In the past few days, TikTok has been testing a program running on Windows called TikTok Live Studio.
Once users download the program to their desktop, they log in with their TikTok account and broadcast directly to TikTok Live Studio.
Inside the program, they can communicate with viewers through the chat feature, and they can stream content from their computer, phone or game console.
TikTok told TechCrunch that the program is currently only available in a few western markets for a few thousand users.
One obvious plus of this feature is that creators may be motivated to stay in the app, rather than asking their audience to watch them broadcast on Twitch or YouTube Gaming.
It seems, from the appearance of TikTok's promotional images for this feature, that the company is focusing its new service on people looking to broadcast video games.
However, TikTok Live Studio in its current form lacks the features that viewers would find in live broadcast programs such as OBS or Streamlabs, which makes sense, as the product is still in development. the test.
For example, although you can connect a video game console to TikTok Live Studio; You cannot use browser windows, nor can you set up alerts during broadcasts to get tips or new followers.
But the point of feature testing is to see how creators use the program.
And the company told TikCrunch that it is not certain that TikTok will permanently launch the new feature. When TikTok tests a feature, this does not mean that it will launch it.
But if we see a real launch of TikTok Live Studio, the platform will study what the creators use the software for, then customize it to better suit those use cases.
Creators are already using TikTok's live streaming tools to monetize and grow followers. Creators can accept tips, schedule events, use live Q&A tools, go live with other users, filter specific keywords, and assign moderators.
Currently, TikTok Live Studio allows users to choose whether to enable gifting and comments, and they can set up keyword filters. But other existing live streaming features like assigning moderators and scheduling streams could be integrated into a more robust future product.
This broadcast program could also be an opportunity for TikTok to reach more desktop users.
For content creators, desktop streaming software is a must, since a smartphone simply isn't designed to connect to a game console and stream at the same time.
Although people watch video game streams on their phones, the user experience is generally better on desktop, which may help users create a habit of using TikTok on their computers.
