Highlights: Twitch is the largest online live video platform. It brings together more than five million active channels per month. Mike Minton is responsible for monetizing content on Twitch. He says the interactivity between the streamer and his audience gives real meaning to the platform. But it would be very difficult for me to give an exact figure of the number of people who manage to make a living from their activity on Twitch, Minton says. He adds that the biggest streamers on the platform are all with a sponsor.

Twitch is the largest online live video platform. It brings together more than five million active channels per month and for the first time organizes a trade show in Europe, TwitchCon Paris...

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"Twitch has brought people together on the Internet but also in real life"

Twitch is the largest online live video platform. It brings together more than five million active channels per month and for the first time organizes a trade show in Europe, TwitchCon Paris 2023. Mike Minton is responsible for monetizing content on Twitch. A topic particularly concerning for users who hope to be able to live from their videos on the platform. Interview conducted by Julien Gouesmat.

At the Parc des Expositions at Porte de Versailles, fans came from all over Europe to watch painting competitions and esports competitions, hosted on stage by Twitch stars. Photo taken on July 8, 2023. © Julien Gouesmat / RFI

Text by: Julien Gouesmat

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RFI: There were more than 30,000 visitors to the last conference in San Diego, how do you explain that Twitch manages to support so many people and bring together so many people?

Mike Minton: Unlike other platforms, Twitch is not only about posting videos, but rather about creating communities. It is the interactivity between the streamer and his audience that gives real meaning to the platform and brings people together. What's more, while Twitch has brought people online all over the world closer together, it has also made it possible to do so in real life. As proof, I come from Seattle and there are regular gatherings there that Twitch does not organize. They are done solely by the community. However, it would be very difficult for me to give an exact figure of the number of people who manage to make a living from their activity on Twitch. Living from Twitch depends on the personal situation of the streamer, where they live, etc. It is very variable.

Precisely, how do they manage to live and monetize their live?

The basis of everything is the subscription. When a viewer subscribes to a streamer [the cost of a subscription to a streamer is €3.99/month, Editor's note] it means that he wants to be part of the community, that he wants to use personalized emojis, that he wants to be able to display his subscriber badge on the platform. Afterwards, he can offer gifts to the streamer as well as to community members. For small streamers, this is really the best method. It's only when your audience grows that advertising on your channel makes more sense. A streamer who has an advertising partner can even make as much money as with their subscriptions by running only a few minutes of advertising. The biggest streamers on the platform are all with a sponsor.

Recently, you changed your monetization policy, what does it consist of now?

We used to have a program called "Premium" that was not transparent. So we designed "Partner +" for all streamers with more than 350 monthly subscribers. 70% of their profits go to them and the remaining 30% go to Twitch [Editor's note: streamers with less than 350 subscribers receive 50% of their earnings on Twitch]. This change is precisely intended to increase the number of streamers who receive 70% of their profits. This is also more viable for Twitch and allows us to move towards the goal of always paying streamers more.

"Twitch has brought people together on the Internet but also in real life"

"Twitch has brought people together on the Internet but also in real life"

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