- Twitch has been losing some of its most famous personalities to other platforms such as YouTube and Facebook Gaming.
- The reasons behind the migration include DMCA strikes, hate raids, wider viewership, first-mover advantage, and lucrative contracts.
- DMCA strikes have become more frequent and stringent copyright laws have driven many streamers to seek new platforms that do not have similar restrictions.
- Hate raids, which are trolls targeting streamers with hate, have forced many streamers to seek safer platforms.
- By moving to YouTube or Facebook Gaming, streamers can connect with a wider audience.
- Joining a new platform means streamers would be the frontrunners on that platform going forward.
- Lucrative contracts offered to streamers by other platforms provide them with stability and a steady income, something they may not get on Twitch through donations.
- Twitch needs to work on its shortcomings to prevent further departures of big names in the industry.
| Reason | Explanation |
| DMCA Strikes | Frequent DMCA strikes and stringent copyright laws have led to many famous Twitch streamers losing their accounts, making them seek new platforms. YouTube, for example, has a lighter DMCA protocol, allowing streamers to stream most content on the same platform. |
| Hate Raids | The addition of tags on Twitch to identify parts of creators like race and sexuality resulted in trolls targeting streamers with hate raids. This has led to many streamers seeking safer platforms like YouTube Gaming. |
| Wider Viewership | Twitch’s user base stands at 140 million, while Facebook and YouTube boast 2-3 billion unique users every month. Twitch’s viewership is concentrated in North America and Europe, whereas the other platforms have a more diverse audience, making it easier for streamers to connect with a wider audience. |
| First Mover Advantage | Joining a new platform means that streamers would be the frontrunners, giving them the opportunity to make a name for themselves before the platform gets saturated at the top. Many streamers have moved to newer platforms like Facebook Gaming because of this. |
| Lucrative Contracts | Streamers have left Twitch due to the lucrative contracts offered by other platforms. These contracts provide streamers with stability and a steady income, something they may not get on Twitch through donations. |
Twitch has been the top destination for game streamers for years, but the company has been losing some of its most famous personalities to other platforms. Twitch has suffered a significant loss in its viewership and users with the departure of big names like Shroud, Ninja, and more recently, TimTheTatman and DrLupo. Why are streamers leaving Twitch to join rivals like YouTube and Facebook Gaming? Here are five reasons behind the migration.
1. DMCA Strikes
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is the legal basis for all copyright strikes made by organizations and platforms against creators. DMCA strikes have become more frequent, and they have been responsible for many famous Twitch streamers losing their entire Twitch account. DrDisRespect, for instance, was permanently banned from Twitch due to DMCA strikes. The fear of being banned and the stringent copyright laws have driven many streamers to seek new platforms that do not have similar restrictions. YouTube, for example, allows streamers to stream most of the content on the same platform, while Facebook has a much lighter DMCA protocol overall.
2. Hate Raids
The addition of tags to one’s stream on Twitch was meant to identify parts of creators like race, sexuality, pronouns, etc. for their viewers. However, this resulted in trolls targeting streamers with hate raids. The Black Hokage, an African-American streamer, was one of the most recent movers to YouTube Gaming after being subjected to many hate raids for identifying his race on Twitch over the past year. The problem has been worsening, and it has forced many streamers to seek safer platforms.
3. Wider Viewership
Twitch is the go-to platform for game livestreaming, but its overall user base is relatively narrow when compared to Facebook or YouTube. The two platforms boast 2-3 billion unique users every month, while Twitch’s user base stands at 140 million. A large majority of Twitch’s viewership is concentrated between North America and Europe, while the other two platforms have a more diverse audience, including Asia and Africa. By moving to YouTube or Facebook Gaming, streamers can connect with a wider audience, especially streamers of minority ethnicities who can connect with viewers who share their culture.
4. First Mover Advantage
Many streamers have stated that joining a new platform meant they would be the frontrunners on that platform going forward. While there are approximately 8 million streamers on Twitch, only a few define the platform. By shifting to newer platforms like Facebook Gaming, creators have the opportunity to make a name for themselves before the platform gets saturated at the top.
5. Lucrative Contracts
Big names like DrLupo, TimTheTatman, Ludwig, and Valkyrae left Twitch due to the lucrative contracts offered to them by other platforms. These contracts provide streamers with stability and a steady income, something they may not get on Twitch through donations. The exact amount offered to creators is not public knowledge, but it’s clear that streamers can make as much money as they do via Twitch donations as a baseline salary or lumpsum amount as part of the contracts they sign with these platforms.
Wrap-Up
Streamers are leaving Twitch for many reasons. The migration to other platforms is not just due to Twitch’s failings, but a combination of factors that include DMCA strikes, hate raids, wider viewership, first mover advantage, and lucrative contracts. While Twitch still remains one of the most popular game streaming platforms, it needs to work on its shortcomings to prevent further departures of big names in the industry.