With new apps like Guest Star and the promotion of existing bonus programs, Twitch feels like the best place for creators right now.
Despite a lot of controversies recently, from unpopular financial changes to full media and high-profile creators leaving for YouTube, Twitch thinks now is the time to be on the platform. “I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to start streaming on Twitch,” said Tom Verrilli, Twitch’s chief product officer.
In January, Twitch shared a lengthy blog post detailing some of the changes it is making to the tools it brings to the platform to monetize streamers. As platforms compete for new hires, advertising dollars and talent, surfers have more options than ever for where to go. The Verge and Verrilli and Director of Monetization Mike Minton discussed what their team is working on to monetize and create content on Twitch as easily as ever.
Last September, Twitch announced that it was changing the percentage of revenue for some of its partners from a 70/30 split to a 50/50 split if the stream earned more than $100,000 in revenue from subscriptions. Although the change affected only the smallest percentage of the revenue earners, the news created a huge negative impact in the Twitch community, because it shows that the split of subscription money is 70/30 desirable and the great demand for all streams does not come. soon, if at all.
“There certainly were loud conversations within the community in terms of their feedback and reception,” Minton said. Through those comments, the couple said they learned the value of listening, listening and communicating with the community. More importantly, they know that Twitch has to show its users what it’s doing to get its cut.
“We talked a lot about how we’re in this together, and part of that is innovation,” Minton said. “We are committed to continuing to improve our monetization products and building new monetization products, and at the end of the day, we are committed to increasing the amount of money a streamer earns.”
Minton recognizes that many streamers believe that the easiest way to do this is to split subscription fees 70/30, but he says that Twitch is focused on growing the overall pie by investing in products. new.
The advertising incentive program is one of the products of this investment. “The acceptance and engagement on the ad incentive program far exceeded our expectations,” Minton said. “So streamers are clearly seeing the value in running ads now.”
Recently, Twitch announced changes to its streaming program where creators can enter or leave the program at any time instead of being locked out for a full month. The amount of money creators can earn has changed from a fixed payment to an expected amount based on the level of participation the creator chooses.
Minton admits that the state of advertising on the platform is not perfect, and the company has taken steps to reduce their input by static player ads and cancel ads before scrolling if creators post at least three minutes of broadcasts per hour. “We’re really, really thinking about ad placement generally and ensuring that, as a viewer when you’re looking for a new community, that we’re reducing the impact of ads,” Minton said.
Advertising and monetization are not the only major concerns of water consumers. One of the main reasons why users ask for a higher income is the incredible amount of work and time it takes to become a streamer. Creators strive to grow their communities and create, edit and promote their content. For them, 50/50 is not enough compared to the effort it takes to be a swearer.
“Being a content creator on the internet is hard,” Verrilli admits. By giving streamers better information, providing better tools so that uploading content takes minutes, not hours, and taking the burden of stream discovery, he believes this is how Twitch has the ability to increase the load on the divers who create their content.
Verrilli outlined the three main strategies Twitch has for streamers in their communities: building an audience, maintaining an audience, and turning the audience into a part of the entertainment. To build an audience, Verrilli said, “We want to make it easier for creators to take their amazing Twitch content and distribute it, but we also need to take more responsibility for delivering viewers straight to streamers while they are on Twitch.”
He didn’t say much about how Twitch works to do this or what new programs they are working on to help with discovery. But Twitch has expanded its tagging system where streamers can create a unique category for their stream (for example, identify as Black or Latinx or LGBTQIA2S+) so that viewers can review their see what manufacturers like. he wanted to see. Twitch is also starting to roll out beacon effects so that streamers can see the type that can drive more viewers to their channel.
About making the audience part of the entertainment, chat, long, is how the creators interact with their audience and remain consistent rather than adding iterations such as emotes and joy.
Verrilli said, “We think the next evolution of [chat] is with Guest Star”. Guest Star, currently in beta, is an integrated application that allows surfers to show other creators or people listening to them easily.
Ultimately, Minton and Verrilli believe that promoting and supporting the community is the best way to help streamers on Twitch. “Everything we do at Twitch starts and ends with community,” Verrilli said.
Minton agreed. “What we’re committed to doing is continuing to innovate, continuing to improve the experience from a beginning streamer all the way up to a highly successful star.”
