You cannot talk about eSports without mentioning Twitch.tv a live streaming video platform, acquired by Amazon.com for $970 million in September 2014. It was originally a spin-off of its parent site Justin.tv hosting gameplay of video games by users, eSports competitions and more. Videos can be viewed live or on-demand. Twitch.tv would eventually lead to a re-brand of its parent company to Twitch Interactive. With 40-50 million viewers each month Twitch.tv is one of the largest sources of Internet traffic in the United States.

Twitch has positioned itself to be the main platform for video game-related content. They almost have a monopoly at this stage. eSports tournaments, personal video game streams of players, and gaming-related talk shows are all found within the Twitch.tv ecosystem. A major draw to Twitch.tv is not only the live streaming, but the live chat system which allows viewers to interact directly with streamers. Ads and subscribers support Twitch.tv and the streamer. Donations to the streamer are also common, and some are even able to make a decent living just from doing this. Professional players may also stream on Twitch.tv as well for an additional source of revenue.

If you are looking to bet on some eSports matches and want to watch the action take place live…Then you’ll probably be watching it on Twitch.tv!