Kibitzing on Twitch: Watching and Broadcasting Bridge Online

Twitch.tv is one of the most popular platforms for streaming and broadcasting games of all types. Bridge players and fans are catching on, and the number of people logging in to kibitz is on the increase.

Now, Twitch is part of Twitch Interactive, a company that was later bought out by (and is still owned by) Amazon. The platform is also estimated to have more than 2 million broadcasters online and streaming.

If you're looking for a listing of all videos tagged with the word bridge, click on this link to be redirected to the right category. Once you've signed up for an account, you can subscribe to individual channels or opt-in to be sent updates for when new content or streams get uploaded.

Some of the streams are live, while others are pre-recorded and uploaded under the "video" section.

Every day, thousands of people are watching sports like rugby, golf, poker, pool and horse racing: it's about time that bridge broadcasting makes a big comeback.

Thanks to the ease of screen capture with a simple app (or directly through the Twitch platform), online bridge games are easy to record and share with the rest of the world. An increasing number of recorded Bridge Base Online games are being uploaded to Twitch - and many more are starting to broadcast live.

It's not limited to online play. Physical clubs can also stream their content: just point a camera at the bridge table and you're all set. (A great example of such a video was uploaded by user bridgeclubkiev.)

Bridge deserves to be streamed - and most certainly to be watched!

• Streaming bridge is a big step towards seeing televised and broadcast bridge becoming just as big as the WSOP.
• Having bridge alongside streaming channels for other games like World of Warcraft can help to bring the game to entirely new players.
• Platforms like Twitch can give clubs and events the benefit of having their games broadcast without the costs of having to approach a traditional news or TV station to make it happen.
• Many streaming platforms offer the option of donations to broadcasters, which can serve as an additional income for smaller bridge clubs who broadcast.
• Would more people play if more people watched?