Twitch
Twitch
Here’s How Twitch’s New Parental Controls Work
Khizar Mundia
There is growing discussion about the safety of younger users on livestreaming and social media platforms, with some countries even restricting usage for minors. Twitch has just announced that it has launched optional parental controls, allowing parents to limit their children’s activity on the platform. A move towards parental controls is not a surprise given the global push in recent months towards tighter regulation around social media platforms and age …
Twitch
iShowSpeed’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Tour in Numbers
Khizar Mundia
Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr.’s FIFA World Cup 2026 tour was the largest and most ambitious in his IRL streaming career — the YouTuber met his idols, broke records, and even performed his song at the tournament’s final closing ceremony. Speed is known for his energetic and engaging IRL streams where he interacts with fans, creates wholesome moments, and shows viewers wherever he is in the world. The YouTuber’s FIFA World …
Twitch
MrBeast marries Thea Booysen: How it could affect the YouTuber’s career
Khizar Mundia
YouTube giant Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson has married his long-time partner and fellow creator Thea “TheaBeasty” Booysen in a low-key ceremony. MrBeast met Thea Booysen during a trip to South Africa in 2022, and the two started dating in the same year. Booysen is also a content creator known online as TheaBeasty. She is famous for gaming streams. That’s not all she does, though, as Thea Booysen is also an author …
Twitch
IRL Streaming: What Is It and Why Is It So Popular?
Khizar Mundia
IRL streaming has become commonplace on all major streaming platforms, and millions of viewers tune in every day to be a fly on the wall as streamers showcase their life. There are numerous IRL streamers, with some showcasing their everyday life and others producing large-scale content for their viewers, such as Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. Regardless of whether you watch Speed broadcasting a World Cup match or a streamer walking …
Twitch
iShowSpeed Ends World Cup tour in style, performs at final and teases 2030
Khizar Mundia
Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins. Jr.’s FIFA World Cup 2026 tour has come to an end, marking the end of five weeks of memorable streaming, and the American even performed his song at the showpiece final between Spain and Argentina. This was another World Cup livestream, where Speed’s father and brother were also present. The two engaged with viewers, as Speed was set to perform at the finals, and they even did …
Twitch
ExtraEmily hires a driver after Twitch ban over distracted driving
Khizar Mundia
Emily “ExtraEmily” Zhang was recently in the news for getting banned from Twitch for the third time, and the streamer has now taken the step of hiring a driver after another brush with the law. 2026 has been an intense year for ExtraEmily so far. The streamer was accused of viewbotting and took a break for mental health reasons. The creator returned again shortly after, but was once again receiving …
GTA
These are the streamers we’re most keen to see play GTA 6
Hannan Mundia
GTA 6 is easily the most anticipated game of the year, if not the decade. The hype has only grown with the release of more in-game screenshots recently and Rockstar also opened pre-orders and confirmed the cover art. Its looming presence also affects the industry more generally, with no developer wanting to release its game close to the November 19 release date. Fan theories and story predictions have been plentiful, …
Twitch
Kai Cenat’s Streamer University 2026 has begun: Highlights, rewards, sponsors & more
Khizar Mundia
Streamer University 2026 has started with a bang, and Kai Cenat’s latest event has showcased several additions, including new rewards, sponsors, and much more on day one. Kai Cenat launched the Streamer University as a tool for small streamers to get exposure while learning about content creation. The 2025 event got a very positive response from other creators and the industry at large, reportedly generating 27 million watch hours across …
MrBeast’s thumbnail creator reveals the strategy behind viral YouTube videos
Khizar Mundia
News
Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson’s YouTube videos get millions of views, and he is one of the most successful streaming personalities of all-time. But what is the secret sauce behind his viral videos? Well now the YouTuber’s thumbnail creator has revealed how the thumbnails are meticulously designed to attract viewers. MrBeast is one of the most recognizable YouTubers, but as well as his creative and unique video topics, a big part of …
iShowSpeed makes TIME100 Creators list for second consecutive year
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
TIME has revealed its TIME100 Creators 2026 list, and multiple streamers, including Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr., have made the cut. TIME100 Creators is an editorial selection that is inspired by the TIME100, and the creators are chosen based on their cultural influence and impact. 2025 was the inaugural list, which saw the likes of Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed recognized as some of the most influential creators. The 2026 list sees …
iShowSpeed wins FIFA Creator Cup, offers to play for India in 2030
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
