Olivia R. June 23, 2019
Team Liquid began searching for a Chinese streaming partner two years ago, and they've finally partnered with game streaming platform HUYA.
Through this exclusive partnership, Team Liquid will have its players' Twitch streams also available on the HUYA platform, using Restream.io, a back-end system that allows players to restream onto different platforms. This includes their League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Apex Legends, PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds, and Hearthstone players. This most notably includes a live translation of Yilliang "Doublelift" Peng's stream, as he gives an announcement to his fans in China.
According to Team Liquid's official press release, other players will have similarly translated announcements in the future.
"Fans in China will be able to watch streams and have a direct connection with their favorite pros in a way that was impossible bfore now. We know that this partnership is the start of something amazing and hope that Chinese fans, new and old, enjoy everything that's coming from Team Liquid and HUYA," Team Liquid COO Mike Milanov said.
According to an interview with Esports Observer following the announcement, Milanov offered that Team Liquid has had a "growing Chinese audience" since 2015. The organization is hoping to reach those fans, and even more new fans, potentially increasing their value as a "sports franchise."
The Chinese government issued strict livestream regulations in 2016 which limited the country's citizens' ability to access Western esports content directly. By teaming up with HUYA, Team Liquid is able to have their players' streams available in the strict country with six-second delays and 1080p restreams.
"A large majority of our users are huge esports fans, not only of domestic teams but also of international powerhouses. Team Liquid was the logical choice because of their incredible history in esports, as well as their existing popularity with China," HUYA vice-president Ziyang Zhao said. "Their brand power, popular players, and professionalism make us confident in the future of this partnership and we know that the HUYA audience will be excited to have this content on their screens."