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Twitch history, coverage, features

Twitch is a popular American video live-streaming service founded in June 2011. The platform, which is available for free, is primarily known for livestreaming video games but has also occasionally broadcast professional sports to its viewers.

This includes one of the most popular sports in the USA, the NFL, with Twitch simulcasting Thursday Night Football games with Fox stateside from 2018 to 2021. This arrangement was made possible by the NFL’s streaming deal with Amazon Prime Video, whose parent company acquired Twitch for $970 million in 2014.

Under this partnership, Twitch not only simulcast NFL matches but also secured alternative broadcasts, such as the “NFL Next Live” show and broadcasts featuring Twitch personalities.

Additionally, in 2017, the NBA decided to stream NBA G League matches on Twitch. This agreement also included alternative streams and statistical overlays for the events.

Twitch also struck a three-year broadcast rights deal with the National Women’s Soccer League in 2020. Under this arrangement, Twitch secured the right to stream 24 games per season in the USA and Canada, while becoming the competition’s rightsholder for all matches outside of those two North American markets.

The platform also streamed other sporting events, such as Impact Wrestling and the Premier Hockey Federation, in the late 2010s. Sporting events were mostly available for free on the livestreaming platform, with a subscription to Amazon Prime occasionally offering perks. For example, viewers with a Prime subscription could stream Thursday Night Football games on a TV, while those without it were limited to a phone, computer, or tablet.

Twitch is available on most Internet-connected devices. Viewers can stream the platform via a browser or the Twitch app, which can be downloaded on Android, iOS, and Fire OS devices. It is also available on smart TVs, gaming consoles, streaming devices, and more.