Uber gamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has been added to the co-streaming commentator lineup for Twitch's Thursday Night Football lineup Dec. 13.
Co-streaming allows streamers to provide their own commentary on the game in real time for their online communities. Twitch is a streaming platform where people can provide live, in-game commentary, mostly video games but in this case the non-Madden version of football, which is broadcast on Fox, NFL Network, and Prime Video.
Ninja has a record 12 million-plus followers on Twitch and was the first gamer to make the cover of ESPN the Magazine last September.
"Playing video games is just one of my passions," he said of the new gig. "I'm also a lifelong NFL fan, which runs in my family. It's cool to be able to co-stream and commentate a Thursday Night Football game for my Twitch community and connect with them over other interests like this."
Twitch's self-described fan-as-commentator lineup already includes Jericho, TimTheTatman and GoldGlove, all of whom will be streaming the game--between the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the L.A. Chargers. Twitch is live streaming 11 TNF games this season to a global audience at www.twitch.tv/primevideo.
The live streaming includes interactive extension functionality that allows online viewers to get in on the action by using a computer screen overlay to, among other things, access stats in real time, make predictions on plays or drives, with a leader board to track those predictions. Twitch's NFL emojis (which it calls "emotes") include team logos and ones marking touchdowns, penalties, runs and passes.
Three-time Super Bowl champion Shannon Sharpe (Broncos, Ravens) has also been an NFL co-streamer for Twitch this season.
