patrick.net

YouTube alternative Rumble announced the testing of its first ever live stream – one of the features that are increasingly in demand among both mainstream and alternative platforms’ userbases.

Rumble – that says it is already serving over 3 million creators, and is independently owned without being beholden to venture capitalists or large companies – first announced it would be live streaming former President Donald Trump’s address at the Conservative Political Action Conference 2021 event, dubbed, “America Uncanceled.”

Rumble reported that a record number of people had tuned in to watch the livestream, specifying that the numbers were close to 100,000 concurrent users and approaching over 500,000 total viewers, and then announcing, “We did it and flawlessly. Rumble is ready for more.”

The reaction from commenters was mostly positive, reporting a smooth viewing experience, as well as praising the platform for incorporating closed captions for hearing impaired users.

And while it’s still early days for live streaming on Rumble, it’s no surprise this Canada-based alternative video hosting service – that is supported and widely used by conservatives and libertarians in the turbulent and censorship-laden post-election period – has decided to start testing and implementing this feature.

Namely, live streaming, although by no means a new feature on social networks, has recently seen a huge growth in popularity, particularly with the lockdowns, even giving rise to a new class of livestream-only apps like Clubhouse, along with established, Big Tech ones like Amazon’s Twitch and Google’s YouTube.

The way the pandemic and lockdowns have helped live streaming gain in popularity is human nature, as people isolated in their homes for months seek a sense of communication that is most similar to actual human contact and community.

Rumble, backed by political commentator Dan Bongino, might not be wrong to hitch its wagon to the live streaming trend, because it is still a largely untapped part of the video hosting market and is only projected to grow, both among users and marketers.

Ensuring growth among those categories is of key importance for Big Tech alternatives looking to become viable competitors.

Rumble is now seeking creators who live stream gaming, crypto, stocks, lifestyle, and sports.