TENCENT Holdings Ltd. is rolling out a live-streaming service similar to Amazon.com Inc.’s Twitch in the United States, making a rare foray into American social media.

Shenzhen-based Tencent has been quietly testing a mobile-focused streaming network via an affiliate in the United States since at least March. Initially called Madcat and now branded Trovo Live, the new service closely resembles Twitch in its appearance and functionality.

Beyond Tencent’s own portfolio of popular games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile, Trovo also spotlights marquee titles like Grand Theft Auto and Destiny 2. Last week, Tencent detailed plans on its website to entice and reward creators with a US$30 million partnership program starting in July.

Tencent dominates gaming and social media in its domestic market and may be one of the few companies with the resources to challenge Twitch. But Tencent has met with mixed results in its efforts to build online users abroad and Trovo for now is only an embryonic service.

Still in beta testing, Trovo has gone largely unnoticed outside the gaming community. Its best-attended live-streams have only a few dozen viewers at a time, though its Discord chat channel numbers more than 5,000 members. It has attracted some experienced creators from Twitch and YouTube.

Tencent has been actively expanding its online streaming assets in recent months, having spent US$263 million in April to buy control of China’s Twitch equivalent Huya Inc.

(SD-Agencies)