The streamer Moistcr1tikal comments on the recent switch of Twitch streamer Ludwig to the competitor YouTube. He explains the background of the switch and says that soon even more streamers will change platforms, apparently including some of the most important streamers on the platform.
This is the situation:
- Twitch is by far the market leader in the live streaming sector. During the Corona pandemic, the viewer numbers have exploded further. Amazon bought Twitch for $970 million in 2014, which proves to be a lucrative investment. In 2020, the streaming service generated $2.3 billion in revenue, 20 times more than in 2016 (via businessofapps).
- However, YouTube and Facebook have now also discovered live streaming. Especially YouTube is regularly poaching from Twitch and recruiting streamers who have made a name for themselves on Twitch. They entice them with multi-year exclusive contracts. Streamers mention that YouTube is waving money, which “changes lives”.
- It has now been revealed that Twitch streamer Ludwig is switching to YouTube. This is a big deal.
Twitch pays about 10 times less than the competition
This is how a streamer assesses the situation: The Twitch streamer Moistcr1tikal frequently discusses Twitch-related topics. He talks about how it happened that someone like Ludwig is switching and provides insight behind the scenes.
As the streamer says, money is of course a factor. Twitch pays about a tenth of what most other providers offer in contracts. Moistcr1tikal refers to the figures based on insights he has because he manages other content creators.
He says, Twitch pays “unironically about a tenth”.
“So if you see people switching platforms, it’s mostly about money.”
Ludwig wanted a donation limit on his channel – Twitch rejected the request
However, the streamer explains that in Ludwig’s case, there was something else behind it.
He says Ludwig asked Twitch for a favor. They should set a limit on how much money his viewers can donate on Ludwig’s channel. Ludwig feels guilty when fans donate too much and wanted to limit that. A similar donation limit has been implemented by Pokimane.
But Twitch outright rejected this request.
“Twitch thinks they have a monopoly”
For Moistcr1tikal, this attitude of Twitch, not responding to streamers, is an important reason why many are switching:
“Twitch thinks they hold a monopoly, so they don’t care about losing Ludwig. Twitch needs to understand that most people want to stay on Twitch.”
The streamer says he loves Twitch, Ludwig loves Twitch, but Twitch also needs to show that they care about the streamers. Otherwise, it’s really hard to stay on the platform.
Ludwig is, after all, the sixth highest-earning streamer on Twitch, and Twitch was not willing to fight for him.
What happens next? Moistcr1tikal says this is a huge topic internally among streamers.
“Many streamers talk to each other about whether they will switch platforms. Some have already decided. I think many of you will be shocked when you see the next few leave Twitch.”
Who would be the worst losses for Twitch? It’s hard to imagine a worse loss than Ludwig. The only larger category would likely be xQc. So-called ‘controversial streamers’ are ones that YouTube has generally avoided; instead, they have partnered with more friendly streamers like TimTheTatman, DrLupo, or Valkyrae.
Even DrDisrespect streams on YouTube without an exclusive contract.
They would certainly feel the loss of Twitch veterans like summit1g, shroud, or Sodapoppin. Losing streamers who stand for diversity, like Pokimane or Myth, would also be painful.
Although there are doubts about how seriously Twitch takes the issue of “diversity”.
Disguised Toast recently complained that as an Asian-American he serves an audience on Twitch too – but Twitch told him they already have Faker under contract, which left Disguised Toast completely baffled. The LoL star doesn’t even speak English; you can’t lump him in the same category as him.
Leak shows: Twitch creates many millionaires, and the vast majority are white and male
