📢 || Twitch in Decline, DJ Program Launches, Sentiment Check + Q2 Stats, ZEVENT 2024

Zach Bussey -

Hello and welcome to August! I cannot believe how fast the summer months have been flying by! This is likely due to how many things are happening in this space (and how much is coming up!).

Last week, I asked if you could complete a simple survey about your feelings about the streaming space. I did this in mid-July 2023, and it would offer an interesting comparison year over year. You all did NOT disappoint!

Generally speaking, there's more negative sentiment about the streaming space than last year. 2023, had an average feeling of 4.26/7, while 2024's average is 4.1/7. There were more hyper-positive people about the space this year than last, but they were balanced out with more hyper-negative.

When we put that in the context of the next question, which asks how people feel compared to how they (think) they felt last year, we get an interesting picture. If nothing else, it suggests that the streaming space may have found a bottom in sentiment.

Lastly, I asked about your Twitch Earnings. I didn't ask about it in 2023, so I have nothing to compare it to until next year. For now, I'll just present the results without direct commentary.

And with that, let's get into the rest of the recap!

Twitch News

  • A Wall Street Journal article put the limelight on Amazon's frustrations with Twitch's declining finances. The company is seeing declining support from key viewers, flat (or contextually to 2019 targets, declining) ad revenue, and lower/declining growth overall. The article also goes on to say staff are critical of CEO Dan Clancy's endless world travels. (No Paywall.)
  • The new 20% Discount for 5+ Gifted Subs experiment SHARES the discount with creators. Historically, Twitch promotions outside creator control resulted in the discount coming from Twitch's cut. Twitch was not upfront with creators about this.
  • Twitch is testing Venmo as a payment option for subscriptions in the USA.
  • This week, the DJ Program blog, opt-in, music catalog, FAQ, and legal Terms and Conditions were all released. The category launches with a week's promotion on August 8th.
  • Twitch's mobile app update (an uninspired copy of TikTok) has been generally released to everyone. Community sentiment is not positive. The app appears designed for new theoretical young users while assuming existing users will tolerate a poor experience. I get what they are going for, but it feels like a panic-driven identity crisis.
  • Twitch's Apple TV+ promotion hasn't gone very well technically. Users initially did not get their codes (now fixed). Twitch also broke its "Don't Show Again" option - FFZ has a fix. Alternatively, creators can turn off the promotion on their streams.
  • The Twitchcon San Diego 2024 schedule is now available.
  • Is this a subtweet by the former CEO of Twitch about the current state of Twitch? The timing is interesting; it was posted shortly after the WSJ article.
  • I'll be attending the Twitch Toronto Meetup on August 24! If you're in the area, RSVP and say hello!