“PC Gaming Streaming News: The Latest and Greatest!”
Livestreaming video games has become an increasingly popular way for players to share their gaming experiences with others. From popular streamers like Ninja to top-tier competitive tournaments, PC gaming streaming news is one of the hottest topics in the gaming community. Whether you’re an avid stream watcher or just getting your feet wet with streaming, here’s the latest and greatest news in PC gaming streaming.
Esports
The competitive gaming world has grown exponentially in recent years and livestreams have been the driving force behind the massive increase in viewers. Professional esports tournaments are now being held around the world and televised on mainstream ESPN channels. Viewers from all walks of life tune in to watch top competitors facing off in some of the most well-known esports games such as League of Legends and Overwatch.
Major tournaments for these games have become some of the most-watched livestreams in the world. The 2018 Summer and 2018 Fall League of Legends World Championships averaged 3.8 million peak viewers over the duration of the tournament and a total of 166 million hours of content consumed. Similarly, the 2018 HCT Spring Championship tournament for Hearthstone averaged 1 million peak viewers, with a total of 46 million hours streamed.
Twitch Rivals
Twitch Rivals is Twitch’s own competitive gaming platform. Featuring pro players, top streamers, and content creators, Twitch Rivals hosts large scale tournaments for some of the most popular titles like Fortnite, League of Legends, and PUBG. Tournaments are regularly streamed on Twitch, drawing in an immense viewership. The Twitch Rivals Apex Legends tournament earlier this year had a peak viewership of 450,000, while the League of Legends tournament had over 1 million peak viewers.
TwitchCon
TwitchCon is an annual convention held in various countries where attendees can experience the future of gaming, streaming, and interactive entertainment. During the convention, Twitch hosts exclusive tournaments, announces new features, and showcases some of the latest technologies in the industry.
In 2019, the major gaming tournaments at TwitchCon included the Fortnite Showdown, Apex Legends Status Report, Rainbow Six Siege Showdown, and the inaugural Twitch Rivals Starcraft II Tournament. These tournaments combined for millions of peak viewers for the two-day event. In addition, many new features were announced, among them being the introduction of Twitch Extensions.
Twitch Extensions
Twitch Extensions are interactive overlays and tools built to extend the functionality of a stream. Extensions allow streamers to enhance the experience on their channels for both the streamer and viewers. Some popular Twitch Extensions include the Character Art Viewer that gives viewers an opportunity to explore the backgrounds of character art from the featured game, and the Play-A-Long Extension that allows viewers to create their own playlists while watching the stream.
The introduction of Twitch Extensions has greatly improved the streaming experience for broadcasters and viewers alike. Streamers are now able to customize their streams, build interactive experiences, and offer themselves and their communities more ways to engage.
Streaming Platforms
Streaming platforms have become the dominant force behind the success of PC gaming streaming. Twitch is the undisputed leader of live streaming, but other platforms such as YouTube, Mixer, and Facebook Gaming have become popular destinations for gaming content. Twitch still outranks the others in terms of viewership, but YouTube has seen its gaming viewership skyrocket this year. According to a recent report from Streamlabs, YouTube has grown its gaming viewership by 70 percent year-over-year in 2019.
Final Thoughts
PC gaming streaming news is budding with exciting new developments. The growth of professional esports, the success of Twitch Rivals, and the launch of Twitch Extensions are making livestreaming and viewing content more interactive, entertaining, and enjoyable. The introduction of new streaming platforms and content creators is also providing more opportunities for viewers to stay connected and engaged with their favorite games and broadcasters. If you’re into gaming, there’s never been a better time to tune in and watch some of the best streamers out there.
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