The user-generated video industry is worth over $4 billion, reflecting how tastes have evolved away from reading articles and watching television punditry and toward scrolling vertical video feeds and watching live streams. As a reader, a writer, and the editor of an article-driven tech site, the rise of user-generated video and streaming can be a tough reality to accept. But as a longtime fan of live streaming, a part of me is thrilled to see the media landscape begin to take it more seriously. For example: On Jan. 16, Bluesky announced the rollout of a feature that more seamlessly connects its users to live streams—a feature that may catch on more broadly.
The latest Bluesky update, v1.114, allows streamers to display their “Live Now” status directly on the social network, a feature previously launched to beta testers back in May 2025. Now widely available, the feature makes it easier to connect to social audiences across platforms: Users can click a Bluesky profile’s “Live Now” status and be directed straight to that profile’s associated Twitch stream. (The feature currently works only with Twitch, but is expected to expand to other live streaming platforms soon.)
Other social apps punish links — we think linking out should be easy. Live Now is part of how we’re making that happen.
While in beta, Live Now is currently limited to Twitch links. Support for other streaming platforms may follow as we learn from the beta.
— Bluesky (@bsky.app) January 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM
“Live Now” arrives just as Bluesky saw an increase in users this week, following a major X outage and scrutiny of the platform’s ongoing deepfake porn problem. Regardless of what it could mean for Bluesky’s overall growth, I’m optimistic about any pro-discovery feature that can be adopted more broadly. I can imagine a future where more sites refer its users to live streaming platforms. Consider a Gmail avatar letting me know when a YouTuber is online, a Spotify artist page pointing me to a musician’s stream, or an article byline pointing me to a live video on Substack. I hope that the bridge between my social feed and live streams continues to get shorter.
How to enable the “Live Now” badge on Bluesky
To turn on the “Live Now” badge on your Bluesky avatar, click the three-dot menu on the top-right of your profile page on desktop or mobile. From the list of options, choose the “Go Live” option and paste a link to your Twitch profile page. The duration of your temporary “Live” badge is customizable, ranging from 5 minutes to 4 hours. Choose your preferred duration, and click “Go Live.”
What do you think so far?
Credit: Jordan Calhoun / Lifehacker
Credit: Jordan Calhoun / Lifehacker
