Why Universities Are Building Twitch Studios for Student-Athletes

On October 12, 2026, the University of California, Berkeley opened a dedicated streaming studio on its campus so that varsity athletes can broadcast directly to Twitch, according to Sports Video Group and a Globe Newswire announcement picked up by Yahoo Finance. It is described as the first on-campus studio built through StreamU, a college-athletics livestreaming network.

What is StreamU

StreamU was launched earlier in 2026 as a partnership between TheLinkU, a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) platform founded in 2022 by Austin Elrod, and Twitch, according to a Newsfilecorp release and reporting by the college-sports business newsletter Extra Points. Under the model, individual universities run their own branded channel inside a shared network on Twitch, with TheLinkU handling compliance, contracts and distribution of any revenue the athletes generate.

Extra Points reported that schools do not need to be full TheLinkU partners to join StreamU, and that the network mixes free, sponsorship-supported content with subscription-based programming. According to the Newsfilecorp release, participating schools can tap Twitch revenue streams such as subscriptions, advertising and shared sponsorships through the network's built-in monetization tools.

Inside the Cal studio

According to Sports Video Group and NetInfluencer, the Berkeley facility was built with technology partner UnlimitedIRL and includes Canon and Sony cameras, professional lighting and audio, and a Blackmagic Design video switcher for multi-camera productions. It also has a PlayStation 5 gaming lounge, plus a portable Sony FX3 camera paired with a LiveU encoder so athletes can stream from locations around campus rather than only inside the studio.

Cal has scheduled 10 hours of weekly programming from the space, covering athlete workouts, teammate challenges, gaming sessions, cooking contests, campus tours, watch parties and game-day coverage, per the same reporting. Tubefilter reported that all of Cal's varsity athletes — not just football or basketball players — are able to use the studio to go live.

Why universities are doing this

Cal Athletic Director Ron Rivera said in the announcement cited by Sports Video Group and Yahoo Finance that giving student-athletes "the resources and infrastructure to tell their stories and enhance their NIL potential is a significant priority." StreamU Chief Revenue Officer Landon Goesling said in the same release that the goal is to give Cal the infrastructure to make athlete-driven content a regular part of its athletics program while giving student-athletes more ways to build an audience and create value from it.

Tubefilter linked the initiative to a wider shift in how athletic departments compete for recruits, moving beyond facilities and stadium upgrades toward helping athletes build a personal brand and media skills that can outlast their playing careers. The outlet cited former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who went undrafted by the NFL and is now building a career as a streamer, as an example of why athletic departments are investing in creator-economy training alongside traditional coaching.

Extra Points reported that TheLinkU's stated goal for StreamU is to extend NIL earning potential beyond star football and basketball players to athletes in Olympic and non-revenue sports, by letting them build followings around gaming, comedy or other personal interests rather than solely athletic performance.

Where else studios are planned

According to Sports Video Group, NetInfluencer and Yahoo Finance, StreamU and UnlimitedIRL plan to open additional on-campus studios at the University of Arkansas, Texas A&M University, Baylor University and the University of Houston in the coming weeks.