The Decline of Twitch has begun
Twitch, the staple platform for streaming, has recently suffered from its image due to the rise in popularity of other streaming platforms.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, there has been a surge in viewership on video platforms. With people being forced to stay indoors during the pandemic, online consumption has increased exponentially. According to a report by the Motion Picture Association, the number of streaming service subscriptions crossed the 1 billion user mark for the first time in 2020.
Twitch is the go-to platform for streaming, having originated within the gaming community since 2006 before expanding to host creators from various genres. The platform owes much of its success to popular multiplayer games like League of Legends and Fortnite, which have helped create a vibrant competitive community. In 2020, Call of Duty Warzone also gained popularity on the platform. Despite the rise of short form videos like TikTok videos or Instagram Reels, Twitch creators such as Adin Ross, Kai Cenat, iShowSpeed and Jidion kept the platform competitive and made it shine, bringing a wider and younger audience to the platform. However, recent data indicates that Twitch's viewership has declined steadily, by 10% in the past year. Additionally, the website has been facing a significant amount of backlash from its creator community after various changes and the accumulation of the negative controversies has initiated a steady decline of the platform. This article delves into the decline of Twitch through the poor decision makings resulting in the reputation going downhill and the rise of other video platforms in the streaming market.
A REPUTATION GOING DOWNHILL
For the past year, Twitch has been making decisions that not only haven’t been well received by its creators, who are vital to keep the platform working, but also hurt their own reputation as a whole company.
On June 6th 2023, The streaming service company has released new content guidelines that outline what creators are allowed and not allowed to do for creator sponsorships. Some of the common ways streamers monetize their content do not align with the new rules that Twitch has established. Banners and audio ads are the most preferred and effective methods for brands because they can control what the audience sees, which brings attention to the company. Sponsorships are crucial to the growth and revenue of streamers, as well as to Twitch's appeal to advertisers. However, recent sponsorship guidelines have caused strong reactions on Twitter. These guidelines appear to be strict, and they are affecting the revenue between brands and streamers. As a result, Twitch has trended on Twitter, leaving the community angry.
The following day, the platform announced via twitter that they would not proceed with the planned changes. Despite their efforts to calm the situation, a significant portion of Twitter users criticized the platform's clumsy apologies, leaving a stain on its reputation.
THE RISE OF VIDEO PLATFORMS IN THE STREAMING MARKET
Additionally, to a decline in viewership and a tarnished reputation, Twitch is facing the rise of popularity of other streaming platforms such as Rumble, Kick or even Youtube. Jidion and iShowSpeed, two of the most prominent streamers on Twitch have been permanently banned on the platform. As a result, they have both brought their audience to Youtube and recently to Rumble for Jidion. This influenced many more Twitch streamers to rethink their career on the website and start trying new competitors.
One of the most prominent figures in the world of professional Overwatch gaming and streaming, xQC, has recently made headlines for signing a deal with the streaming platform, Kick. This marks one of the largest streaming deals ever made, and has garnered significant attention from both the gaming community and the wider public. Even, former Twitch gigantic Fortnite streamer has begun streaming on Kick as the website is becoming the new home for gamers and brings a different dynamic to live streaming. This lead to Kick being trending higher than Twitch on the Apple App Store.
Twitch’s future has never felt more threatened than ever. New worthy competitors have entered the conversation and are willing to steal their biggest streamers. The image of the company has been tarnished by bad decision making and also by worsening the relationship with the streamers. Streaming platforms remain key to online entertainment as a great majority of the short clips are from streams. Despite remaining one of the biggest platforms, Twitch must take decisive action if it wishes to remain relevant in the years to come. It must invest in new technologies and user experiences, in order to retain its loyal user base and continue to attract new audiences. Furthermore, it is essential for them to reestablish their relationship with creators by facilitating monetization and engaging in healthy, constructive dialogue. After all, creators are the backbone of the platform.
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