Livestreaming

Livestreaming is the medium of broadcasting video or audio over the internet in real time, so that an audience watches or listens at the same moment the content is created rather than at a time of its own choosing. This immediacy sets it apart from on-demand video, and it typically carries some channel for the audience to respond as the broadcast happens, such as a chat window or comment stream, so that the person broadcasting, often called a streamer, and the audience share something closer to a live conversation than a one-way transmission. Livestreaming grew out of early internet webcasting in the 1990s and became a mainstream medium after the launch of platforms built around it, most notably Twitch, which began as a video-game-focused streaming service, and the later opening of live broadcasting to ordinary users on YouTube and other social media platforms. It is now used well beyond gaming, carrying live sports, concerts, award shows, personal broadcasts, and live shopping, and major sports leagues and other rights holders have increasingly struck broadcasting agreements with streaming platforms rather than only traditional television networks.