YouTube takes on Twitch with launch of gaming channel

YouTube is muscling in on Twitch’s territory with the launch of its own video game live-streaming channel, YouTube Gaming.

The Google-owned video platform launched the service Wednesday, calling it the “go-to destination for gaming content online.”

The channel is available as a mobile app and on desktop, and automatically pulls gaming-related videos and live streams from YouTube to one dedicated place. Viewers also get personalized gaming recommendations based on the games and channels they subscribe to.

The launch of the service now puts YouTube in direct competition with Amazon-owned Twitch, a service dedicated to live streaming video game content.

In a statement, Twitch’s senior vice president of marketing Matthew DiPietro acknowledged, without naming names, that competitors were finally taking notice of the opportunity in gaming, but was quick to point out that Twitch is far ahead in the game (the service launched four years ago).

“For our current stats, we have 1.5 million broadcasters (11K partnered channels), 100 million viewers per month who watch 106 minutes per person per day on average, and 38 million installs of our mobile app with 4.7 billion minutes watched across 10.3 million unique devices,” he said.

“We have a very ambitious and long-term product roadmap, some of which will be revealed in the coming weeks and months.”

Twitter: @traceylien