Go-heavy services, OBS as the default broadcaster, video pipeline on FFmpeg + an in-house transcoder.