Twitch Plus Program, Prime Gaming Changes, + Kyedae Leaves 100 Thieves
Some significant changes to Twitch's monetization structure were announced last week. Namely, changes to the Partner Plus Program will open it to more creators and create a new tier more suited for affiliates. I may have a video soon detailing how many creators this will positively impact (and how much the Prime changes will negatively impact creators as well.) But if you first want to hear all my thoughts on the initial changes, I've got a 30-minute video for you!
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Twitch News
- Twitch has made significant changes to the Partner Plus structure.
- The program has been renamed the Plus Program and is now open to all monetized creators - affiliates and partners.
- The 70/30 sub-split will require 300 Plus Points instead of 350.
- Creates a new tier at 60/40 sub split, achieved with 100 Plus Points.
- Removes the $100,000 sub-earnings cap before returning to 50/50.
- The program starts tracking on February 1, making the first effective month it can be achieved in May 2024.
- Prime Gaming subs are changing to a fixed rate payout. Before this, it was a rate based on local price subs. Twitch says this will decrease revenue by "less than 5% in the vast majority of countries." I'll have more on this soon - cause I think they've chosen some creative language...
- Twitch has dramatically increased the number of emote slots for the second time in as many months. Affiliates now get up to 20 static and up to 20 animated emote slots. Partners now get as many as 60 animated emote slots. IMO, this and the above news are clear precursors to sub-price increases.
- Twitch's new Enhanced Broadcasting appears to allow you to send dual-output vertical and horizontal content.
- Twitch Dev announced an API endpoint to send chat messages, Conduit EventSub transport for scalability and channel.chat.message EventSub subscription type.
- Hype Train emotes got a refresh (or, more accurately, a recycle) by serving old emotes from 2019-2021.
- DigiDay dives deeper into why Twitch's attempt at wooing publishers is struggling.
- Here is how the Former Head of Global Partnerships, Chris Mead, reacted to the monetization changes.
Streaming Industry News
- LiveSpace updated their LiveSpace+ subscription to include unlimited VOD storage, custom thumbnails, and ad-free.
- Riot Games has ended the development of the Riot Esports Network, its concept for an esports live streaming service.
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- Live shopping streaming platform WhatNot shared a blog covering all their launches in 2023 and some plans for 2024.
- TikTok laid off ~60 people from their sales and advertising teams.
- The games industry expects "up to two years of pain." That aligns with economic expectations of interest rate decreases.
- SirStendec has developed an FFZ add-on that turns off 7tv's common word emotes.
- Brandfluence, formerly known as Softgiving, is pivoting away from the streaming space - and has laid off 15 employees.
- Bloomberg's Cecilia D'Anastasio hosted an AMA on LivestreamFail. The interview offers unique insight into her world as a journalist.
- VidIQ acquired Creator Now.
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Creator News
- Voting for TheGameHer Awards and The Streamer Awards is now open.
- LilSimsie raised over $50,000 for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.
- Kyedae has left 100 Thieves.
- Ludwig did a 2-hour live stream on "How to Become a Streamer."
- MrBeast is rumored to be signing a $100M content deal with Amazon.
- Rumble signed Barstool Sports for a variety of content, including live streaming.
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