How to broadcast livestream on Twitch
Live streaming has become an integral part of social interaction, and its the mission of Twitch to bridge the gap between loved ones by giving them the best video streaming experience. In 2020, Twitch had a total market share of 67% watched hours while some other platforms trailed behind Twitch.
Users streamed variety of contents on Twitch, ranging from entertainment, sports, education and even gaming.
Creating a Twitch account
You must be registered on Twitch before you can have access to its exciting features. After creating an account with Twitch, we will take you through:
- accessing software
- the gear
- the actual streaming
How to Create an account.
log on to twitch.tv
Create an account.
Create an account by clicking the sign up button and fill the form on your desktop computer, to use Twitch on your mobile device, you need to download the Twitch mobile application on your mobile device.
Enable two-factor Authentication.
You must enable 2FA before you can make a live broadcast on twitch and you can only enable 2FA on a desktop computer. To do this, log into your account through a desktop computer, locate the security settings and enable 2FA. You will complete the 2FA on your mobile phone.
Which software to use for live streaming on Twitch?
As a beginner, you are advised to start streaming with software encoders.
The most popular and easy to use software encoders are the following:
OBS Studio — This software is good and easy to operate for beginners, it it a free, open-source software that can work on multiple streaming platforms.
Streamlabs OBS — This is the streamlabs version of OBS Studio, you can monetize your channel with this software, but its only available on windows, check out the differences between both to decide which one is the best for you.
XSplit — This is a good software for streamers who love paid software and its great when you pay to access it.
vMix — This is the best option for professional streamers.
What type of hardware to use when broadcasting on Twitch?
The hardware you need to stream on Twitch include the following gear:
The CPU: You need a strong CPU that can handle both gaming and encoding, The Intel Core i5-10600K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X are good choices.
The GPU: An Nvidia RTX graphics card has built-in hardware encoders, and you can use it with OBS Studio to give the CPU a stronger hand. Other GPU options are the Radeon RX 570 and the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti.
OS: You can use either a PC or a Mac OS for streaming on Twitch.
Dual-Computer setup: You can use one computer for gaming and the other for encoding and streaming. The one with a stronger CPU should be used encoding.
Above all, you can start streaming with an i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a solid internet connection. You also need a high quality microphone to broadcast quality audio commentaries. You also need a good camera for high resolution videos
Live streaming to Twitch from a desktop computer.
To become a successful content creator on Twitch, you need to get your hands dirty with some hardwork and all these are highlighted below.
Create a plan for the content you want to stream.
You need to have a solid plan in your streaming journey by being consistent in the job, you should put yourself in the position of viewers so as to be able to decide which kind of content to broadcast at a particular time.
Pick up and set up your gear.
Connect your webcam and microphone to your computer, and make sure your internet connection is stable. Test everything to ensure they are working perfectly, make sure you have a good lighting too and adjust everything as you deem fit
Install the software and connect it to Twitch.
For the purposes of this guide, however, we’ll use OBS Studio for all examples and explanations. make sure that your choice of software is installed and connected to Twitch. Choose manual set up as this will get you familiar with the streaming process
For beginners, go to File > Settings > Stream in OBS Studio. Choose “Twitch” as your service, then either connect your Twitch account to OBS Studio or connect Twitch using the stream key.
For the former, you’ll just need the login information for your Twitch account. For the latter, you should go to Twitch, go to Settings > Channel and Videos, and copy the primary stream key you see there. Paste it into OBS, and you’re done.
Add all the audio/video sources and visuals you plan to use. You can also stream from your smartphone
Twitch smartphone application allows you to broadcast directly from your smartphone's camera only. Follow the following steps to broadcast from your smartphone.
Download and install the Twitch app.
You can download the app from your playstore, after downloading the app, install it on your smartphone.
Log in to the app. You’ll be taken through a two-factor authentication process before you can log in to the app.
Press your profile image button in the upper left-hand corner. This will redirect you to the screen where you'll will see the "go live" button.
Press the “go live” button. Allow the application to have access to your microphone and camera in the pop-up so that you can go live.
Set up the stream and go live.
Take these few simple steps before finally going live:
Name your stream.
Select a content category from the dropdown menu.
Pick the type of camera you want to use.
Share your livestream link via the apps you have on your phone.
Press the start button and boom, you're online.
Creating streamable and valuable contents on Twitch is a rewarding act even from the beginning, you can make new friends, connections and get new business opportunities, you don't have anything to lose streaming on Twitch.