Last week, as I was queuing in line at the Costa Rican airport on my way home from a really enjoyable and relaxing vacation (nice timing on that one, Twitch...), Twitch dropped the news that price increases on subs were coming soon. Canada, Australia, the UK, and Turkey are the first to experience higher sub-prices. The US and other regions will follow suit in the months ahead without a doubt. At the same time, Twitch is now more actively promoting Turbo to "Support streamers without interruptions." If you're like Vio and noticed it puts things distinctly in competition with creators - you're not wrong. As I've reiterated a few times in these newsletters, Turbo will play an increasingly important role in Twitch's future. They need a source of recurring revenue that they don't have to share 50% of with creators inherently. (Yes, you get some CPM rate for Turbo viewers - but it will always be less than if someone were to sub to your channel.)
That said, a price increase on subs should have been done two years ago. As a creator, your value has been bleeding against inflation since 2022, and (hopefully) the quality of your content has increased during that time. So, in some ways, better late than never... BUT, at the same time, the math for viewers will change. Higher sub-costs will have people second-guessing a subscription. In the same way that Local Price Subs promised 'more subscriptions to make up for lost revenue,' I suspect the same will play out here—fewer subscriptions, but at a higher rate, and more people buying Turbo.
What does that mean for you? In the same way, I've recommended diversifying your content since 2019, for discovery that Twitch cannot provide... I'm going to recommend the same for your income. Diversify! There are plenty of platforms and ways to do it, but I recommend Fourthwall's Membership.* They are a perfect way to build a business around your content. (PS. If you're not sure where to start, I'll be releasing a guide that offers a 1-year business plan for live creators in March.) It can be overwhelming to figure out how to start, so hopefully, it will help! And with that, let's get into this week's recap!
PS. Is anyone else spending too much time spreading managed democracy? IYKYK.
*I have an ongoing partnership with Fourthwall - one that I pitched to them because I sincerely believe they have the best offering for creators.
Twitch News
- Twitch announced sub-price increases this week. Initially, the increases will impact Australia (A$7.99 to A$8.99), Canada (C$6.99 to C$7.99), and the United Kingdom (£3.99 to £4.99). Turkey will see all three tiers increase by about 4x.
- The rest of the world, including the USA, will see price increases throughout the year (as confirmed by Twitch.)
- Twitchcon Rotterdam's chat badge is a windmill, and tickets are on sale now: €125 for two days or €75 for one day.
- Turkey's National Lottery Administration blocked Twitch shortly after blocking Kick.
- Korea fined Twitch 435M Won (~$327,000 USD) for suspending VODs, violating the Telecommunications Business Act.
- The Drum and Bass category on Twitch now has its own shelf.
- Twitch released its EU Terrorist Content Transparency Report for 2023. This is a relatively short report, as there were zero removal orders in 2023.
- Authy will shut down its Desktop app on March 19. As such, Twitch recommends you get the mobile app before that date.
- Bridget Kyeremateng, inclusive marketing at Twitch, was featured by UC Santa Barbara.
- A US Air Force member live-streamed their self-immolation in protest of the genocide of the Palestinian people. The Twitch stream VOD (and channel) has since been taken down, but it's unclear how long it was up for.
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