User interaction via chat rooms forms a major component of livestreaming. Live coverage of sporting events is a common application. Sites such as Twitch have become popular outlets for watching people play video games, such as in esports, Let's Play-style gaming, or speedrunning, and is now broadening, with a category called 'Just Chatting' usually having the most viewers.

Platforms such as Facebook Live, Periscope, Kuaishou, Douyu, bilibili and 17 include the streaming of scheduled promotions and celebrity events as well as streaming between users, as in videotelephony. Livestream services encompass a wide variety of topics, from social media to video games to professional sports. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but not live-streamed. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. China Railway staff livestreaming on the first day operation of Beijing Fengtai railway station on 20 June 2022

Streaming software for twitch 2017