Twitch‘s decision to change its creator/platform revenue split from 70/30 (in favor of creators) to 50/50 continues to haunt it.
In an April 4 Twitter thread, Twitch said it’s conducting several “experiments” related to sponsored content, where brands partner up with creators and sponsor their streams. Plenty of Twitch streamers already regularly hold sponsored streams, and secure those brand partners themselves–meaning they get all the revenue from their deals.
Streamers say Twitch’s new experiments are an attempt to take a cut of that sponsorship revenue for itself.
Experiments include:
With Streamer-Read Ads, it’s not clear exactly how much Twitch would get, or how the tool would work. It could be a creator marketplace-esque feature, where Twitch matches brands up with streamers and then takes an overall cut for arranging the deal.
With the other three features, it’s clearer that Twitch would at least get a 50% cut from all those potential Sub Codes, Sponsored Sub Discounts, and Sponsored Gift Subs. Those will all bring in $4.99+ a pop, with half going to the streamer and half going to Twitch. (They’ll generate even more revenue if brands gift Tier 2 or Tier 3 subs, which are $9.99 and $24.99, respectively.)
Responses to Twitch’s thread about these experiments are largely negative, with many streamers airing grievances about how much of their revenue Twitch takes for itself.
Twitch hasn’t responded to creators’ concerns. In its thread about the new tools, it said they are “very early experiments, with the goal of finding what works best for streamers, viewers, and brands. Depending on feedback, some of these may change or scale further as we move into next year, and some may not.”
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