YouTube Gaming App Expands Live-Streaming And Availability

YouTube Gaming launched another salvo in the battle for eSports and gaming video with an update to its mobile apps and expansion to additional regions of the world.

With Amazon-owned Twitch rolling out new features like Chat Replay and Yahoo launching its own eSports site, industry leader YouTube Gaming needs to keep innovating and expanding to keep ahead of its rivals. The competition to capture the eyeballs of the nearly half a billion viewers of gaming content worldwide will only get more intense as the audience grows in 2016 and beyond.

YouTube Gaming is already home to over 25,000 games viewers can watch and it continues to move quickly, as it has since their mobile app launched last year. Last week, it announced a series of new features aimed at driving adoption for influencers as well as regular viewers.

On Android devices, this means an easier way to live-stream gaming content with quality switching and a DVR mode. The simplified home page now features a “Live” tab where gamers can see their top subscription channels, games and streams. Android users can also enjoy a pop-out player to keep a stream visible while using other apps, which is sure to increase the viewing time on the platform.

The YouTube Gaming app also expanded the number of countries where it can be downloaded. Users in Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand can now enjoy streaming content on the app as well. Google notes that these markets include the homes of top gaming influencers like jacksepticeye, Vanoss, and TypicalGamer, in addition to millions of additional gamers to add to their viewership.

“YouTube Gaming is built just for gamers, and we asked you to tell us how to make it the best way to connect with your community,” wrote Alan Joyce, product manager for YouTube Gaming wrote on the official YouTube Blog. “We’re so excited to bring YouTube Gaming to more countries, and look forward to watching more together.”