Issue #179 | October 24, 2023
This weekend under the shiny lights of nearby casinos on the Las Vegas strip, Twitch made a revelatory announcement: It is now, finally, officially allowing creators using its platforms to simultaneously stream across any platform. It also seems to be moving away from platform-exclusive deals with top creators.
In case you’re unfamiliar, for a long time, Twitch had the sort of terms of service whereby its verified creators could not stream on rival live streaming platforms like YouTube or Facebook. That said, many Twitch partners disregarded this rule and were never punished or caught. The rule was, however, sometimes enforced. Especially with big-name creators, like Ninja or Pokimane. For those creators, Twitch offered flashy non-compete deals to incentivize posting original content on the platform, dishing out estimated six-to-eight-figure deals for exclusivity. (Exclusivity means what it sounds like here: Your content is only to appear here, or else your Twitch income goes away.)
In August 2022, Twitch loosened its exclusive rules a bit, announcing all partners could simulcast on non-rival platforms, like TikTok and other short-form video apps. Twitch also said partners could live stream on competing platforms like YouTube or Facebook, although they could not simulcast original Twitch streams.
These small changes inevitably weren’t enough for many top streamers, who recognized both the discoverability and revenue diversification benefits of a platform-agnostic social media approach. Ninja, for example, had an exclusive deal with Twitch but dropped the contract in early September 2022, saying he thought it would be more beneficial to be able to simulcast across YouTube and Facebook.
In late September 2022, Twitch really pissed creators off after ending its 70% revenue-sharing deal with top partners, announcing it was reducing everyone to a 50/50 revenue split across the board. Many top streamers started looking for better prospects with other platforms, like Kick — a live-streaming platform that offers a more generous 95/5 revenue split and the freedom to simulcast. In 2023, Kick signed multi-million non-exclusive deals with many top creators (namely Nickmercs, Amouranth, and xQc) to lure them to the platform.
Now, Twitch is ending its simulcasting prohibition. This latest move shows that companies are seeing the diminishing value of expensive, exclusive contracts in the creator age. In fact, Bloomberg reported yesterday that Twitch employees say the platform is phasing out high-ticket deals with live streamers. According to one Twitch executive, the platform is tired of unsustainable “bidding wars.”
All of that raises the question, is exclusivity dead? Let’s discuss…
– Grace Stanley, Newsletter and Features Editor
In Today’s Newsletter:
- TwitchCon in the Desert Left Me Feeling Lukewarm
- Passionfruit Presents: Taylor Lorenz Talks ‘Extremely Online’ Internet Misogyny (Video)
- The Importance of Model Releases: Protecting Yourself and Your Content as a Creator
