The live streaming market has been steadily increasing over the years and shows no signs of slowing down. According to 

a report by the Business Research company

, it will increase from a market share of $1.76 billion to $2.11 billion this year, following a 19.7% CAGR. 

Live streaming global market report by the business company

And with nearly one-third of the world actively watching these platforms, the scope is huge!

As we navigate through 2025, two giants continue to dominate the streaming ecosystem: YouTube and Twitch. While both platforms offer powerful tools for creators, they serve distinctly different purposes and audiences.

6 Things to Do Before Your First YouTube Live Stream

The core distinction between YouTube and Twitch lies in their approach to content visibility and audience engagement. In the video below, Dan breaks down exactly how that manifests on the specific websites, so be sue to check it out!

Twitch thrives on real-time interaction. It’s where your community shows up for you 

 you’re live. The energy is immediate, the audience is engaged, and the experience is immersive. But the downside? When you’re not live, your presence fades fast. Even with new tools like tags and clips, Twitch is still a platform that demands consistent, live availability to stay relevant.

If your strength lies in live performance and community engagement, Twitch makes sense. But know this: you’ll need to be present to stay seen.

YouTube flips the model. Live streams live on as searchable content, feeding an algorithm that keeps pushing your content to new viewers long after you hit "end stream." A strong video or stream on YouTube can keep paying dividends for months. You’re not just building for the now; you’re investing in content that grows legs.

This difference makes YouTube especially valuable if you want your content to be found organically, on viewers’ terms, not just while you're live.

YouTube wins hands down when it comes to accessibility. It’s everywhere—smart TVs, consoles, phones, browsers. Viewers stumble across content casually, which is gold for discovery. Livestreams appear right next to regular videos, so users don’t need to dig for them.

Creator live streaming video games on computer

Twitch, by contrast, is still a niche hub. You go there 

 you want to watch a stream. It’s less integrated into casual media consumption, which limits passive discovery.

YouTube's ubiquity gives it a significant edge in terms of accessibility. The platform is seamlessly integrated into virtually every digital device, from smart TVs and gaming consoles to smartphones and tablets. This universal presence means your content can reach viewers wherever they consume media.

The financial aspect of streaming represents another crucial differentiator between these platforms, with each offering distinct approaches to creator compensation.

different monetization models of YouTube and Twitch

YouTube has lowered its barriers to early monetization

, creating more accessible entry points for emerging creators:

Initial features like Super Chats and Channel Memberships unlock at just 500 subscribers and 3,000 watch hours

Full partnership requires 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 watch hours or 10 million Shorts views in the past 12 months

Content continues generating income long after publication

Perhaps most importantly, YouTube's monetization strength lies in the extended lifecycle of content. Streams that performed well live can continue generating ad revenue indefinitely as VODs, creating a compounding effect that builds sustainable income over time. Major creators like 

 have reported YouTube ad revenue exceeding Twitch earnings by factors of 10x or more for identical content.

Twitch offers a more immediate path to initial monetization but with less favorable terms:

Affiliate status requires just 50 followers and an average of 3 concurrent viewers

Revenue splits are less generous at 50/50 for subscriptions

Income generation effectively stops when streams end

Bits (virtual currency for tipping) and direct donations supplement subscription income

The platform's advantage lies in its audience behavior. Twitch viewers are culturally conditioned to financially support creators through subscriptions, bits, and 

 benefits. This creates a more predictable income stream for established streamers with loyal communities.

Going Live on YouTube: 8 Genius Hacks for Monetizing Your Streams

The Multi-streaming Solution: Combining Platform Strengths

For many creators, the YouTube vs Twitch debate has evolved beyond choosing one platform over another. Multi-streaming, which is broadcasting simultaneously to both platforms, has emerged as a powerful strategy that leverages the strengths of each ecosystem while mitigating their weaknesses.

multi-streaming on different platforms simultaneously

Tools like Restream and Stream Yard have simplified the technical challenges of broadcasting to multiple destinations, allowing creators to:

Maintain their interactive Twitch community while gaining YouTube's discoverability

Let audiences choose their preferred platform without forcing migration

Increase overall reach by existing in multiple content ecosystems

Build platform-specific audience engagement strategies

However, multi-streaming comes with potential drawbacks. Attention divided between multiple chat feeds can dilute engagement quality, and analytics become more complex to track and optimize. The strategy works best when creators have sufficient bandwidth—both technical and attentional—to manage multiple platforms effectively.

