Twitch has announced the rollout of video stories, aiming to expand its platform’s capabilities and challenge Instagram. This new feature allows streamers to create or upload 60-second videos directly from the Twitch mobile app.
The company views video stories as an opportunity for streamers to engage with their audience while away from their usual streaming setup, offering a way to share behind-the-scenes content that might typically be posted on platforms like Instagram or TikTok.
The story format, originally popularized by Snapchat over a decade ago, has since been adopted by nearly every major social media and messaging platform, including Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, and Facebook.
With Twitch now joining the ranks, the platform seeks to provide streamers with tools to connect with their viewers more interactively. Streamers can use the new video stories feature in various ways, such as:
- Ask questions
- Create polls
- Shout out new subscribers through @mentions
- Share clips or highlights from recent streams
- Promote upcoming streams or notify their audience of schedule changes
Twitch’s broader goal with this feature is to encourage streamers to rely more on its platform rather than using other social media networks to interact with their viewers. Despite this, it’s unlikely that top creators will entirely shift away from platforms like Instagram.
While Twitch initially launched text and photo stories exclusively on mobile, it has now extended access to all stories via the web app. This move comes as Twitch recognizes that its viewers spend the majority of their time on the web, making it essential to offer the same features across both platforms.
Featured Image courtesy of MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images
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