• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

Twitch Just Ditched Some of Its Strictest Rules

By
Jeff Grubb
Jeff Grubb
and
VentureBeat
VentureBeat
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jeff Grubb
Jeff Grubb
and
VentureBeat
VentureBeat
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 15, 2016, 2:55 PM ET
Twitch.tv, Business Wire
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Twitch is dropping some of its strictest rules to give its streamers more ways to interact with their viewers.

The Amazon-owned livestreaming service launched the IRL category today for broadcasters who just want to talk to the camera and their audience in chat without having to play a game (or painting a landscape or eating spicy chicken). Previously, Twitch moderators were rather strict about people who would go too long talking with their fans without creating “gaming content,” but the IRL category creates a space where people never have to do any gaming as long as they stay in the proper category. This definitely harkens back to the origins of Twitch as Justin.tv, which was a live “vloging” service. But Twitch marketing boss Matthew DiPietro explained that Twitch’s IRL streams and Justin.tv are fundamentally different because the latter focused on content while the former has taken a community-first approached.

“Since the beginning, the reason we launched Twitch is that we were letting the community to lead us where they were already going,” DiPietro explained during a chat with GamesBeat. “There was this passionate, organically growing group on Justin.tv that were doing this gameplay thing. So the main difference between how we are doing this at Twitch and how we did it at Justin.tv is that [the community-driven strategy] is still a guiding principle.”

Essentially, Justin.tv’s creators designed it to host all kinds of weird internet content. But when they designed Twitch, they built a platform designed for the community. And now, that community is asking to do vlogs without gaming.

Related: Twitch Expands From Video Games to Live Streams of People Eating

“We’re amazed by our creators who build thriving communities and create compelling content for millions of viewers,” Twitch chief executive Emmett Shear said. “While gaming is their core identity, what we’ve heard repeatedly from them is that they are interested in sharing their everyday lives, thoughts, and opinions with their communities. IRL is designed to help our creators foster that kind of community interaction.”

This strategy of hyperfocusing on gaming and then slowly broadening to a wider audience is not unique to Twitch. Facebook is doing that with its Oculus VR company. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that VR could be the next major computing platform after smartphones, but the Oculus’s Rift headset is primarily a gaming machine at this point.

We’ve also seen the inverse of corporations that are already established in other markets trying to build gaming brands. Kingston, a creator of memory products for PCs, has built up its HyperX gaming-focused division for the last several years. HyperX continues to grow as Kingston finds that people who identify as gamers tend to spend a lot of money on gaming-themed hardware.

Twitch, however, is probably the best example of this strategy. It has built a huge, loyal community of over 2 million broadcasters and 100 million monthly viewers, and now — on top of that foundation — it is letting the interests and desires of that group guide its growth back into market segments it had previously retreated from.

This article originally appeared on VentureBeat. All rights reserved.

About the Authors
By Jeff Grubb
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By VentureBeat
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Current refi mortgage rates report for June 30, 2026
Personal Financemortgage rates
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 30, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 30, 2026
2 hours ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 30, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 30, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 30, 2026
2 hours ago
Mortgage rates today, June 30, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, June 30, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 30, 2026
2 hours ago
ac
Commentaryclimate change
Top climate tech exec: Europe is sweating through a heat crisis America solved decades ago
By Taco EngelaarJune 30, 2026
2 hours ago
Should you go to work during a heat wave? Your productivity suffers, and GDP tanks when it’s hot
Environmentclimate change
Should you go to work during a heat wave? Your productivity suffers, and GDP tanks when it’s hot
By Catherina GioinoJune 30, 2026
3 hours ago
Brown University Professor Roberto Serrano, a man in a suit holding onto a gold trophy--the King Of Spain Economy Award"-- before Spain's King Felipe and a painted wall.
AIEducation
‘Humanity has chosen to become idiots’: This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
By Catherina GioinoJune 29, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
17 hours ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
5 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
3 days ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 29, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 29, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 29, 2026
20 hours ago
Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer's first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald's to landing a $400 million contract
Success
Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer's first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald's to landing a $400 million contract
By Preston ForeJune 28, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.