Twitch maintains a significant advantage in terms of creator tools and interactive features. The platform's open API has fostered a rich ecosystem of third-party applications and extensions that enhance the streaming experience. This allows for advanced interactivity, including:

Channel point redemptions that trigger on-stream events

These tools facilitate a deeply immersive and participatory viewing experience that keeps audiences engaged throughout longer broadcasts.

YouTube, on the other hand, has made considerable strides in upgrading interactive capabilities too. They now offer:

Fundraising goals for charity streams or creator milestones

Gifted memberships to promote community support

Enhanced chat functionality with improved moderation tools

While these features have narrowed the gap with Twitch, YouTube still lacks the deeply embedded interactivity that makes Twitch streams feel like communal events rather than passive viewing experiences.

Understanding the unique growth mechanics of each platform allows creators to optimize their approach whether choosing one platform or pursuing a multiplatform strategy.

Consistent scheduling to build viewing habits

Heavy emphasis on chat interaction and community building

Strategic use of collaborative streams to tap into established audiences

Leveraging Twitch's newer discoverability features like tags and clips

Creating memorable stream moments that encourage clip sharing

Creating searchable, keyword-optimized titles and descriptions

Developing content that works both live and as VODs

Repurposing stream highlights into shorter, algorithm-friendly clips

Maintaining a regular publishing cadence beyond just livestreams

Utilizing YouTube Shorts as a discovery funnel for your main content

The YouTube vs Twitch debate doesn’t end with a clear winner; it ends with 

. Your style, goals, and bandwidth all factor into the right call. Some creators go all in on one platform. Others multi-stream or even explore YouTube vs Twitch alternatives like 

Adaptability is the name of the game in 2025. The most successful creators don’t just ride trends they stay nimble, explore streaming platforms

Twitch, and meet their audiences wherever they are.

check out these 5 tools that can improve your stream

Understand the difference between the two biggest live streaming platforms on the globe and what works best for you.

YouTube vs Twitch: The Best Choice in 2025

YouTube has now enabled creators to make live streams in a vertical format through the YouTube Shorts player. Although it is still pretty early to say for sure, this looks like one of the most impactful new features introduced this year. With this new live format, both veterans and newbies of the category have a new way of growing their channel and audience. Sounds exciting? So, let's understand how the whole thing works.

In an interview with Creator Insider, Rene Ritchie, YouTube’s creator liaison talked to the Product Manager of YouTube Live to better understand this exciting new update. Watch their conversation below:

Vertical livestreams are identical to the regular streams we see on YouTube or Twitch usually, except for the dimensions of the video itself. While they are a new addition to YouTube, vertical live has existed before through platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Compared to regular horizontal livestreams, this format limits screen space and you have less real estate for presentation. This is where Shorts creators might have an edge over others getting into this new mode of creation.

Streaming vertically doesn’t require you to learn new tools and techniques to get started with. As of now, there are 3 main ways to go live vertically on YouTube:

Easily go live in a vertical format directly from the YouTube app.

Preferred for versatility, encoders like OBS studio allow for setting up a vertical canvas for streaming, commonly used by gaming channels.

A tool that simplifies vertical live streaming setup, offering a tailored menu of options for vertical format. StreamYard is a good option here.

5 Tools You Need to Improve Your YouTube Livestreams Today

As of now, there isn’t a dedicated section for vertical livestreams. Vertical live streams are somewhat hidden but can be found by pausing a YouTube Short and tapping the "Live" chip at the top, leading to a feed of live streams.

You may also come across one of these streams just while passively scrolling through Shorts on your device. This means more chances to get fresh eyeballs to your content.

As mentioned above, this feature is still at a nascent stage to tell us how impactful it really is to your channel overall. But we can surely expect certain things:



 There's high potential for new viewer discovery due to lower competition and novelty.

If your viewers are already entertained by Shorts or Live content, then it is a no-brainer to try this new feature out.

