That’s the reason why streamers on Twitch always thank the subscribers whenever they are “gifted” subs, because it is actually real-world money that the creator gets. Obviously, Twitch being an intermediary and the platform provider facilitating this exchange of gratitude takes a cut from this fee. Currently, the streaming site takes 30% of the share, leaving 70% of the sub money to the streamers. However, it looks like Twitch is reconsidering this. According to a new report by Bloomberg, anonymous sources have told the outlet that big changes are in order at Twitch. The live-streamer is currently working on revamping how it pays its creators and these changes could arrive as soon as summer of this year. The main highlight here is the reduction in the subscription share. If the current plans materialize, Twitch streamers’ 70% cut of their subs would be narrowed down to just 50%, making it an equal share between the platform and the creator. Next up is the introduction of a tiered ad system for non-subscribers. Twitch will create designated tiers, each with their own unique set of requirements. Depending on the criteria, a creator will fall into one of these tiers where they will incentivized to push more ads, more aggressively to non-subscribers. Remember, viewers who are subbed to the channel do not receive ads, so this change won’t apply to them. It’s being said that in return for this less lucrative pay structure, Twitch will let creators on its site go live on competing platforms, giving them free reign over their brand. Expanding the streaming portfolio could net an emerging streamer the perfect opportunity to capture a share of every market they want, which would balance out the harsher wages that would now come from Twitch. As you could tell, this is a pretty significant overhaul and that could be met with backlash upon implementation. That’s why it’s not final yet and Bloomberg’s sources tell us that this could be altered or dropped entirely if things don’t pan out. Bloomberg is about as credible as a source can get so we would advise everyone to take this news with a grain of salt as it can go both ways in the end.
A fine line to walk
Not only that, Twitch is also under a mirage of controversy as concerns over unfair treatment of creators on the platform is becoming more and more apparent. Taking even a month off from streaming to go to vacation can result in a drastic drop in subscriber count. Streamers have to wind themselves out by staying live for several hours on end to satisfy the algorithm. Essentially, Twitch isn’t kind to creators who don’t burn themselves out.
