Twitch Goes Beyond Gaming! Introduces IRL For Vlogs
Twitch has created a platform that made itself as the premiere online space for game streaming. Now, they are expanding their reach after slowly testing the field of non-gaming content. Twitch has launched an all-new category called IRL, meaning "In Real Life". Twitch IRL is a feature very similar to YouTube and Facebook Live. This feature is designed specially to allow creators to talk to their community and share thoughts, feelings or opinion about everyday life.
Twitch IRL is a resemblance of video blogging or vlogging. Creators can interact with their audience in different styles, live or recorded, even if the user is not playing a game. Meaning, users can share experiences and events with their community live or with pre-recorded videos.
On 2017, Twitch will also launch native streaming from their mobile app and it will default to the IRL category so that the creator can still stay in touch with their community even when they are away from keyboard (AFK). Twitch is also encouraging people to help them test the mobile app feature, you will have to fill out a form for a chance to be added to the closed beta.
Even from the start, Twitch has enforced a set of rules that filter the types of content they allow on their platform. But Twitch has decided to remake these guidelines. They removed all restrictions on non-endemic content and content creators are encouraged to share videos, gaming or non-gaming, they just have to categorize their content appropriately.
Last year, Twitch launched a channel called Twitch Creative, a place to show-off your creative process, from cooking, drawing, writing songs, and more. It also streamed classic TV shows, like "The Joy of Painting" with Bob Ross that brought in 5.8 million unique viewers since the channel started. The French Chef" on the other hand, a show by Julia Child, brought in 5.4 million viewers.
Twitch is the leading social video platform for gamers, and now non-gamers, with 9.6M daily active users with an average of 106 minutes watched per user per day and 1.7+ million unique broadcasters per month.