Experimenting with new formats while understanding the potential impact on viewer engagement and channel growth, and will establish the meta on these livestreams.

Our in-house YouTube experts were quick to get in the midst of the action themselves immediately with this new feature update. Rob and Dan hosted our channel’s first vertical livestream and discovered some interesting insights. Watch the stream VOD below:

The first challenge they faced was to arrange the elements on the screen to fit within the 9:16 aspect ratio, something they were not used to.
Over 50% of viewers in the stream were new to the channel, which indicates good reach but unclear long-term engagement.

While the number of viewers was more, the time spent by each viewer on the stream was less resulting in lesser watch time compared to usual streams.

It is important to consider whether you want to make vertical content genuinely and whether vertical streams align with your content strategy, rather than doing it just for variety. YouTube hasn’t mentioned yet how hours collected from these streams will contribute to 

, so expect some news on that front soon. To understand this better, watch the video below:


It is safe to say that innovation from the house of YouTube is not going to slow down anytime soon, which means it is the best time to start creating. So, make your videos count, 

A phone with the YouTube logo with the word "Live" below.

Smartphone screen showing YouTube Live streaming icon with play button on display

Learn how YouTube's latest vertical livestreaming feature works and if it is worth it for you to pursue.

YouTube Vertical Live: Is It For You?

Imagine that, right now, life is a bit chaotic. You've lost your job, your newborn needs medical attention, and you've just moved to a new place, so you're fresh out of money.

Of all the solutions you could try — looking for a new job, starting a business, creating a side hustle — you're pretty sure that going live on YouTube isn't the answer. No one makes real money doing that, right?

, a gaming creator, faced these same challenges and still monetized his way to a full-time income. Starting with just 10,000 subscribers, CGE used a combination of regular videos and livestreams to make money on YouTube (and livestreams currently pay his rent!). Now he has over 70,000 subs who enjoy his 

So, what's the secret to CGE's success, and how did he turn his circumstances around? We'll explore his story, plus highlight the best strategy for monetizing YouTube livestreams.

First, Build an Audience for Your Streams

Before you can even think about monetizing your content, you need to build a loyal audience. Interestingly, CGE says that live streamers should build a community 

"And that was always my focus, not millions and millions of views," CGE says. "It was always a dedicated, tightly-knit community. If you have a community backing you up, that helps with numerous things on YouTube."

Once you're part of a community, you have a built-in audience for your topic of choice. So before you start steaming, CGE recommends three things:

Build a niche community to grow your influence.

Finding your passion is the best way to kick off a YouTube channel because it helps you connect with the right viewers. So, what's your thing? Is it Zelda gaming? Peanut farming? Ballet dancing? No matter what you're doing, it helps if you're 

Once you've identified your passion, look for communities of people interested in the same thing. You can check spaces like Discord, Twitter, and even different Facebook groups to find your tribe. But once you're there, CGE says to engage with others genuinely and make real connections.

"Don't even think about your channel," he says. "Be involved in the community for the sake of being involved."

Once you're well-known in a community, it's time to build something of your own. Create an online group that aligns with your passion and YouTube channel, preferably somewhere outside of YouTube. That could be Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or another platform. 

Nurture that audience, and soon enough, you'll begin to stand out for your niche. 

This creates one more place for people to discover your channel.

For example, CGE created "Spyro Community Day" on Twitter to meet new people and expand the topic beyond YouTube.

"We talked about the community and spent all day retweeting stuff, talking to people, and just speaking about the franchise," he says. "If that builds the community [you're streaming for], inevitably, your channel's going to grow."

If you've made it this far, you've found your passion, plus a community of people who share your interests. Now it's time for the fun part!

When you're ready to stream, CGE suggests you

and not daily. After all, you have to let people miss you. This builds anticipation for your content and keeps the spark alive on your channel.

"People then realize, 'Hey, I want to tune into that because it's not like he streams every day. He only streams on Thursdays and Fridays, and I want to catch him live,' " CGE explains.

In each livestream, CGE says you should advertise other communities you've built online. Tell people to follow your Twitch, TikTok, or Twitter, especially if that content aligns with your streams. 

It's a fantastic way to boost engagement.

For example, imagine what would happen if:

People from YouTube come to visit your Twitter.

