While everyone noticed when high profile streamers like Shroud, Timthetatman, and Pokimane signed deals to stream exclusively on Twitch, few have noticed the other group being signed – their future stars. Unlike the top talent, most of the streamers being signed are not recognizable names by the entire community. Instead, these deals are largely going to middle-class streamers, and Twitch is getting a bargain by securing them now.
Partnered streamers of all sizes would probably love to sign an exclusive deal right now. Unfortunately, Twitch is being highly selective in who they are making offers to. For starters, these deals are mostly going to streamers that Twitch has an existing relationship with. According to sources familiar with the negotiations, “[we’re] talking to our ambassadors and other active partners we already work with.”
In nearly every case, Twitch is the initiator of the negotiations and offered a variety of perks in exchange for a 2-year exclusive deal. The perks being offered include a monthly payment, higher Tier 1 sub splits, promotional support (front page/social), dedicated partner reps, and a variety of other opportunities and support. Another source familiar with the deals suggested that “monthly payments were minimal… offering a base level of financial security“. Further confirming in some cases, the 2-year term total would be no more than mid-five figures.
I reached out to a variety of creators, but none were willing to confirm any details. They did, however, confirm they had made exclusive deals with Twitch for 2-year periods.
How Twitch Partners Can Increase Their Sub Split
UPDATE: JUNE 2021… Since Twitch has changed to start local pricing, this method is no longer viable! I’m keeping it here for transparency, but it’s possible Twitch has a more scalable idea in mind for something like this.
While the majority of Twitch Partners may not get an exclusive deal, they can get a better cut of their sub revenue. Twitch hasn’t made this public – but sub split negotiations are tied to sub count. Current Twitch Partners all start at the same split: 50-50 for Tier 1, while Tier 2, and Tier 3 are 60-40 and 70-30 respectively. However, all Partners can negotiate Tier 1 splits starting at 60-40 and, eventually, 70-30.
To start, you must have 500 paid subs for three months consecutively. Those 500 subs do not include Gifted nor Prime in the count. They need to be individual paid subscribers. Once you’ve achieved that, you can make a formal request to Twitch to renegotiate your sub split. If you are a ‘Partner in good standing’, you will likely be approved for a 60-40 split on future subscriptions.
As it relates to a 70-30 split, the answer is a bit more convoluted. Instead of a clean-cut answer, I only have a variety of possibilities. In some cases, a 70-30 split comes from having closer ties to Twitch such as an Ambassador position. There were also a variety of numbers needed to renegotiate: 2500-5000 subs for 3-months (including Gift/Prime), and even 10,000 sub-points. Considering the wide variety of answers, I suspect not even Twitch has firm criteria for that sub split.
Twitch Streamers Deserve a Better Deal
While I’m sure the secrecy around this information is intentional – creators deserve a bigger piece of the pie. Compared to every other platform, Twitch takes the highest percentage of revenue from support tools at 50%. No other platform that offers a monthly subscription comes close:
- YouTube takes 30% from Memberships
- Facebook takes up to 30%
- OnlyFans takes 20%
- Patreon takes 5-12%
The only one that was also 50% is the now-defunct Mixer. If you’re a Partner streamer with that kind of sub number, it’s time to get more of what you’re due! In a perfect world, Emmett Shear would come out on a stage for a digital Twitchcon later this month and announce across the board that Affiliates will get 60-40 and Partners 70-30… a much more fair split considering the importance of creators – especially during this pandemic! But, until that happens – at least we can empower each other with information to help those that deserve it, get a better sub split!
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