• by Colin Kirkland , Yesterday

As X becomes more focused on video, it is now is looking to ramp up the presence of creator-driven livestreams, implementing a designated “Live Studio” and payout incentives. 

In a recent X post, X’s head of product Nikita Bier described the Live Studio as a “livestreaming command center” containing tools designed to help professional streamers “go live, connect with their followers & manage their streams.”

Based on the video Bier shared in his post, X’s Live Studio is located in the platform’s Creator Studio and allows Premium X users to schedule their streams, select their desired audiences for viewing and chat, and track live analytics, including the number of viewers, the countries they’re watching from, and the devices they use. 

To incentivize creators to make use of the Live Studio offerings, while paying at least $3 a month for access, X has also announced a $1 million payout fund specifically for streamers. However, in his announcement, Bier did not clarify how the funding will be allocated. 

While this could provide creators and brands with an opportunity to engage a wider audience, X has historically struggled with livestream content. 

In September 2023, Musk livestreamed himself via X from the U.S.-Mexico border, making statements about needing a Trump-style wall and stronger security measures, but his livestream crashed, resulting in an email from the X owner that read: “Please fix this.”

Two years later, Florida governor Ron DeSantis was set to announce his presidential bid on Spaces, X’s live audio streaming service, but the servers were overwhelmed and resulted in a cancellation. The Spaces servers crashed again in 2024, when Musk attempted to interview President Donald Trump.