Amazon continues to bring the fight to Google. After swooping in at the 11th hour to buy Twitch out from under the search giant, the e-commerce giant on Friday took aim squarely at YouTube.
During its first-annual TwitchCon, the live streaming video platform revealed plans to allow users to upload videos directly to the service and create playlists. Up to this point, Twitch broadcasters have only been able to capture live video which then gets archived.
Video uploads will no doubt allow Twitch to better compete with Google's YouTube, which itself launched a streaming platform recently. Specifically, the ability to upload videos will allow content creators to offer a more consistent channel through scheduling.
YouTube launched its competing service, YouTube Gaming, roughly one month ago. In addition to livestreaming, the service also includes a DVR-like feature that allows watchers to rewind live broadcasts - a feature not found on Twitch.
As mentioned, Google was in a position to buy Twitch but reportedly decided against it at the last minute due to potential antitrust concerns. That opened the door for Amazon to swoop in and make the $1 billion purchase shortly after.
Twitch also revealed plans to roll out a full HTML5 video player and upgrade its search engine. Expect to see video uploads and playlists added sometime next year.