Live streaming is a very cool way to connect with people virtually. And with the global pandemic in 2020, it has gained more traction. You can virtually meet people sitting at home by conducting meetings, stream games, podcasts, etc. You can also stream a live video through your phone. But here is a compilation of some of the top live stream platforms that are trending.
Twitch
Twitch is a top-rated live streaming platform. It is also one of the fastest live streaming platforms and on-demand. Twitch started initially as a live DJ service and slowly integrated live game streaming. And now, it streams almost anything, including music and arts.
Twitch has a lot of excellent features. You can customize your extensions and schedule the stream time. And this allows you to keep up with subscribers, followers, and your top donators. When a new user subscribes to your channel, they get emotes like badges, honoring the new follower. And this way, you start to build a community-specific to your channel.
The best part about Twitch is the integration with Amazon, the biggest e-commerce site in the world. So signing up with Twitch is very simple. And if you have Amazon prime, you also get additional perks like free games and downloadable contents, etc. Once you start constantly streaming with a good stream schedule, your channel will reach an affiliate status. And when this happens, you start earning from all the ads that start showing up on your live stream. At the same time, viewers or subscribers can now pay 4.99$ a month for a subscription and can also drop donations in the form of bits.
Twitch pays you every 30 days once you reach 100$. So the more you grow as a community, the better the chances to earn. However, it is not easy to gain followers. But with persistence, a good streaming schedule, and useful content, you can hit the affiliate status in no time. Many attractive female streamers use twitch as a funnel for their non-adult related content to push subscribers to their adult content on platforms like OnlyFans. For content creators of adult content this serves as a perfect marketing lead in as they can monetize their safe for work content while also creating buzz for the NSFW content. Many adult content creators have even collaborated with huge adult platforms such as dating sites for free local hookups and cam sites. As they say content is king and when it comes to live streaming, content has gone way passed just video gaming.
Facebook Gaming
Facebook is at the heart of social media platforms. And it has almost every feature you can think of, which makes it one of the top sites. Gaming is very popular, and it is a big industry with a massive revenue generation. Now Facebook has an integrated live gaming option where you can stream your games. And the process of going live is similar to a typical personal live stream.
There is a feature called ‘level up program,’ which is unique to Facebook gaming. And when you join, it unlocks other cool features, including the possibility of monetizing your gaming streams. However, there are criteria that you should fulfill. To monetize your streams, Facebook requires you to have 4 hours of streaming within the next 14 weeks.
Once you monetize your live streams, you will start earning when viewers give you stars. One star is equivalent to one cent. And when you reach the partner level, your viewers can now subscribe for 4.99$ monthly. So that is how you start to earn by streaming your game live.
One of the best features of Facebook gaming is that if you already have a significant amount of Facebook friends, you can quickly build an audience. So you don’t have to try and get subscribers by looking elsewhere.
Caffeine. TV
Caffeine.TV is another popular live streaming platform known for attempting to gain traction in the streaming platform space by partnering with celebrities. You can use the capture card software on your PC or use it with other third-party apps like OBS. Once you join, you can start with caffeine discord. It has a lot of perks and gives you timely updates etc. You can also speak with other streamers on the platform and win prizes for your live streams. If you win a prize, you are featured on the front page and given ‘gold,’ which you can spend on other streamers or yourself.
There is another level called the Caffeine Partner, which allows you to view messages in real-time as you stream. And one of the best things about Caffeine.TV is that most of the users play the same game. So the likelihood of other users discovering you are potentially higher. And the way you earn is through stickers with gold currency paid by the viewers. Once you reach 200$ in gold, you can cash it out.
YouTube Gaming
YouTube gaming is an excellent live streaming platform. Initially, the gaming aspect of YouTube was a separate site specifically for gamers. But as time went on, it merged with the main site. The site has a lot of user base, making it the perfect platform to do a live stream. And the best part is you can even upload pre-recorded content as a live stream. So it means the video gets uploaded by the time you finish. The interface is straightforward and easy to navigate. All you need is recording software, minimal setup, and a decent camera. And apart from streaming your games, podcasting live is another way to use the YouTube live stream feature.
Another cool feature of YouTube live streams is video quality. Unlike other platforms like Twitch and Facebook, which stream 1080p quality videos only after a certain level, YouTube can stream that right away. So the video quality is not an issue, and you can stream at the highest HD quality.
The monetization works pretty much the same as a normal YouTube channel. You will need a Google AdSense account. And then link it to your channel. The revenue generation comes from the ads. So longer video streams have a better chance of generating more income through the ads. But for a better monetization program, you will need at least a thousand subscribers and a watch time of four thousand views.
Conclusion
So these are four of the top live streaming platforms that are trending. And with movement restrictions and lockdowns due to the pandemic, it has become a viable income source for many people. And especially for people that have not yet explored the live streaming avenues, now is a great time to explore.