So big Twitch streamers could blackmail Amazon with secondary channels…

Twitch’s top 500 streamers will be as of mid-2023 earn significantly less through Twitch subscriptions. With the change to the 70/30 split, they lose about 29 percent of their subs revenue. Twitch President Dan Clancy cites the high cost of ownership as the reason for this change. The criticism at the end of the 70/30 split for high earners is great, but so far there has been no real rebellion from the streamers. Maybe they are already working on their YouTube deal in the background, as many Twitch streamers have been showing them lately. A small revolt would already be a reason for Amazon to reconsider the end of the 70/30 split.

on the planned one Twitch blackout those responsible reacted at lightning speed. If some would follow Asmongold’s example, Twitch would also give in immediately on the subject of the 70/30 split. Asmongold has been streaming on his secondary channel lately, where he is not a Twitch Partner. So Twitch doesn’t make money with him through subscriptions or advertising, but even loses money.

Twitch streamer Asmongold often streams on a secondary channel with which Twitch does not make any money, but even loses massive amounts of income. Twitch streamers could use this “trick” to get their way on topics like the 70/30 split.

Source: Twitch.tv/Asmongold



Based on the data disclosed by Dan Clancy, costs Asmongold’s time channel Twitch almost 160,000 dollars every month Operating costs for Amazon’s live streaming service. And that with an average of 12,000 viewers and, for the WoW streamer, a few stream hours. Asmongold recently announced that he will continue to stream on his second channel. Should his 32,000 average viewers follow him from his primary channel, Twitch would lose about half a million dollars to Asmongold’s secondary channel.

A handful of streamers would be enough to bring down Twitch

The threatened Twitch blackout at Christmas has already shown how much power streamers hold in their own hands. If only a few big streamers followed the “Asmongold trick” that happened to be known, Twitch would certainly cave in right away. They would continue to take Twitch subscriptions on their main channel while guiding their viewers to the secondary channel and ruining Twitch in the process.

They wouldn’t earn any money from advertising on their second channel, but skipping advertisements would be fine with some anyway. Not only would Twitch be missing out on advertising revenue from the main channel, but they would be losing millions of dollars to streamers every month, who, with their large audience, switch to the ad-free secondary channel. A streamer revolt would actually be uncomplicated.

The fact that less advertising is suddenly being consumed shouldn’t exactly impress Amazon’s advertising customers either. With the elimination of the 70/30 split and the incentive to place more and more advertising in the stream, Twitch no longer seems to be making as much money as the parent company Amazon would like.

Twitch already not as profitable as Amazon would have liked?

Exactly how much money Amazon makes with Twitch and what the exact income from advertising deals is can only be guessed at. Twitch went into beta in 2011 (previously online at justin.tv) and was bought by Amazon in August 2014 for $970 million. A bargain, as it turned out later.

According to the data from businessofapps and SuperData Twitch revenue has grown by $600 million in each of the past two years. Year after year, revenue increased by 41 percent. However, these data are only estimates. We don’t know exactly how much Amazon takes in with Twitch, for example through advertising deals. However, it seems like the 10-year plan the tech giant has in mind for the live streaming site isn’t panning out.