Valve Streams Dota 2 on Steam.tv with Action Moment Markers

Valve has officially opened its own streaming website Steam.tv. For the time being, this website only streams e-sports matches from the Dota 2 tournament The International. This can also be done via the Steam client. The timeline with the videos is marked.

Valve has provided Steam Broadcasting with a major update so that Dota 2’s live streams are now accompanied by different markers in the video’s timeline. The markers indicate when certain key events take place, allowing viewers in the stream to quickly catch up on the action moments, such as the first time a player is felled or when a team fight begins.

In addition, there is a so-called Live DVR functionality, which allows viewers to rewind or advance in the timeline of the stream immediately after opening the stream. Steam Broadcasting is now also integrated into the Steam Chat. Valve wants to make it easier to watch The International together with others.

For now, only streams from The International will be available via Steam.tv, but Valve reports that after this major tournament, it plans to extend viewership support to all games that broadcast images on Steam. A new Steamworks API will also be released for all Steam partners.

Steam already supports the ability to live stream games among users. With the expansion of Steam Broadcast and the standalone website Steam.tv, Valve is essentially decoupling streaming from the gaming platform. With this, the company may want to use its platform as an alternative to video platforms such as Twitch.