Tencent Challenges Amazon Into Twitch Style Live Streaming In The US

Chinese conglomerate Tencent has been stealthily testing the waters with its own Twitch-inspired streaming platform, dubbed Trovo Live.

Tencent Challenges Amazon Into Twitch Style Live Streaming In The US

By  Thomas Bardwell 

Trovo Live

Since March, Chinese conglomerate Tencent has been stealthily testing the waters with its own Twitch-inspired streaming platform, dubbed Trovo Live.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Trovo is an affiliate of Tencent Holdings Limited, originally named Madcat, and registered to the Chinese giant’s US HQ in California.

A quick visit to the beta version of Trevo reveals an uncanny similarity to live streaming’s dominant force Twitch in both form and function. From the layout to the positioning of the chat and recommended channels, it’s clear where Trevo has drawn its inspiration.

Trovo remains very much in the testing phase and has the viewership to match. The most viewed streams struggle to hit triple digits. But, the backing of Tencent, whose portfolio includes stakes in industry behemoths such as Riot Games and Epic Games, implies there are deep coffers at Trovo’s disposal.

It’s still early days for Trovo, and it would be presumptuous to proclaim it a worthy contender to Twitch. The Tencent-affiliated platform currently stands as inconsequential compared to other platforms. But, Trovo is already making moves to draw in potential streamers.

$30 Million Warchest

Via a newly-coined Creator Partnership Program, Trovo is offering the first 500 partners $30 million in guaranteed income over the next eighteen months.

We understand how difficult it is to rebuild on an entirely new platform and this is a burden we don’t want you to carry alone. Trovo strongly believes that monetization opportunities should be available to all streamers dedicated to making live streaming their career and we’re committed to helping support creators that support Trovo along the way!

The program consists of five tiers. Eligibility is based on viewership and watched hours.

In the top ‘Master’ tier, a streamer can potentially bank more than $90,000 over a year and a half. This breaks down to a monthly base incentive of $4200 and a bonus of $840. On the lower end of the scale, the ‘Silver’ tier grants streamers up to $720 a month.

Trovo will pay the incentive on top of revenue from viewer subscriptions and Trovo’s tip-style Elixir currency.

With the turmoil of Mixer’s closure, guaranteed income is a boon for streamers forced to rebuild their communities on a new platform. The switch to a new platform invariably leads to lower viewership and a loss of income.

While many are eyeing up a return to Twitch, Tencent’s monetary incentive is likely tempt some. Even though Trovo is still to an unproven platform.

As streamers way up the morality of sticking – or returning – to Twitch as the platform weathers allegations of sexual abuse and harassment involving streamers, $30 million could be enough to tip the balance and trigger an exodus.

Luring In The Big Names

A $30 million commitment also suggests Tencent may be willing to throw money at star streamers to enlist their services.

Doing so could prompt prominent former Mixer streamers such as Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins and Michael ‘Shroud’ Grzesiek to shift their operations to Trovo with their large followings in tow.

These star streamers could attract valuable attention to the fledgling streaming service. Neither streamer has yet to confirm their new streaming home.

Originally published at ccn