Those same people engage with your tweets and 

Twitter blasts those tweets to more people, helping new viewers discover your channel.

Most likely, some of those people will find your livestreams, and another portion will decide to watch them. When this cycle repeats a few times, 

Phone showing the YouTube logo and sitting on paper money

If you have a healthy viewership, now's a good time to monetize your streams. Here's how to approach it from a genuine place, according to CGE.

6. Set a Donation Goal for Each Livestream

, you're more likely to achieve them? CGE does this by setting a monetary goal for each stream. He uses a donation progress bar

that everyone can see, which motivates more people to give! This typically happens through 

, which viewers purchase for $1-$500 and display a message of their choice at the top of the live chat.

"I have a donation bar on the bottom that tells everybody what it's for: monthly rent. It's set to $1,800. Nine times out of 10, the bar gets filled every month," CGE says.

 to earn Super Chats, so work on achieving that goal first!

7. Be Transparent About Where the Money Is Going

Once you've set a donation goal, tell viewers how you'll spend the money. Are you buying new camera equipment? Do you need help moving to a new city? Be as transparent as possible, and viewers will respect your request.

"For example, when my son was born, the donation bar said rent, and in brackets, it also said, 'And diapers,' " CGE says. "Because diapers are expensive, right?"

Let's say your viewers are highly engaged, and they reach your donation goal before the original deadline. What happens next? Should you stop accepting donations, or should you set a new goal?

"When the bar is filled, and let's say there's still two streams left, I just call it the Bonus Bar," CGE says. "I've been streaming for five years, and there were only three or four times the bar didn't get filled."

Your Blueprint Summarized: How to Monetize Live Streams

To quickly wrap up, here's the game plan if you want to make decent money as a YouTube live streamer:

Be transparent about where the money is going.

These are simple steps, but they require dedication, patience, and a strong focus on community building. Remember, it's about more than views or making money; you're building a community to support your journey.

If you want to see what that looks like, learn more about CGE's journey as a full-time creator below.

And if you're new to streaming, here's what to do before your first livestream.

Smiling gamer playing online video game with headphones and live chat on screen at night

Unlock the secret to making real money from YouTube livestreaming, just like gaming creator Canadian Guy Eh.

The popularity of live streaming has taken the online media world by storm in the last few years. According to research by Statista, over 

 were consumed in the last quarter of 2022! If you’ve ever felt the desire to stream your content live, now is the time.

When it comes to live streaming, there’s always more than what meets the eye. It’s never as easy as switching on the camera and hoping to strike gold. But, with the right mindset and preparation, you just might! Here are 6 things to remember before hitting the “Go Live” button:

What do talk show hosts and good YouTube live streamers have in common? 

They can pass off their whole show as improvisation. 

They make it look easy, but there’s a lot going on behind the scenes.

One of the most important things to remember when preparing for a live stream is to plan your content in advance. You don't want to find yourself struggling to come up with things to talk about during the stream. Instead, create a rough outline of the topics you'll be covering and prepare some notes to keep you on track. This will ensure that your stream stays focused and engaging.

2. Test Your Equipment and Internet Connection

Having a bad internet connection is probably the most frustrating thing for a streamer, followed closely by poor equipment.

Before going live, test your equipment and internet connection to ensure that everything is working correctly. Make sure your camera, microphone, and lighting are set up correctly and that your 

internet speed is fast enough to handle live streaming at your desired quality.

 Also, make sure your Live Control Room is set up properly. Here’s a video by YouTube Creators telling you how:

This might be controversial for some, but in this day and age, you simply have to promote your content. It could be as 

simple as scheduling your stream for a later time

You may also consider promoting on your social media channels, website, and email lists. Create a promotional video or image to share on your social media channels, and encourage your followers to set a reminder for the live stream. Consider collaborating with other creators to cross-promote your stream and reach a wider audience.

The Top 5 YouTube Collaboration Ideas to Try Right Now

4. Choose Your Title and Thumbnail Wisely

Like all other content on YouTube, your streams need a creative title and eye-catching thumbnail. This can be a make-or-break factor for the success of your streams, as many people notice the thumbnail and title first.

