*By Max Godnick* Bob Ross taught millions of TV viewers to paint as the host of "The Joy of Painting." He can count Twitch as one of his most successful students. Kevin Lin, the co-founder of the live-streaming video platform, told Cheddar that Twitch's Bob Ross marathon, aired in 2015 in conjunction with the launch of its [Twitch Creative](https://blog.twitch.tv/introducing-twitch-creative-fbfe23b4a114) vertical, was a key moment for its expansion beyond gaming. "Who better to sort of shepherd this new vertical in than the O.G. legend of paint," Lin said to Cheddar's Alyssa Julya Smith at VidCon in Anaheim, Calif. The reruns drew six million viewers, many of whom were not even alive when "The Joy of Painting" originally aired in the 1980s. "The Bob Ross marathon actually taught us, 'Hey this 30-year-old content actually can garner an audience for an audience that doesn't even know this content exists," Lin said. The marathon opened Twitch's eyes to the platform's true potential. Lin, who previously served as COO and is now transitioning into a still-unannounced new role, said the experience taught him "this interactivity that we have on Twitch actually works with other categories as well." The phenomenon directly inspired Twitch to air more TV shows, including a 500-episode "Doctor Who" marathon streaming now. Lin said it also played a role in the decision to launch Twitch IRL, a category that lets members of the community directly interact with viewers in a vlog-like style. As Twitch expands its programming to different genres, Lin said its audience is evolving too. "We're starting to see the age demographics spread a little bit," he said. While audiences will still find plenty of "Fortnite" and "League of Legends" games live-streaming on the platform, they'll also come across woodworkers, blacksmiths, and a [German grandmother](https://kotaku.com/i-love-this-german-grandma-reading-childrens-books-on-t-1791125785) reading children's stories. "It's TV in its truest form on the internet," Lin said. For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/twitchs-fortnite-victory-royale).

Share:
More In Technology
Microsoft hikes Xbox prices worldwide on tariff uncertainty
Amid a backdrop of ongoing tariff uncertainty, more and more gamers are facing price hikes. Microsoft raised recommended retailer pricing for its Xbox consoles and controllers around the world this week. Its Xbox Series S, for example, now starts at $379.99 in the U.S. — up $80 from the $299.99 price tag that debuted in 2020. And its more powerful Xbox Series X will be $599.99 going forward, a $100 jump from its previous $499.99 listing. The tech giant didn’t mention tariffs specifically, but cited wider “market conditions and the rising cost of development.” Beyond the U.S., Microsoft also laid out Xbox price adjustments for Europe, the U.K. and Australia. The company said all other countries would also receive updates locally.
Apple posts stronger-than-expected Q2 results
Apple CEO Tim Cook said Thursday that the majority of iPhones sold in the U.S. in the current fiscal quarter will be sourced from India, while iPads and other devices will come from Vietnam as the company works to avoid the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on its business. Apple’s earnings for the first three months of the year topped Wall Street’s expectations thanks to high demand for its iPhones, and the company said tariffs had a limited effect on the fiscal second quarter’s results. Cook added that for the current quarter, assuming things don’t change, Apple expects to see $900 million added to its costs as a result of the tariffs.
Load More