Facebook pushes further into Twitch’s turf with pilot program for gamer livestreams

Facebook is rolling out a new Gaming Creator Pilot Program, which is aimed toward boosting broadcasters on its platform. It will be hosting a summit this weekend to show over 40 content creators what kind of tools and services it’s offering as part of the initiative.

The pilot program draws resources from across the company, including Oculus and Instagram, both of which will have a presence at this weekend’s event. Facebook’s head of games partnerships Guy Cross says that the goal is make it easier for livestreamers to build a community. It also looks like the social media site is looking to siphon off some of Twitch’s audience and content creators — though Cross says that they’re not asking broadcasters for exclusivity deals at this time. He says it’s more about getting livestreamers to create content on Facebook every day.