With the rise of platforms like Netflix and YouTube, one might assume the age of live entertainment is coming to an end. Currently a drop of up to $25 billion in cable revenue, the most at-home source of live entertainment, is expected according to CNBC. However, Twitch, a live streaming platform, could prove this wrong. 

In an interview with Warner’s, a leading network for cable, CEO Jeff Bewkes, the technology of streaming platforms is superior. 

“The basic cable networks didn’t have full video-on-demand. We were reliant on advertising. It’s not that the streamers had superior programming, they had superior technology,” Bewkes said.  

 On Twitch, viewers can watch videos by streamers from art to gaming. While this sounds similar to YouTube, Twitch provides more extensive content on a live platform with a chat feature that both creators and viewers use to interact during the stream. These features make the program stand out as they allow audiences to react and speak with other fans as well as the streamers they love.  

Malaya Vahle (9) is an avid Twitch user who likes the personality and authenticity that Twitch allows creators to showcase. 

“Since it’s live, you can’t film a flawless recording per se, so what you put out there is raw and unedited which is something people love…” Vahle said. “Plus, it shows the more authentic version of whatever the person is streaming. it feels like sitting on the couch and watching your friend play a game on TV.”

Twitch is a very diverse platform featuring a variety of content and creators, so anyone can find something to watch within the program. Whether it’s an aspiring pro wanting to view a game of Valorant, a Minecraft fan wanting to watch building and fighting, or someone in need of a relaxing art stream with calm music, there’s always someone streaming. Twitch brings the viewer back to the original idea of watching something at a specific time and making the content more exclusive. Most streamers have “VODS”, or recordings of past streams posted to YouTube, but this lacks the communication feature and makes the whole concept of these videos less interactive. Some streamers, however, don’t post VODS, so if you miss a funny moment, or an interesting stream, you won’t be able to find an entire copy of what was missed anywhere.  

Twitch has introduced the idea of an elite viewer, which previously didn’t exist for live viewing audiences on television or in concert. However, on Twitch, creators can have both subscribers, viewers who pay for special features such as removing ads and funding the creator, as well as followers, a free way to view without all the added benefits. 

However, with only live videos, Twitch loses the vast collection of edited, professional videos that both Netflix and YouTube have. It also leads to longer content which may be viewed as too slowly paced. Rather than watching a fifteen-minute-long video, Twitch streams can be hours long. Recently, Ludwig, a creator on Twitch, hosted a 31–day stream with no pauses that broke records. This extensive content can be difficult for some viewers to watch in its entirety.  

Eli Waters (10) prefers platforms with more options and more professional, edited content.  

“I prefer Netflix and YouTube because there’s a lot of boring stuff on twitch, but if you just need some noise in the background it’s great,” Waters said.