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Imagine if, instead of watching your TikTok stars stream live on Twitch you could watch them play videogames on TikTok. According to the platform TikTok has been testing Windows program called TikTok Live Studio.
Once the program has been downloaded to your desktop it allows you to log in to TikTok with your TikTok account to stream directly to TikTokLive. You can chat with viewers within the program and stream content from your PC, your phone, or a gaming console. TechCrunch was informed by TikTok that the program is only available in a few Western markets and for a small number of users.
TikTok is testing this feature and it has obvious benefits. Creators might be more inclined to stay within their app instead of asking their viewers to watch them stream on Twitch, YouTube Gaming, or other streaming platforms. From the look of TikTok’s promotional images, it seems that the company is catering toward people looking to stream video games. But in its nascent form, TikTok Live Studio lacks the features that seasoned streamers can find on broadcast software like OBS or Streamlabs — which makes sense, as the product is still in testing. For example, even though you can hook up a video game console to TikTok Live Studio, you can’t use browser windows as a source, and you can’t set up in-stream alerts for tips or new follows.
This feature test is intended to show how creators use the software. TikTok Live Studio isn’t guaranteed to roll out, the company told TechCrunch — whenever TikTok tests a feature, that doesn’t mean it’s here to stay forever. If TikTok Live Studio is launched, the platform will analyze the needs of creators and tailor the software to those uses.
Already, creators are using TikTok’s livestreaming tools to monetize and expand their followings. Creators can accept tips, schedule events, use live Q&A tools, go live with other users, filter certain keywords and assign moderators. TikTok Live Studio lets users choose whether to allow gifting and comments. Users can also set up keyword filters. Other livestreaming features, such as scheduling streams and assigning moderators, could be added to a future product.
TikTok could also use this streaming software to reach more desktop users. For creators, a desktop streaming software is essential, since a smartphone simply isn’t built to connect to your gaming console and stream at the same time. Although people can watch video streams on their smartphones, the user experience on desktop is better. This could encourage users to use TikTok on their computers.