How much does Twitch pay streamers? Earned with subscriptions and more

Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, has become one of the most popular platforms for content creators. For a few years, even former YouTube figures like Rubius or Auronplay have made the leap to live streaming, which has managed to revitalize their careers and has also given rise to new stars like Ibai Llanos.

How much does Twitch pay streamers

However, behind the success there is obviously also a business and these streamers earn money on the purple platform from a number of sources of income. We are going to review how these live content creators earn money, keeping in mind that, from the viewer’s point of view, Twitch works as a freemium type , anyone can enter it and watch the live streams that interest them with the condition of watch ads from time to time.

Twitch Affiliate and Partner Program

In the first place, as our channel grows, certain associations with Twitch itself will be unlocked by which we will become a user of their service, to earn money with them (as of July 15, 2022, the threshold Twitch payout becomes €50, so you can cash out as soon as you hit that figure). That is why we would have to meet the requirements to be an affiliate first and then a partner .

Being an affiliate it is already possible to earn money through subscriptions and the sale of bits and products can already be promoted. What cannot be done is to obtain income through advertising, since for this it is necessary to be a partner.

The conditions to be affiliated are the following, quite affordable objectives if we want to dedicate a few hours a day to broadcasting:

  • Have a minimum of 50 followers
  • Have retransmitted at least 500 minutes in the last 30 days
  • Have streamed at least 7 unique days in the last 30 days.
  • Have achieved at least an average of 3 simultaneous viewers in the last 30 days.

On the other hand, things get complicated when we talk about making the jump to partner , since the following must be fulfilled:

  • Have broadcast a minimum of 25 hours in the last 30 days.
  • Broadcasts must be on a minimum of 12 different days.
  • Have an average of 75 viewers per stream.

Subscriptions and announcements

The main income streamers can earn is through subscriptions. In this way, the fans of the channel make a periodic payment, so they support said streamer for as long as they see fit. Although this does not give any advantage to be able to see the content, because, as we said, the transmissions are free for everyone, they do obtain certain benefits in the form of viewing the content without ads, name customization, exclusive emojis, etc.

This is the most stable way to earn money with the platform, which streamers with the most subscribers get the most out of. This form of monetization is normally split 50-50, half of the amount paid by the subscriber goes to the streamer, the other half to the platform, although the biggest streamers usually have a split of 70% for themselves and 30 % for Twitch. The price of a monthly subscription to a Twitch channel (provided you do not have Prime), is 3.99 euros per month per subscription , so you can calculate how much they earn in this way.

The other way to get income on a recurring basis is through advertising on broadcasts . In this case, the income will depend on the number of viewers who see the advertisement.

Note that streamers have the option to control when ads are shown, giving them the opportunity to control how often, how long and when they appear. Ideally, start with one minute of advertising per broadcast hour , as this is a very short break that won’t bother viewers too much. Depending on your acceptance, this time can be increased up to three minutes.

Donations and bits

Another way for people to support your content is through donations. This way of generating income on Twitch is entirely for the streamer, working in a similar way to a tip that is given in case you liked something specific from the broadcast or want to give more support than the subscription. Generally, the streamers used to activate a bot that warned of the donation and thanked the user in question, so you had a special treatment for a few seconds, although it happens less and less so as not to break the rhythm.

Bits Twitch

Twitch bits are one of the most popular ways to monetize a Twitch channel. It is a currency of use within the platform that users can use to earn and send Cheers, Cheermotes or custom Cheermotes in chats. For each emoticon sent, the creator of this receives financial compensation, specifically 0.01 dollars . If used within some extensions, the streamer will receive 80% of that penny and 20% will go to the extension developer.