Interviews
Who does not like to play games and that too in this era when you get paid to play games also? Moms would have never thought that their children would be earning bread by playing games or would be choosing gaming as a career!
Besides that, it is also fun to watch people play.
This point is where Twitch emerges as the undisputed king of all platforms!
Twitch is a live video streaming service, introduced in June 2011. Twitch as a live streaming platform allows gamers to go on a live stream, and people in millions watch others play. Twitch explored the unexplored niche and made it to a different league altogether. Who would have thought that gaming might step into this vast business and career aspect? Besides live gaming stream, since 2015, Twitch.tv also provides music broadcasts, esports competition broadcasts, etc.
In October 2015, Twitch launched its new non-gaming streaming channel, “Creative.”
Twitch is a subsidiary of Amazon, which acquired it for US $970 million in 2014. Google also tried to purchase the platform, but the deal had fallen through, and Amazon took the chance.
Although it is some of the least explored platforms in the eyes of the ordinary world, it still generates humongous traffic. The gamers organize talk shows, playthroughs, and live streams that attract an audience.
Till the year 2015, this platform had broadcasted more than half a million unique broadcasts and the average traffic per month was 100 million visitors. This channel was also the fourth most abundant source of internet traffic in the United States. Twitch plays promotions by sponsoring events and by being the official live streaming partners of big Festivals like the Ultra Music Festival of Miami.
The majority of viewers of Twitch.tv are between 18 and 30 years of age and are male. Therefore, Twitch announced different plans and procedures for Female Gamers. As the visitor count increased, it had 2.2 million broadcasters monthly and 15 million daily active users and also had 27000 partner channels by 2018. Amazon sensed this platform’s potential in the starting days and acquired it.
The gamers are allowed to earn money by streaming on this platform. They also generate donations from viewers and other fellow players via PayPal. To avail this money-making opportunity, one has to enroll in Twitch’s partnership program.
Any broadcaster is eligible to join the program and earn money, but before grant, one has to meet several criteria such as having some minimum number of broadcasts/streams, maintaining minimum viewers count, subscribing to the platform, etc.
Broadcasters also raise charity funds by live-streaming gameplay. According to figures, Twitch had raised over the US $75 million in donations for charitable causes by the end of 2017. GDQ (Game Done Quick) is a bi-annual speedrunning event for charity based streams hosted on Twitch.tv
But how does Twitch make money? Twitch generates most of its revenue through advertising and subscription charges. Subscription packages allow visitors to visit any content without ads, although subscribing is purely optional. Its money generating model results in increased revenue every quarter year and attracts new users to the platform.
Advertising partners such as event organizers, gaming companies, developers pay lofty fees in exchange for a highly targeted visibility base who may join the firms with surety. Twitch platform also hosts gaming tournaments as well, which provides reward opportunities for potential gamers. It is also used as a video gaming tutorial platform to teach aspiring players in real-time.
These two factors make it one of the highest-earning platforms in the United States. Twitch generates profits in millions, although Amazon never declares the number, estimation is that Twitch makes approximately US $13 million during a financial year. Since launching in late June 2016, users have sent more than $1 billion Bits, totaling between $12.3 million and $14 million. Twitch has built a rapid and loyal user base in a very short span of time. As it is a niche platform, it has done very well among its competitions.
The users of Twitch are not granted to stream any game that is rated “Adults Only” (AO) in the United States by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), regardless of its rating in any other geographical region.
Twitch has also voluntarily banned several explicit games like Dramatical Murder, Honie Pop, Yandere Simulator, etc. It also takes appropriate actions against the streamers who violate the policies of Twitch content advisory.
It is a biannual Fan Convention devoted to Twitch, its streamers, and the audience. The first inaugural event was held in San Francisco in 2015. The TwitchCon 2020 is planned in San Diego.
Twitch is a blessing for gamers all around the globe. Play games, earn money, earn fame, earn followers, and even do some charity. Twitch is a one-stop platform for players. 71% of Twitch’s users are millennials, creates an average of 2 million visitors, and broadcasts a whooping 11 million videos every month! Twitch is Awesome.
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