Pokerstars to Boost Twitch’s Poker Streaming

Pokerstars continues to look for new ways to expand its options as well as offer for its customers, lately they've launched a Live Casino, partnering up with Evolution Gaming and the latest news is that they are interested in using the Twitch, live streaming broadcast technology, to broadcast some of its poker tournaments. The company already hired Jason Somerville, an expert user and a professional poker player, to advise them on the medium. This is being regarded as an indication of the future cooperation between Pokerstars and Twitch. Somerville sees Twitch as a popular, economical and efficient way to live stream poker tournaments, even though poker currently comprises a mere 1 percent of its activity. Amazon was quick to see the potential in Twitch, snapping it up in a $970 million acquisition deal last year. Twitch Poker Partnerships exec Scott Ball claims that business in the poker sector is on an upward curve for Twitch, which boasts an audience of 100 million viewers. The video game streamer is currently in the top one hundred websites in the United States. Twitch's poker streaming will get a major boost if Pokerstars joins. Somerville's involvement was announced recently by Pokerstars spokesperson Kristy Thompson saying: “Jason is a unique proposition, a poker pioneer who has had great success both online and live, and brings something different to the table through the way in which he has built a popular live streaming poker show. I'm sure he will be a great ambassador for PokerStars and help to increase the level of interactivity between the brand and its players.” In a Pokerstars press release this week, the company notes: "Somerville represents the latest generation of poker pros, raised on American poker television and videogame culture. The young American has parlayed his poker passion into a successful Twitch feed, where fans watch his real-time play, commentary and strategic advice on the popular video platform and game community. "He has been live-streaming his "Run it UP!" series to followers on YouTube and Twitch for the past 18 months. In his new role as a Team PokerStars Pro, he will launch Run it UP! Season 3 this coming Sunday, March 1 at 12.00 ET, which can be viewed on the PokerStars Twitch channel: http://www.twitch.tv/pokerstars. "This marks the launch of the PokerStars Twitch channel, which will host a wide variety of entertaining and educational content, including streams from other members of Team PokerStars Pro." For now, Pokerstars plans to have Somerville's show live steaming for up to four hours a day until May 9 in a pilot program which will be followed closely by both fans and operators...and marketers.