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YouTube to take on Twitch with its own livestreaming service

This year will see the relaunch of YouTube Live, the video site’s livestreaming service which originally launched in 2010 to broadcast live events via the internet. So says The Daily Dot, quoting “sources within the streaming industry”, who also said the new-look Live will focus quite heavily on game-streaming and esports.

YouTube tried to buy Twitch last year, with no success. It was beaten to the punch by Amazon who acquired the game-streaming company for R11.4 billion ($970m).

Game-streaming and esports have certainly taken off in the last four years, with live events attracting an audience of millions in addition to the thousands who cram themselves into the events’ venues; even sites like DailyMotion have thrown their hats into the live-streaming ring.

The big audiences it attracts translates into advertising cash, and YouTube wants a slice of that pie. As you can see from this article’s featured image, captured from YouTube’s current “Live” section, the video site’s live-streaming arm is somewhat lacklustre and in need of a makeover.

Daily Dot says YouTube has already started gathering a team, having already hired 50 engineers with streaming expertise to take on Twitch, and that the time is right to do it as Twitch is currently expanding its focus into other areas like music.

Gamers will know Twitch is the current and undisputed leader in the game-streaming world, with a four-year head start on pretty much everybody, which means YouTube has quite a challenge on its hands.

But if anyone can take Twitch on and win, it’s YouTube with its backing from Father Google. The Daily Dot expects YouTube to deliver the official announcement of the re-launch of YouTube Live at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, which runs from the 16th to the 18th of June.

[Source – Daily Dot]

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