It is true that Twitch is the most popular streaming hub and dominant force in the livestreaming market but the chinese gaming giant Tencent is optimistic and may be getting ready to take a shot at the title.
According to a Bloomberg report Tencent Holdings is rolling out a live-streaming service similar to Amazon’s Twitch in the U.S., making a rare foray into American social media. China’s largest company has been quietly testing a mobile-focused streaming network via an affiliate in the U.S. since at least March. Initially called Madcat and now branded Trovo Live, the new service closely resembles Twitch in its appearance and functionality. Beyond Tencent’s own portfolio of popular games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile, Trovo also spotlights marquee titles like Grand Theft Auto and Destiny 2. This week, it detailed plans on its website to entice and reward creators with a $30 million partnership program starting in July.
Trovo is still in beta testing, and is very small potatoes compared to Twitch. The biggest game on the platform, Call of Duty Mobile, currently has just 2,600 followers, while the entire Valorant category has fewer than 200. The Trovo 500 partnership program aims to boost those numbers by offering increased financial incentives to 500 streamers across five different categories.
With the following participation criteria and incentives:
Tencent has been actively expanding its online streaming assets in recent months, having spent $263 million in April to buy control of Twitch equivalent Huya Inc. and this week acquiring content and technology from struggling Southeast Asian outfit iFlix .
