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Live Streamers


About

Exploring this Job

The best way to learn more about live streaming is to use live streaming platforms. If live gaming streaming interests you, play live streaming games on platforms such as Twitch. Look at live streamers' programs on sites such as Facebook Live, LinkedIn Live, and Twitter. On YouTube Live, look for live streamers such as Dude Perfect, MrBeast, NASA Live, TikTok Live, among others. The company Restream also offers a guide on how to get started live streaming on YouTube, which will give you insights into how this works: https://restream.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-youtube-live.

Another way to gain a better understanding of this profession is by speaking with live streamers and live gaming streamers. Conduct an informational interview, and prepare a list of questions in advance. Learn more about their education and work backgrounds and find out how they got started in their careers.

The Job

Live streamers and live gaming streamers are either full-time employees or work part-time on a contract basis for media companies such as Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube, among many others. They may create and host their own live streaming shows, or they may host other companies' shows and games.

An article in PR Newswire described live streaming as the process of streaming digital data, which is delivered continually by service providers for the immediate processing and playback by users. "There are many platforms such as TV broadcast, video game stream, social media, etc., which help in delivering [live streaming] content to audiences globally." The demand for live streaming has been growing due to the "deflection of youngsters from TV to smartphone," which is driving the growth of the live-streaming platforms, particularly due to the ability to have access to "fast data service" at a low cost.

Live streamers may be actors, entertainers, musicians, or others involved in the arts and entertainment fields. They may be educators, corporate executives, or have backgrounds in any number of fields and industries. One example of a live streamer job posting for part-time work with a Los Angeles, CA, media company described the routine work as "chatting with the audience and introducing products from [their] clients on stream channels." The job could be remote or on-site, but on-site in their studio was preferred, as was knowledge of streaming media such as YouTube and Tik Tok, and acting and performance experience.

Live gaming streamers may work in various broadcast spaces, playing different games while broadcasting to audiences. There are also live gaming streamers who are e-sports players who practice and broadcast single games, supplementing their incomes by live streaming games. A Slate magazine article about live gaming streamers reports that live streamers on Twitch have chats with their their audience alongside the video. They say hello, answer questions, respond to feedback, and get to know each other over the months or years of live streaming games. In addition to the social and emotion aspects of the work, live streamers must maintain a presence on such platforms as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Live gaming streamers also build and maintain audiences on sites such as Steam. As Slate put it, "Live streamers are not only content producers but brand and community managers too."