Your content type plays a massive role in building the right thumbnail style. So before you open up Photoshop or Canva, think deeply about the videos you’re creating on YouTube. 

Think about creating winning thumbnails that your audience would love

Also, the quality of your titles may determine whether someone clicks on your live stream or scrolls right past it. Your titles should be the best blend of creativity and SEO, and the 

9 Ways to Write Exciting YouTube Titles for Your Videos

In the live streaming space, having a backup for your backup plan is a smart idea! No matter how well you plan, things can and will go wrong during a live stream.

Technical difficulties, unexpected interruptions, and other issues are extremely hurtful to your practice as a responsible live streamer. Always have a backup plan in place, such as pre-recorded content or a backup internet connection. This will ensure that you can quickly switch to an alternative option if something goes wrong.

OK, so you’ve followed every piece of advice here, but let's say your first stream didn’t get you any views. Believe it or not, every live stream creator has been there!

They say good things take time, so you need to be prepared when the opportunity comes. Committing to a schedule means you’ll do the work regardless of the view count. So, make a plan and execute. If you’re looking to build up a following, try to go live at a regular, consistent time. The views will follow soon.

Live streaming is set to become a $247 billion industry by 2027

. And YouTube being the main competitor to Twitch signifies the potential for growth and opportunity. 

Following these steps will get you started with live streaming on YouTube. If you want to take your game to the next level, 

check out these tools that’ll make your livestreams even better!

Female gamer streaming gameplay on dual monitors with professional microphone and headset

If you're ready to start live streaming on YouTube, keep these factors in mind for a better chance at success!

In the last few years, livestreaming has become increasingly popular for interacting with viewers, nurturing relationships, and

. By showing up week after week to entertain your audience, you bring yourself closer to every creator's dream: rapid channel growth.

Plus, with YouTube making livestream VODs available in real-time, the potential for creating other forms of content from a single livestream is huge! That alone makes it one of the best types of content to have on your channel.

To enable live streaming on YouTube, follow the steps below:


1. Make sure you have a verified YouTube account and are in good standing with YouTube.

2. On a computer, visit YouTube and click on the camera icon in the top right corner.

4. Fill in the details for your stream, including title, description, privacy settings, and monetization options. Also, while you’re on the monetization tab, don't forget to turn on the “Supers.”

5. Set up your encoding software according to YouTube's recommended settings.

6. Preview your stream to make sure everything looks good, and you're set to start your stream!

Note that you may need to wait up to 24 hours after verifying your account before you can go live. If you want to stream from your mobile phone, you must 

fulfill the YouTube Partner Program criteria

You can click on the in-built “webcam” option to stream on YouTube right away. Or, you can set up your own streaming software.

But, in order to give your audience the best viewing experience, you need to use certain livestream tools right now. Here are five that are really beneficial:

Livestreaming requires a stable and high-quality internet connection because the video and audio data is transmitted in real-time. Viewers have a bad experience if the speed of the internet connection is not reliable, irrespective of the content.

Remember, this isn’t just the download speed we’re talking about. Delivering the best streams requires a high upload speed. Make sure your internet delivers at least 30 Mbps of upload speed. 

A wired (ethernet) connection is almost always a better choice than Wi-Fi for streaming

To take the quality of your streams to the next level, you need to use streaming software. This is a program that acts as a video encoder and allows you to broadcast live video and audio over the internet.

If you're just starting out with streaming, 

 is a great choice. It's free, open source, and easy to use. With OBS Studio, you can easily record your screen or webcam, add custom graphics and overlays, and even switch between multiple camera angles.

 which allows you to stream your content to multiple platforms simultaneously, including Twitch, Facebook, and more. You can also add alerts and connect with different people directly on StreamYard.

Now, understandably, adding custom content like graphics, overlays, and tickers can give your stream that edge over ordinary ones. But how do you do it?

To create custom graphics and overlays for your YouTube livestream, you can use software such as 

 or GIMP. Here are some steps to get started:

Determine the size and format you want for your graphics and overlays. This will depend on the dimensions of your livestream window.

Create a new file in your graphics software with the appropriate dimensions and format.

Certain tools can take your livestreaming content to the next level if used properly. Here are a few that we recommend you to start using today!