Amazon Web Services has launched Amazon Interactive Video Service (Amazon IVS), a new managed service for live interactive video that uses the same technology as Twitch.
AWS said customers can configure and stream live video through their own website or mobile application with latency levels below three seconds. Amazon IVS will make available SDKs and APIs so customers can build interactive features into their live streams like virtual chat spaces, votes and polls, moderated question and answer sessions, and synchronized promotional elements.
The company said there are no additional charges or upfront commitments required to use Amazon IVS, and customers pay only for video input to Amazon IVS and video output delivered to viewers.
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"Customers have been asking to use Twitch's video streaming technology on their own platforms for a range of use cases like education, retail, sports, fitness, and more,” said Martin Hess, general manager at Amazon IVS, in a statement. “Now with Amazon IVS, customers can leverage the same innovative technology that has taken Twitch over a decade to build and refine. Any developer can build an interactive live streaming experience into their own application without having to manage the underlying video infrastructure.”
The company said Amazon IVS Management Console and APIs for control and creation of streams are available in the U.S. East, U.S. West and Europe regions, with video ingestion and delivery available globally over a separate managed network.
Amazon said the technology is currently being used on Amazon Live, a page on Amazon.com with livestream content for shoppers.
“With Amazon IVS, handling live video streams is very simple, which means we can devote more time to producing engaging content and features that allow viewers to interact with creators in real-time,” said John Katsavrias, senior development manager at Amazon Live, in a statement. “Amazon IVS enabled us to move quickly to unlock our creators’ ability to livestream so they can produce awesome content that inspires customers and helps them discover new products.”