Trovo Live, backed by Shenzhen tech giant Tencent and once positioned as a potential challenger to Amazon-owned Twitch, is scaling back parts of its global expansion strategy – six years after quietly rolling out in the United States.
Originally developed under the name Madcat, Trovo began testing in the US in early 2020, marking one of Tencent’s rare direct moves into the Western livestreaming market. The platform mirrors Twitch’s core model, offering live game broadcasts, interactive chat and creator subscriptions.
At launch, Tencent supported Trovo with a reported US$30 million creator partnership programme, aiming to attract streamers amid intensifying competition in game livestreaming. The push coincided with Tencent’s broader efforts to expand its global gaming ecosystem, particularly in mobile titles where it holds major stakes.
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Despite investment, third-party analytics and comparisons indicate Trovo’s audience remains much smaller than established rivals like Twitch and YouTube Gaming, making mainstream scale more difficult to attain
This year, Trovo announced a significant shift in strategy. From 1 February, the platform began winding down major creator incentive programmes in North America, Europe and Latin America, including its flagship Trovo 500 scheme. Under the new model, creators will continue to earn through subscriptions and viewer donations, but platform-funded bonuses have been discontinued.
The changes suggest Tencent is consolidating Trovo’s operations as it reassesses how, and whether, the platform can compete in an increasingly crowded global livestreaming market.
