Twitch starts testing vertical video streams

Twitch, the popular livestreaming platform owned by Amazon, has officially embarked on its journey into vertical video streaming. This announcement was made during the recent TwitchCon event, where the company revealed its plans for this innovative feature. Recent analysis from market intelligence firm Appsensa indicates that initial alpha tests are now underway, involving select streamers. The research uncovered hints within the app's code, detailing potential features that these vertical streams could include. Once fully implemented, this new offering aims to enhance Twitch's competitiveness against leading vertical video platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. At this stage, the testing phase is limited, with only a few streamers participating. Appsensa's findings noted the presence of a vertical theater mode, complete with a custom user interface that allows toggling between the traditional and the new vertical formats. Users trying out this feature for the first time will see prompts that announce, "vertical video is here," along with reminders that this is still a test and that they can revert to the classic view at any point. Furthermore, the current version of the feature includes necessary permission settings for camera and microphone access, which are essential for mobile platforms, suggesting that the app will facilitate these livestreams. When approached for additional comments, Twitch remained tight-lipped, reiterating its earlier statement made at TwitchCon Rotterdam about starting tests with a limited number of channels over the summer. A company representative also hinted that these tests would eventually broaden to include more users as the year progresses. Additionally, Twitch revealed plans to experiment with dual-format and 2K streaming for a select number of channels during the same event.