VIDEO-STREAMING SERVICE Twitch is on track to make some major changes to its monetization policies. According to CEO Dan Clancy, tools like subscriptions will be open to “most streamers”, even if their account doesn’t have ‘Affiliate’ or ‘Partner’ status. Currently, achieving ‘Affiliate’ status means meeting criteria like reaching 50 followers and maintaining an average of at least three concurrent viewers.
While newer users are excited about the potential for immediate earnings, established Affiliates and Partners have been more circumspect, feeling it could devalue the hard work they put into achieving their statuses. Streamers have also raised concerns that this could lead to ads on all Twitch channels. Currently, only monetized accounts like Affiliate channels display ads. Subscribers to Twitch’s ‘Turbo’ service can also avoid pre-roll, mid-roll, and companion ads.
Twitch’s latest move comes at a time when it has faced significant financial challenges. Despite Amazon paying $1 billion for the platform in 2014, it’s lost around $2 billion in revenue every year since. In 2023, Twitch’s chief customer officer, chief content officer, and chief revenue officer all left their positions, and the company laid off around 400 workers. In early 2024, it also laid off around 35 percent of its workforce. It remains to be seen if its new monetization policies will help the company to turn a profit.