X Launches Live Studio in Push to Compete With Twitch and Kick
X is making a more serious attempt to attract livestreamers. Head of Product Nikita Bier has announced the official launch of Live Studio, a new tool that allows creators to start, schedule, and manage broadcasts directly from the platform.
Until now, X has rarely been viewed as a real streaming destination. Livestreams have existed on the platform for years, but most users still associate it with news, public conversations, and short clips taken from broadcasts elsewhere.
Live Studio is meant to change that.
Bier has spent the past several months encouraging creators to multistream their content on X. The new dashboard gives streamers a dedicated place to manage their broadcasts, review performance data, and stay connected with followers without leaving the platform.
What X Live Studio Offers
Live Studio acts as a central control panel for livestreaming on X. Creators can access it through Creator Studio, where the Live Studio option appears under the Tools tab.
The dashboard displays previous, scheduled, and active broadcasts. It also includes basic analytics, such as total views and peak concurrent viewership.
To create a new stream, users open a setup window and enter the relevant broadcast details. They can choose the intended audience, set a schedule, and prepare the stream before going live.
These tools may sound standard compared with established streaming services, but they represent a major improvement for X. Livestreaming previously felt like an extra feature attached to the social platform rather than a product designed for creators who broadcast regularly.
X has also announced a $1 million fund for creators who stream on the platform during the next program cycle.
The company has not yet explained exactly how the money will be distributed. It remains unclear whether payments will depend on streaming hours, audience size, engagement, or other performance metrics. X has also not confirmed who will be eligible or how creators will be selected.
Creators Welcome the Update, but Some Users Remain Sceptical
The initial reaction to Live Studio has been largely positive. Some creators believe the new dashboard will make streaming more efficient, particularly for those who already use X to communicate with followers and share viral clips.
Others are less convinced.
Critics argue that X is trying to become too many things at once. In their view, livestreaming should remain on platforms built specifically for that purpose, while X should focus on its social feed, discussions, and news-driven features.
That criticism reflects one of the biggest challenges facing the company. Even with Live Studio, X still feels like a social network that happens to offer livestreaming. Twitch and Kick, by comparison, are built around live content and already have established communities, recommendation systems, and creator tools.
Can X Really Compete With Twitch and Kick?
Giving users an easier way to start a broadcast is only the first step. To compete seriously, X will need to build a broader streaming ecosystem.
Twitch and Kick have spent years developing features that keep viewers active and help creators grow their channels. Kick recently introduced Daily Rewards, allowing viewers to earn emotes and badges simply by watching streams.
Twitch offers Raids, which let creators send their audiences to another channel after ending a broadcast. The feature helps smaller streamers gain exposure and encourages cooperation between communities.
These tools create habits and connections that are difficult to reproduce quickly. Even if major creators begin using X for additional broadcasts, that does not necessarily mean viewers will abandon Twitch or Kick.
X does have one major advantage: content from livestreams already spreads quickly across the platform. Clips, arguments, reactions, and major moments often go viral on X before reaching wider audiences elsewhere.
Live Studio could shorten the distance between discovering a clip and joining the creator’s live broadcast. Instead of watching a highlight from another platform, users may eventually be able to move directly into an active stream on X.
Bier has argued that “X is where everything is happening,” but it is still too early to know whether that claim will extend to livestreaming. A new dashboard and a $1 million fund will not be enough on their own to overtake Twitch or Kick.
X will need reliable monetization, stronger community features, and a clear reason for viewers to watch streams there rather than on established platforms.
Still, the direction is obvious. Under Elon Musk, X is moving further away from being a traditional social network and toward becoming an all-in-one platform for posts, video, livestreaming, and creator income.
Olivia Grant is an iGaming news reporter at CasinosInCanada who covers casino industry updates, regulations, and market developments.
