Lightstream, a Chicago company that develops tools of the same name that live streamers use to improve the quality of their video streams, has seen enhanced growth thanks to Microsoft Mixer game livestreaming service. The company already works with YouTube and the Amazon-owned Twitch, however its partnership with Microsoft was a big key to the company’s success.
As reported by TechCruch, Lightstream has seen a growth of between 1,000 and 2,000 new streamers who use the tools per week, resulting in the current user base of roughly 10,000. That’s very interesting given that Mixer is still a long way from beating Twitch in the livestreaming space. However the service is always growing, doubling its user base in the first 6 months of last year. And if the service can have that much of an impact on a smaller company, it’s clear it’s definitely a viable competitor to Twitch.
As a result its increased usage, Lightstream has also received funding from numerous investors, raising as much as $8 million for its services. The funding will allow the business to expand with new features in areas of the software where the company sees fit, and will also allow it to expand its employee base.
Mixer differentiates itself by its tighter integrations with Xbox One and Windows 10 and by providing reduced latency compared to its competitors. As such, Lightstream also improves the performance of the live streamer’s computer by offsetting much of the processing into the cloud, creating a better experience for all users. The two definitely go hand-in-hand with each other, which is likely the reason Lightstream’s growth is mostly contributed to that of Mixer.