The ongoing World Cup tour by Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. has been full of ups and downs, but the latest standout moment saw the streamer win a trophy before his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the American even offered to play for India in the 2030 World Cup. iShowSpeed has been attending and livestreaming the FIFA World Cup 2026 thanks to his partnership with FIFA, Fox, and YouTube. He has shared …
Kai Cenat reveals he’ll do another marathon with iShowSpeed
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
Twitch creator Kai Cenat’s recent return to streaming has been packed full of action so far with the launch of Streamer University 2026, and the American has now revealed that he is planning another marathon with Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. iShowSpeed and Kai Cenat announced a Minecraft marathon back in August 2024; Kai streamed the marathon on Twitch, while iShowSpeed was live on YouTube. The two creators were streaming in …
Is Twitch fast-tracking Partner status for Kai Cenat’s Streamer University participants?
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
Kai Cenat’s Streamer University 2026 is set to be one of the biggest streaming events of the year, and it has already generated plenty of excitement and debate online. The latest discussion centers on reports that some participants may have had their Twitch Partner applications fast-tracked, sparking further speculation that the platform is backing the event. Kai Cenat is one of the most recognizable content creators in the world and …
Here are three of the most infamous Twitch bans
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
Since its launch in 2011, Twitch has grown to become the world’s leading streaming platform with millions of daily visitors. However, despite its popularity, it is also renowned for handing out bans to creators that break rules. Twitch bans may sometimes seem out of the blue or unwarranted, but there is always a breach behind each. Viewers are always speculating when Twitch bans a creator, as the platform is notorious …
FIFA starts investigation into alleged racist abuse directed at iShowSpeed
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. was allegedly targeted with racist abuse in the Argentina vs Cape Verde World Cup 2026 match, leading to FIFA opening an investigation into the incident. iShowSpeed has been on a busy IRL tour during the ongoing World Cup, primarily to support his hero Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the legendary striker’s tournament came to an end in the loss against Spain, leading to an emotional outburst from Speed …
Nikita Bier targets MrBeast over X post
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
X’s Head of Product, Nikita Bier, is known to not mince his words, and he has now called out Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson for allegedly engaging in financial baiting on X. Nikita Bier came into the spotlight in the streaming space when he took a dig at Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr., enraging the streamer’s fans. Since then, Bier has been promoting the use of livestreaming on X but has managed to …
Kai Cenat hits 1 million concurrent viewers for the second time, apologizes to ex-girlfriend GiGi
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
It has been a busy few weeks for the hugely popular content creator Kai Cenat. First he announced his return to streaming, crossing 1 million concurrent viewers for the second time in his career, and he has also confirmed participants of the Streamer University 2026. The American has also discussed details of his personal life and the drama involving his ex-girlfriend Gabrielle “GiGi” Alayah. The Twitch star’s return came after …
Kai Cenat finally announces Streamer University 2026 participants
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
Twitch star Kai Cenat took a roughly nine month break from streaming to focus on his clothing line, but he has now returned and the first item on his agenda is hosting the Streamer University 2026. Kai Cenat surprised everyone when he announced a streaming break to focus on his clothing line, Vivet. He made a brief comeback for The Streamer Awards last year, but didn’t resume streaming. That has now …
iShowSpeed breaks down after Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2026 World Cup elimination
Khizar Mundia
News
Cristiano Ronaldo is known to be Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr.’s favorite football player, and he has made it his mission to attend every match of the Portuguese forward during the ongoing 2026 World Cup. He made an appearance at the last-16 match against Spain, but Portugal’s 1-0 loss left the streamer devastated. iShowSpeed has been consistently livestreaming the FIFA World Cup 2026, but he recently missed a Portugal games due …
Twitch bans Kaceytron as fans call for tougher action over dangerous on-stream behavior
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
Kacey “Kaceytron” Caviness has been part of her fair share of controversies over the years, with feuds and legal cases marking her time on Twitch. The American streamer’s latest stunt has seemingly led to a ban on the streaming platform. This is nothing new to Kaceytron, and the streamer’s various infractions have led to her channel being suspended five times. However, some viewers feel that she has crossed a line …
Twitch is the largest of all the major livestreaming platforms in and around the gaming world, but it wasn’t always that way. Th platform’s history dates back over many years and to a form of the service that had little to do with gaming. So how did it arrive to the top of the gaming marketplace from those humble beginnings?
