X has launched a major campaign to revitalize its live streaming feature, allocating $1 million in incentives to encourage content creators to use it.
While live streaming isn’t entirely new to the social network, it hasn’t always been a core feature. To change this, X has launched a sophisticated live streaming control center called “Live Studio,” designed to provide creators with the tools they need to stream more easily, along with attractive financial rewards.
In this context, Nikita Pierer, X’s Chief Product Officer, announced in a series of blog posts that the company will be “rewarding content creators who stream live by allocating $1 million to them” in the next funding round. While Pierer didn’t elaborate on how these payments will be distributed or structured, he confirmed that more details will be announced later, simply sharing a demo video showcasing the new control center integrated within the creators’ studio.
Through the Live Studio control center, users will be able to launch a new broadcast, set a title, and upload a thumbnail that will appear to viewers before the actual broadcast begins.
The new tools also allow users to schedule broadcasts to start at a specific time and date, as well as control audience privacy. Viewing can be restricted to verified accounts, accounts followed by the content creator, or only their supporters, in addition to the option to make it available to all platform users without restrictions. Furthermore, the studio displays viewer comments in real time and provides instant analytics on broadcast performance, including the number of concurrent viewers, their countries of origin, and the types of devices being used.
It’s worth noting that the live streaming feature on the X platform is currently exclusive to subscribers of the X Premium plan, which costs $3 per month. However, the question remains whether the platform has actually developed its own infrastructure for live streaming. The company’s servers have faced notable technical crises in the past, most notably in 2023 when the Republican Party was unable to announce Ron DeSantis’s candidacy for president via the “Spaces” audio streaming service due to a server “collapse.” The same crisis was repeated a year later when Elon Musk tried to conduct a live interview with President Trump, as the broadcast was completely disrupted and millions of users were unable to access it.
