The 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded with a decidedly American spectacle: a bombastic closing ceremony that brought the world's biggest celebrities to the stage — including one known mainly by his username.
Darren Watkins Jr., aka IShowSpeed.
How does a kid from Ohio become a global megastar? By being himself and streaming it live.
Like many streamers, he started in gaming, going viral for explosive reactions to gameplay moments. As his platform grew, he suddenly had the whole world at his fingertips, leading to a career-defining move to IRL (in-real-life) streaming.
Throughout his travels he filmed himself meeting new people, discovering new cultures and getting into instantly viral shenanigans, while taking his audience with him every step of the way.
IShowSpeed is arguably the world's most famous IRL streamer, but he's far from the only one. The format is growing across social platforms as creators stream their travels, their experiences at events like Coachella, and slices of their everyday lives.
When viewers tune in to these livestreams, they see it more as spending time with a friend than watching an entertainer perform.
The passion of fandom collides with the intimacy of real life, and amid the ongoing battle for attention, that point of collision is where brands find consumers at their most engaged.
Creators have been brands' through-line to Gen Z for a while, and it largely comes down to trust. They follow influencers because they find them relatable, authentic and honest; 87% of Gen Zers will buy a product because an influencer they followed recommended it.
IRL streamers bring these factors into a new dimension.
Gen Z had their high school and college experiences disrupted by COVID lockdowns. Virtual connection became just as powerful as in-person bonding, because for a while, it was all they had.
IRL streamers offer an adventure into someone else's everyday, with the creator serving as the catalyst for a genuine community where members build relationships with one another.
And while Gen Z craves more in-person experiences nowadays, the IRL format is naturally more conducive to IRL engagement — a favourite streamer could come to their hometown, or attend the same concert or sporting event, bringing the community together.
IRL content that puts emotionality front and center provides genuine catharsis.
For a generation that lives in fear of being "cringe," IRL and reaction content gives them a kind of proxy: IRL streamers, and the brands that partner with them, meet audiences in a place where they feel like they can be themselves.
Working with livestreamers used to be a gamble. Real-time content is unpredictable and brands have far less control over the final content than in a scripted video. For the particularly cautious, spontaneity screens as unmitigated risk.
However, brands' wariness has faded as streamers have commanded greater cultural capital.
Real-world settings give creators more to play off, but they also introduce additional risks:
Being in public also makes it easier for viewers (and bad actors) to find a creator's exact location, and unfortunately, stalking and harassment are not unheard of.
Big-name creators often hire their own security, but many others cannot. If a brand is involved in the stream, audiences will expect that brand to do its due diligence in preventing potential incidents.
Brands have navigated safety challenges by partnering with IRL streamers in strategic locations, often tied to major events like the World Cup and the Super Bowl, where filming rules are more transparent, security is on-site, and brand representatives can easily intervene.
Lapses in Wi-Fi and cellular signal in real-world environments can lead to dropped streams, jeopardizing the reach and impact of a sponsored broadcast.
Connectivity solutions are expensive, meaning a limited number of big-name creators can actually afford them. Fortunately, the industry is working to make IRL streaming tools more accessible to smaller-scale creators, which in turn opens up more opportunities for brands.
Authenticity may be a perennial marketing buzzword, but the rise of IRL streaming has unearthed a new layer of what it means to be authentic.
In a world where anything can be scripted, clipped out of context, modified and deepfaked, the spur-of-the-moment realness of IRL streaming is a powerful connective force.
It's also a delicate one. Audiences have expectations for the content and flow of a stream; creators have a unique engagement style and vision.
A mismatched brand partnership can shatter goodwill with fans. Streamers seem like "sellouts" rather than using their platform to promote brands they genuinely believe in.
Unsurprisingly, brand fit has become a top priority for creators in choosing partnerships and sponsorships.
Kai Cenat, another popular IRL streamer and the mind behind Streamer University, famously rejected a Met Gala invite because the brand that invited him wasn't a fit.
Working with a streamer, or any popular creator, is an investment in credibility. Brands have to act as a creative partner, not a director. Embrace the power of spontaneity, and let them do their thing.
Reframe measurement from viewing to accompanying. If audiences experience it as time with a friend rather than a performance, dwell time and community interaction say more than reach and views.
Book safety diligence as a brand cost. Stalking and harassment risks are real and audiences hold the brand responsible — which is exactly why major-event tie-ins are the practical workaround.
Put connectivity in the campaign budget. A dropped signal erases the reach of a sponsored broadcast, and the cost of connectivity solutions belongs on the brand's line, not the creator's.
Treat brand fit as a precondition, not a negotiating chip. Kai Cenat turning down the Met Gala signals that creators will refuse large opportunities over fit. On the mechanics of livestream selling, see Live Commerce Success Comes Down to One Thing: Early Traffic.
Build creator capability in-house as well — see Gap Turns Employees Into Influencers.
Don't underprice a bad partnership. As Connected Content: 80% Say a Bad Ad Is Worse Than No Ad At All shows, a mismatch costs more than doing nothing.
In-real-life streaming, where creators broadcast travel, events and everyday life rather than gameplay. Viewers experience it as spending time with a friend rather than watching an entertainer perform.
87% of Gen Zers will buy a product an influencer they follow recommends, and COVID lockdowns made virtual connection as powerful as in-person bonding. Emotionally forward IRL content offers catharsis by proxy for a generation that fears being "cringe."
Far less control over final content, plus people on the street, connectivity failures, permitting issues and public-space hazards. Public locations expose creators to stalking and harassment, and audiences expect the brand to have done its due diligence.
By partnering at strategic locations tied to major events like the World Cup or Super Bowl, where filming rules are transparent, security is on-site and brand representatives can intervene.
It has become creators' top priority in choosing partnerships. A mismatch makes a streamer look like a sellout and shatters fan goodwill — Kai Cenat rejected a Met Gala invite because the inviting brand wasn't a fit.
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