YouTube Gaming gets subscriptions, Android streaming

By Sherif Saed

YouTube continues to bolster its Gaming arm to rival Twitch.

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A few weeks ago we learned Twitch is expanding beyond livestreaming, the service is planning to host video on demand to be viewable even when streamers are offline. The move was seen as a direct response to YouTube’s foray into game steaming.

Today’s YouTube Gaming move is also a way for the service to better compete with Twitch. The company announced that it’s launching two new programs that sound a lot like subscriptions and donations on Twitch.

They’re called Fan Funding and Sponsorships, and they’re both available now to a small group of streamers right now. Perks include live chat bade, exclusive chat sessions and more is planned as the features become available for all streamers.

In addition, the app now supports game streaming from Android. You can even use the front cam for commentary.

Yesterday’s update also brought a few changes to the front page and the mobile apps. For instance, YouTube made it easier to bookmark videos for watching later. The new update made it easier to see livestreams for games you’re subscribed to as well.

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