What You Need to Stream

The internet landscape is constantly evolving and so are broadcasting recommendations for individual setups. Everyone’s set up is a little different. So each computer will have unique settings to achieve the best broadcast possible.

Broadcast Information

Balancing the different settings in your stream can be tricky. Twitch provides broadcast guidelines to help you find a balance between video and audio quality, ensuring the best stream for your audience.

Bitrate
Bitrate is the amount of data transmitted per second in your stream, affecting its quality and smoothness.

Encoding
Encoding is the process of converting raw video and audio into a compressed digital format suitable for streaming.

Video Quality
Video quality on Twitch is determined by the resolution (the number of pixels in each frame) and frame rate (how many frames are displayed per second).

Audio Quality
Audio quality on Twitch is determined by how the sound is compressed, whether it’s in one or two channels, and how much audio data is transmitted per second.

TWITCH TIP:
If you’re experiencing issues going live, you can use the Twitch Inspector tool to investigate the health of your stream or run a test stream until you resolve the issue.

What Can I Stream?

You can stream anything you like as long as you follow the Terms of Service and as long as you own and maintain full rights to everything shown on your broadcast. It is incredibly important to be mindful of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act , which will help to protect and ensure success in your online career.

What Should I Stream?

You can balance what you want to stream with what you should stream by exploring your streaming identity and discovering what Twitch category works best for you.

Streaming Identity
Your uniqueness is what will attract potential viewers to your stream. Stream something you are genuinely interested in or something you would like to explore. Viewers will be attracted to your passion, skill, entertainment value, or community focus.

Category
Categories with a high number of broadcasters create competition for growing channels, however categories with a low number of broadcasters can be difficult to gain viewers in. Finding the perfect category that aligns with your interest is essential to getting your community started. We recommend streaming to the same category for your first three broadcasts while following a regular schedule.

TWITCH TIP:
You can find detailed information on different Twitch categories in the Analytics section of your Creator Home. Learn more about what analytics matter on Twitch and how to use them in our Establishing Your Brand pathway!

What’s Next:

Upgrades
Don’t overcomplicate your tech until you are ready.
Decide on your next upgrade.
Set a goal or make a plan for future upgrades.

Incentivize your community to grow with you
Share goals with your community.

Stream Manager
Research tags that fit your stream.
Add something new to your Quick Actions Panel.