Twitch, the leading gaming live-streaming platform has recently released an open letter that shares its roadmap for new monetisation features.
The letter was put forward by Tom Verrilli, chief product officer at Twitch, and Mike Minton, Twitch’s chief monetisation officer. Twitch has become a huge platform for aspiring streamers but often it feels difficult for content creators to monetise. The process at first seems simple enough, you can become a partner or Twitch Affiliate and start earning.
However, some that use that platform have expressed growing concerns. Changes in the past have seen some fear that Twitch would be earning more while streamers themselves would be left out of pocket. The open letter however addresses the year ahead and how it is the year about “your growth.”
Better ways to earn on Twitch
First and foremost, the letter expresses details on giving users more options to earn. In the first half of the year, Twitch intends to launch products and tools which make it easier for users to earn without impacting growth. In addition to new tools, existing ones are expected to also expand.
So what’s on offer? One of the new experiences will come in the form of Sound Bites. These act as first-party sound alerts that allow viewers to pay to interact and support their favourite streamers. A new update to the Cheering (another way to show support to streamers) will now give those streamers the ability to recognise viewers in a more personalised fashion. Simple changes such as this can be useful for growing a streaming community and building a connection with viewers.
Sponsorship changes are intended to be incoming too. Twitch is looking to build more meaningful sponsorship solutions to make deals more effective and authentic on the platform. In turn, this is in the hopes that they become more lucrative for the streamer and their brand.
Discoverability
New tools are also on the way to aid in the promotion of streams, on and off Twitch. Other platforms such as social media channels like Twitter and TikTok play a large role in expanding a streamer’s community and keeping engaged with them. The process of bringing Twitch content to these platforms hasn’t always worked most effectively. Twitch intends to change this. With new tools, users will be able to edit and export clips for vertical, short-form video formats. This means they can be used to promote the channel, these will look better on Twitter with how they appear in the feed.
In addition to this, users will get Pinned Clips. This allows for 20 clips to be pinned to a user’s channel page. Meaning that potential new viewers will instantly get a feel for the type of content being produced. Improvements to Guest Star will also be making it easier for collaborations. New browser support will allow for better audio tooling so guest audio can be controlled. Twitch intends to work further on the Guest Star technology to make cross-channel streaming experiences better.
Additional changes
Another aspect under the microscope is advertisements. Twitch is updating the Ads Incentive Program to reflect the requests of the community. This is in a bid to make the program easier and more flexible. Streamers want more access to the ads which run on their streams and how frequently they do so, and these updates are intended to do just that.
Current Affiliates and Partners will also be given a new personalised dynamic home base. This will offer tips and recommendations for growth. Better analytics are also coming, users will be able to see the number of viewers who saw a stream via Tag Impressions which can be filtered and data on the best days and times to stream will also be made available.
The letter promises a lot of change for its streamers. If it’s all executed well, it would be great for creators on the platform. Video game streaming projected revenue numbers are expected to reach its biggest yet this year.
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.
