Microsoft rebrands Twitch competitor and adds mobile live streaming

Microsoft has rebranded its interactive live streaming platform Beam as Mixer. It also launched several new features. They include co-streaming and a mobile live streaming app for iOS and Android.

“Why the name change? This was a tough decision, and not one that we made lightly”, said Matt Salsamendi, Co-founder and Mixer Engineering Lead. “We believe so much in the power of the platform and want to grow it in every major market around the world. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something we could do with the Beam name”.

Up to 4 co-streamers

The rebrand comes three years after Amazon acquired Twitch.tv and almost two years after Google’s YouTube started the standalone YouTube Gaming app

Mixer makes it possible for up to four people to simultaneously live stream themselves gaming or doing other things in Mixer. Viewers will see the screen divided up into four sections of all the people who are streaming.

“Four friends can broadcast a co-op session of League of Legends”, writes Salsamendi on a blog post. “They then just as easily stream a remote live-band jam session or play a multiplayer board game with their viewers. Viewers don’t need to flip back and forth across different streams to view the same group of streamers. They can watch all the action in one place, while enjoying all the innovative interactivity that Mixer offers”.

New streaming mobile apps

“Using a live streaming platform for more than gameplay is something rival Twitch has focused on in recent months, as well”, TechCrunch noted. “The Amazon-owned company has added new channels for creative content, tools for vlogging, and ways for viewers to find streams related to non-gaming interests, as a means of broadening its user base beyond hard-core gamers”.

Additionally, Microsoft is releasing new Mixer Create mobile apps that will let users stream live.The app will work on both iOS and Android devices. Soon, the app will allow to stream mobile gameplay directly from a smartphone to Mixer. YouTube Gaming has permitted mobile streaming since 2015.

Microsoft has not revealed how many users Beam had. Twitch has nearly 10 million daily active users.

Read the full Mixer blog post