Amazon Launches Twitch's Short-Form Video Feature To Replace TikTok In The US

In India, and potentially in the US, an imminent ban is being faced by TikTok, leading to exploration by several players and tech businesses into filling the void left by the short video platform.

This includes the unveiling of a new short-form video feature called Discovery Feed by Amazon.com's live streaming platform Twitch, which allows users to browse through bite-sized clips extracted from longer live streams accessible through a new tab on Twitch's mobile app, as reported by First Post.

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Amazon Launches Twitch's Short-Form Video

This marks the platform's foray into short-form video content, relying on its community to curate engaging moments from live streams and turning them into shareable clips.

The initial content, including diverse offerings such as a university professor welcoming students to class and unexpected encounters faced by streamers on the streets, aims to personalize the Discovery Feed based on individual viewing history and real-time interactions, potentially featuring mature content within the boundaries of its content guidelines, as reported by First Post.

These developments are occurring amidst various legal developments that are raising significant doubts about TikTok's future in the US, with pressure from Congress and the Biden Administration on TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance Ltd., to divest its US operations or risk a ban over national security apprehensions.

Despite TikTok's massive user base in the US, an opportunity is seen by Twitch to offer an alternative short-form video experience. Borrowing ideas from each other's platforms, Twitch remains dominant in the live streaming market, and creators on Twitch do not receive a share of the ad revenue generated on Discovery Feed, as ads appear between clips rather than within them, according to a Twitch spokesperson, as per media reports.

This venture into short-form video content raises questions about how Discovery Feed will resonate with its community and whether it will emerge as a viable alternative to TikTok in the US market.