Published on: 01/09/2021

Twitch Streamers: How Much Do They Make?

How Much Do Twitch Streamers Make

In the land of live streaming, Twitch is its undisputed king. With a high volume of viewership, the website has served as the springboard to fame for many Twitch streamers.

Names like Ninja, xQc, and Pokimane have all risen to stardom through Twitch. Combined, they house an approximate total of 34.2 million followers as of August 2021. That is higher than the populations of Romania, Belgium, and Albania combined.

As such, it’s not hard for fans to imagine they also earn considerable revenue from their streams. But unlike grasping one’s fame, knowing how much money they earn through gaming online becomes a harder question to tackle.

Such curiosity around a streamer’s wealth peaks when they allow fans a peek into their finances. When Ninja revealed he made half a million dollars a month during his peak Fortnite days, fans wondered if other streamers earned a similar amount.

Though it’s against Twitch’s policy for streamers to publicly reveal their earnings, that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating. With various analyses on how streamers generate their revenue, these four are the major sources.

Sources of Revenue

A Twitch streamer’s source of revenue divides itself into four parts: subscriptions, donations, brand partnerships, and advertisements.

Subscriptions

Fans wanting to support their favorite streamer, they can pay for a monthly subscription. With a minimum of $4.99, fans receive numerous perks like customized emotes, badges, and more. The degree of rewards fans earns increases through tier subscriptions, with monthly prices ranging from $9.99 to $24.99.

Donations

A donation in Twitch works the same as it is elsewhere. It’s a source of revenue solely provided by the kindness of a streamer’s fans. Usually given by a varied sum, fans can donate from $1 to $1,000 at a time.

Additionally, viewers can purchase “Bits,” a website currency used to “Cheer” on their favorite streamer. Through its bundle list, 100 Bits equate to $1.40, and people can buy up to 500,000 per day. As for how Bits will affect the streamer’s revenue, for every Bit they receive, they also earn $0.01.

Brand Partnerships

Unlike other revenue sources, brand partnerships help streamers generate attention towards them beyond their Twitch profile. Brands like esports organizations, food chains, equipment companies, and non-gaming corporations can affiliate with streamers under the right circumstances.

Finding the perfect example of a fruitful brand partnership is not a hard task to complete. Countless streamers are enjoying their wealth thanks to their vast network of brand partnerships.

Advertisements

Advertisements can affect a Twitch streamer’s revenue by being used regularly during broadcasts. Depending on how much and how often they run ads, streamers can earn more than their peers.

Using the CPM (cost per 1,000 viewers) metric, streamers can earn a sizeable amount of revenue entirely through ads.

Although certain obstacles arise for streamers, such as anti-ad extensions, they can adjust by offering an ad-free stream for subscribers. They can hit two birds with one stone, motivating the purchase of subscriptions while assimilating ads into their stream.

All of these revenue sources combine to make a plentiful streaming career on Twitch. With the correct management, people can eventually grow their broadcast to the same level as today’s stars.

Written by Pedro Romero