Live from London: U.K. game conventions turn to Twitch to broadcast expos online

Gaming exhibitions like the upcoming EGX shows in the U.K. will enable thousands of gamers to come check out new games, but they’re going to serve video and information to a potential audience of millions thanks to livestreaming website Twitch.

The broadcasting service revealed this morning that it is the official livestreaming partner for the upcoming EGX London and EGX Rezzed gaming conventions in the U.K. Twitch plans to work with media company Gamer Network, which is putting on the events, to stream the exhibitions’ presentations, talks, and more. Additionally, Twitch will have its own booths where it will invite publishers and developers to show of their products. The streaming site has a large audience of engaged gamers, and this partnership will help EGX reach a worldwide audience as more gamers turn to video to get news and impressions about upcoming releases.

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“Gaming is an international phenomenon with unique and engaging moments happening in every time zone,” Twitch European regional director Stuart Saw said in a statement. “With the ubiquity of broadband combined with the Twitch platform, we are now able to share these experiences with a global audience, including live highlights from EGX Rezzed and EGX London. Both conventions have made a mark on Europe, so now that mark won’t have to contend with borders.”

EGX Rezzed begins in Birmingham, England next month. It will host 15,000 gamers for three days starting March 28. Players can come out to participate in tournaments, play upcoming releases, and more at the event.

EGX London, formerly known as Eurogamer Expo, is happening Sept. 25 to Sept. 28. It will enable up to 80,000 attendees to come out and play the biggest upcoming PC and console titles in the capital city’s Earls Court Exhibition Center.

Twitch will broadcast both shows live to the Internet.

“Twitch has quickly established itself as the leading live streaming service for gamers, and we’re delighted to be partnering with them for EGX,” Gamer Network chief executive Rupert Loman said. “We’re looking forward to them broadcasting a wide variety of content from our events to their huge online audience.”

And Twitch does have a massive viewership. The company finished out 2013 averaging more than 45 million unique monthly viewers.

These aren’t the first live events for Twitch. The company previously had a similar arrangement with the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in Los Angeles, the Penny Arcade Expos, and New York Comic Con as well as VentureBeat’s own GamesBeat event in San Francisco.