Exclusive content can now be offered by streamers to reward their fans. An excellent innovation for some, but not everyone's taste.
Since June 26th, the most distinguished Twitch streamers have access to the beta of a new broadcast feature. Dubbed "Subscriber Streams", it allows them to launch a live open only to their most loyal subscribers.
Subscriber Content
For streamers, access to Subscriber Streams is subject to several conditions. The host must have been an Affiliate or Partner for more than 90 days, and have not departed from Twitch's policies during the last 90 days of broadcast. Twitch also specifies that this is not a privatization of the exchanges between the host and its audience and that the same stream rules apply to it. This new feature was originally created by the platform to help streamers grow their communities, but also to grow their income. As a reminder, a subscription to a streamer costs $ 5 per month. This new distribution channel seems to be inspired by Patreon'scrowdfunding system, which is already used by many videographers to offer content reserved only for their subscribers.
For their part, only subscribers, moderators and VIPs can enjoy this privileged access to their favorite channels, and this without additional cost. Videos from the dedicated stream will be accessible automatically. This new feature is in addition to others already reserved for paying members, such as the special subscribers chat, or the jump of advertisements, normally mandatory for non-subscribers. For these, an overview of the exclusive content can be viewed before any subscription.
A mixed reception from the community
Announced since May, the launch of this new tool has generated intense feedback among Twitch users. Many of them see the advent of a new exclusionary regime against non-paying users. Others question the risk of diversion of functionality by polemical streamers, who could use this channel to offer sexualized content to increase their income. Following the announcement of the launch, a poll conducted by StreamerNews on Twitter revealed a rate of 72% of votes against, for a total of about 16,000 participations.
Nevertheless, some of the streamers welcome this evolution with more enthusiasm. For them, this feature creates a way to get closer to their communities, facilitates interactions, and especially improves sometimes difficult conditions of income generation on Twitch. The platform, meanwhile, remains confident in the possibilities ahead and expects good surprises from the streamers, they are always creative in their use of new features.
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