Number 2: Guy “DrDisrespect” Beahm
How successful was DrDisrespect on Twitch: Not quite as successful as he always claimed, but at his peak, the now 39-year-old was even “the face of Twitch”. DrDisrespect had about 4.5 million followers on Twitch. When he streamed, between 18,000 and 32,000 people watched him.
How important was DrDisrespect for Twitch: The streamer was extremely important for the rise of Twitch. Starting in 2016, he led a new era on Twitch as a macho streamer with a mustache: He played the battle royale games H1Z1 and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and was especially successful as an entertainer.
DrDisrespect offered viewers a very different streaming experience than the rather stoic professional gamers like shroud or summit1g, who had dominated Twitch until then. With him, it banged and crashed. However, DrDisrespect struggled, especially during the Fortnite years of 2018 and 2019, to connect with the online shooter.
Why did DrDisrespect switch to YouTube: As the only one on our list of the most important gaming streamers who transitioned from Twitch to YouTube, DrDisrespect’s switch was not voluntary, but forced. On June 26, 2020, DrDisrespect was permanently banned from Twitch after signing an exclusive contract.
He also mentioned that he missed playing with DrDisrespect. After DrDisrespect’s ban, they could no longer meet on Twitch – now on YouTube, they can play together again.
How successful is TimTheTatman on YouTube: The 31-year-old has only recently become a live streamer on YouTube. However, in his first streams, he has already reached over 80,000 simultaneous viewers. One can probably assume that TimTheTatman is the “biggest catch” that YouTube has landed so far.
Perhaps more Twitch streamers will follow him.
If YouTube wants to poach from Twitch, their shopping list might look something like this:
Twitch: The 5 biggest streamers worldwide
On YouTube, he now streams without a contract, on his own terms.
How successful is DrDisrespect now on YouTube: Since DrDisrespect joined YouTube, his channel has grown to 3.47 million subscribers. At least from the outside, it seems that he is successful on YouTube and doing well.
He himself views his situation critically. He states that while they may be successful under the new circumstances, they only earn a quarter of the income from the former Twitch days.
Additionally, he still struggles with the fallout from Twitch’s decision to ban him. Overnight, what he had painstakingly built over the years was taken away from him. The streamer stated that he has been suffering from anxiety attacks and serious personal issues since then.
However, DrDisrespect seems to enjoy that now TimTheTatman, an old acquaintance, is on YouTube too, with whom he can play together. First streams in a 4-man team: DrDisrespect, TimTheTatman, DrLupo and CourageJD play Call of Duty: Warzone were extremely successful.
