Twitter is going through a pretty transformative period, these days. For one thing, the social media platform has changed its name, now going by the much shorter moniker of “X.” But users have noted many more changes since Elon Musk took over the platform last year, and its newest is intended to help it compete with Amazon’s streaming video platform Twitch.

X Premium subscribers ($8 per month or $84 per year) can now share their online gaming sessions and other live videos on the platform. Users have to be subscribed if they want to stream their own sessions, but anyone can watch the livestream of a subscriber once it has started.

Mark Kalman, X’s lead for media engineering took to the platform to share how users could access the new livestream feature:

How to game stream on here (for Premium subscribers) pic.twitter.com/KwpQZRfXF9

— Mark Kalman (@marmars) September 30, 2023

Streaming platforms like Twitch are incredibly popular, especially among Gen Zers. The move is a fairly obvious play to get younger audiences thinking of X as an indispensable social media platform, but if it works it could provide Amazon with its first serious competition for Twitch since the company bought that service in 2014.

One party who should be watching the proceedings intently is Netflix. That company has been steadily building its mobile gaming segment, and intends to one day become a cloud gaming platform that expands far beyond mobile offerings.

If Netflix does become a viable gaming platform, offering users the ability to stream games or watch others while streaming could be a key component. Creating such a platform would cost time and money, but it would allow Netflix to truly become a one-stop gaming destination for its users, and likely drive engagement with its streaming video platform as well.

This is all pure speculation, as no one from Netflix has even hinted that the ability to livestream gaming sessions is in the cards. But the streamer would be wise to consider such a move, even as X rolls out its own game streaming platform to Premium subscribers.

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Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”

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The platform constantly updates its catalog, introducing fresh content alongside timeless classics and international hits. Netflix’s commitment to storytelling has also earned critical acclaim, with award-winning exclusives such as “Roma,” “Marriage Story,” “The Power of the Dog,” “Mank,” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” In 2023, their animated film “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, further solidifying Netflix’s reputation for high-quality content.

Recently, Netflix has expanded beyond standard movies and TV titles with the addition of video podcasts, and is also exploring a digital store that would offer third-party streamers within the app.

Netflix offers three plans – stream on 2 devices in HD with the “Standard with Ads” ($8.99) plan, on 2 devices in HD with the “Standard” ($19.99) plan, and 4 devices in up to 4K on the “Premium” ($26.99) plan.

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