UC Berkeley’s new Twitch studio gives student-athletes a place to build their audiences

College athletes already have practice, classes, and games on the calendar.

At the University of California, Berkeley , there’s now a place to fit in a Twitch stream, too.

Cal has opened an on-campus production studio where student-athletes across all sports can go live on the school’s StreamU channel.

Announced Oct.

12 , the space has 10 hours of weekly programming planned, including workouts, teammate challenges, gaming sessions, cooking contests, and campus tours.

The goal is to help athletes turn their personalities and interests into an audience — and potentially new business opportunities.

From the field to the livestream The studio is the first on-campus facility from StreamU, a college athletics livestreaming network created by NIL platform TheLinkU in partnership with Twitch .

UnlimitedIRL built the space, while TheLinkU handles contracts, fund distribution, and reporting for the network.

Athletes have access to professional cameras, lighting, audio, and a video switcher for multi-camera broadcasts.

There’s also a PlayStation 5 gaming lounge and portable equipment for streaming around campus.

"Every athlete has a story worth streaming, and the barrier shouldn't be technical," said Taylor Webb, chief of operations at UnlimitedIRL, in the announcement.

"We designed the Cal studio so student-athletes can share their story with fans and go live with a professional, multi-camera show.

That's the model we're bringing to every StreamU campus." Why a Twitch audience matters for college athletes The business opportunity sits within NIL, short for name, image, and likeness.

It allows athletes to earn compensation through sponsored posts, endorsements, and promotional appearances, among other activities.