Video Streamers Have a New Form of Income thanks to Twitch
Philip tiredly gazed at the spreadsheets on his monitor. The accountant then turned his attention to a second monitor, with his favorite game streamer Michelle Mosh. In the top right corner of the screen, a notifications icon was blinking.
When he clicked on the notifications, his eyes widened. Philip was in the first wave of video game streamers to be accepted into the new rank of affiliate for Twitch.tv, a new system that allows streamers with enough dedication to start regularly making money.
Streaming is broadcasting live footage for anyone to watch. Increasingly, streaming is being used by video gamers to showcase their abilities and teach others. Like any online content creators, streamers can make money. But until now, the only way to make money on streaming was to solicit donations from viewers or have subscribers pay a monthly fee.
Enter Twitch, a community for gamers that allows individuals to stream directly to the company’s website. Twitch is now owned by Amazon after the online giant bought Twitch in the summer of 2014.
On April 24th, Twitch.tv rolled out the welcome letters to the first wave of affiliates on their site. The new program is an intermediary step between a basic streamer and a partner to Twitch. Partners have been chosen by Twitch to represent them as a company, while affiliates are regular streamers who can make money through Twitch itself.
Philip and his wife Jacquie originally started streaming several years ago as a way to improve their financial situation. Due to the increase in the frequency of swatting streamers (calling a S.W.A.T unit on a streamer’s house as a malicious prank), Philip asked that their last name remain anonymous.
Prior to securing their new money-making status through Twitch, Philip and his wife made a combined total of $5,700 over several years of streaming, of which $2,500 was donated to charities such as Spondylitis Association of America and Autism Society of the Heartland. It’s a common practice among gaming streamers to donate to charities.
But the couple may soon start making more money. Twitch’s new system allows viewers to easily buy small increments to give to the streamer; a portion of the proceeds go to Twitch. In the first month since becoming a Twitch affiliate, Philip and Jacquie raised $400 through their new status.
Under Twitch’s new system, viewers are not obligated to donate. They may choose to if they feel generous. “Some people donate to support the streamer, others do it to get attention as the notification flashes across the screen for all to see. I’d say it’s about fifty-fifty on that matter,” said Jacquie.
Both Jacquie and Philip are part-time streamers. Philip streams five days a week when he’s off from his accounting job, averaging about 24 hours weekly. Most of his time streaming goes to the game Elite Dangerous, but he also looks forward to streaming Albion Online. Philip’s wife streams half as often.
Though the couple’s original intent when they started streaming was to shore up their income, over time they formed a community of streamers and kept at it. Now they do it for fun, they said.
“I remember discussing it on our honeymoon in a hot tub. A friend of mine encouraged me to try streaming, so I brought it up to Jacquie,” said Philip. It wasn’t long before he had created a community with his viewers and made them his priority when it came to streaming.
Beyond the community aspect, viewers are just as important to the streamers for making money.
“We agree that the program was put out as more of a means of monetization for the company, while also being a screening process for potential partners,” said Jacquie. She noted that becoming partners would be nice, but it’s not on the couple’s immediate to do list.
To qualify to become an affiliate, streamers have to have “At least 500 total minutes broadcast in the last 30 days… At least 7 unique broadcast days in the last 30 days… An average of 3 concurrent viewers or more over the last 30 days… At least 50 Followers,” according to Twitch’s announcement.
While not every small-time streamer has time to meet those requirements, streamers say it’s nice to have the option of potentially making a living streaming.
Johnathon Schoen, an avid viewer, also sees benefits from the new Twitch program.
“I can see it as a more secure and controlled way streamers can make a living,” Schoen said, adding that there are also benefits for viewers. “For instance, through Paypal the person who donated can request a refund and receive most of their money back.” (Though Schoen is quick to add that he would never request a refund himself: “I do it ‘cause I enjoy the content they produce and I would like to show my support.”)
As for Philip, the accountant who streams in his free time with his wife, he says one day he may be able to quit his day job — if he makes more money streaming than in accounting.