Twitch transcends justin.tv, is acquired by Amazon
Twitch was originally born out of justin.tv, an early livestreaming website that focus more on general lifestyle streaming than on any one particular niche, gaming included. justin.tv, named after co-founder Justin Kan, was launched in 2007 and went on to feature multiple categories of streaming options. Among these was gaming, a category which quickly outpaced the growth of platform’s other categories.
Responding to this growth, justin.tv spun out its gaming section in 2011 into a new service called Twitch.tv, and that is the true starting point of Twitch as it exists today.
It would still be some time before Twitch would resemble its modern-day operation. The biggest move towards that progression came in 2014, when the streaming platform was purchased for just shy of $1 billion in cash by services and technology giant Amazon. That move transitioned the company being a private operation largely funded by private investment and internal revenues to one of many arms of one of the world’s largest and richest companies.
Twitch dominates gaming livestreaming
The growth of Twitch largely coincided with the growth of livestreaming the world over, and gaming was a key driver of that growth as audiences flocked in droves to watch charismatic personalities play through their favorite games both new and old. Some of those personalities would become so popular that they would rival mainstream celebrities in notoriety with younger audiences, from Tyler “Ninja” Blevins to Imane “Pokimane” Anys.
Some of those personalities would be poached by rival streaming platforms that cropped up in response to the runaway popularity of Twitch. Microsoft’s Mixer and YouTube’s YouTube Gaming both signed streamers with massive audiences to exclusive streaming deals via big-money contracts. But Twitch proved resilient; no matter how popular the streamers were when they were signed away, someone else seemed prime to fill their spot. Twitch had become more than just a vehicle through which popular personalities could stream. It was itself a destination for its audience.
Twitch does still continue to compete with rival platforms. Kick is perhaps its biggest competition today, offering generous
subscription revenue splits
in an effort to sway streamers away from Twitch. But Amazon’s platform remains the most popular.
Twitch finds controversy over moderation, censorship
Given the nature of the Twitch platform, one that is entirely reliant on user-generated content, it should come as no surprise that moderation and censorship have long been hot topics of conversation. Consistency, or lack thereof, is often cited as Twitch’s biggest issue as its moderation team struggles to pass judgments across a litany of streamers producing a great variety of content.
Those content types have only grown over time. While Twitch found massive popularity by moving away from the greater variety of justin.tv and focusing specifically on gaming, the platform has ironically pushed back into other categories in more recent years, attempting to find additional growth by emphasizing the streaming of art, music, and its popular “just chatting” content that sees streamers talking directly to their audience without any particular activity driving their engagement.
But while Twitch is now a lightning rod for controversy and discussion given its great size and breadth, that controversy has shown no real risk to lessening its grip on the livestreaming industry. Twitch has become the dominant name in its category, and with its biggest streamers continuing to
set new records, all signs point to that dominance continuing for the foreseeable future.
