This format has changed also with the battle of Bounty Killer & Beenie Man who fully performed live with microphones along with DJ's/Sound Equipment, which in turn also provided good acoustics and feedback without interruptions. During the battle, the artist will play each song one after another, through audio sound systems via computer or recording studio equipment.
The Verzuz battle may consist of up to 20 rounds of what would be an artist's hit songs or hit features/collaborations to go head to head against each other. The first time this format changed was in the challenge between Bounty Killer vs Beenie Man, in which both challengers appeared together under the VerzuzTV Instagram channel instead of their own channels. Initially, challengers added or requested each other's Instagram accounts to communicate virtually on Instagram Live. Challengers often used their own cell phone/ tablet device or web camera to live-stream on Instagram live through their verified artist page. states were under strict quarantine to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. In its initial inception, the Verzuz battles were performed remotely over Instagram live due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Season 2 of Verzuz began on November 19, 2020.įormat Instagram live streaming broadcast The first three Verzuz matches surpassed a million views, The Ashanti vs Keyshia Cole Verzuz was the most watched webcast with over 6 million total Instagram viewers, breaking the Jeezy vs Gucci Mane record which held over 5 million in total viewers and Brandy vs Monica record, which was the first live stream webcast to pass the million mark with over 1.2 million concurrent in-stream live views, but totaled with over 4.2 million visitor viewers.
The Verzuz webcast became an online streaming show during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though no winners are selected, Billboard magazine has released scorecards and breakdowns of the battles and selected winners based on these observations. In an ABC News interview, Swizz Beatz stated "The people won, the culture won, music won" in reference to the music sales and online streams gradually increasing due to both newfound interest and curiosity. The live show consists of two challengers in the entertainment industry who compete with their best hit record. The idea of creating a live battle was conceived by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz in 2017, which led to a 'producer clash' battle during a Hot 97 Summer Jam concert in 2018.
In August 2020, after a bidding war, the series began a partnership with streaming service Apple Music and social media platform Twitter, integrating Apple's audiovisual capabilities with Twitter's social-engagement aspect, a first for the former. The Verzuz brand gained its official trademark in April 2020, as registered by Timbaland. Verzuz began as an impromptu broadcast before taking on the form of a brand, adopting a logo and official social media accounts with subsequent matches.