Next year Twitch is launching its very own reality show. Called Stream On, the show will be an American Idol-style competition, only instead of would-be pop stars, it will star aspiring streamers. Twitch describes it as a game show, where “contestants will face challenges designed to test important streamer skills, and be evaluated by a panel of Twitch judges.”
Twitch is making a reality TV show for aspiring streamers
Amelia Krales
is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.
Contestants will stream from their own homes, and since it’s on Twitch, the show will also feature a bit of audience participation; Twitch says viewers will play “an important role” in determining who advances through the competition. Twitch says the show will only be open to those in its “partnership program” — which includes at least a few questionable choices — and contestants must be based in the US, UK, or Canada. The winner will be provided a monthly stipend of $5,000 for one year.
The show will be produced internally at the company’s Twitch Studios division, which has previously created original programming like a mini-documentary on the arcade game Big Buck Hunter. It’s also part of an ongoing trend as the streaming service looks to diversify beyond just video games; most recently, Twitch inked a deal with the NBA to air weekly minor league basketball games, which will include new interactive elements.
Stream On will debut next March.
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