Are you a brand or influencer who’s curious about Twitch? You’ve heard about it, but do you want to know how you could incorporate it into your marketing? 

Here's what you need to know about the world's leading live streaming platform.

What is Twitch? 

In its earliest days, Twitch was one of the first live video platforms known for solely streaming gameplay content. Twitch became a hub where viewers could watch and interact with other people playing video games, but eventually expanded to embrace communities around programming, video editing, and comics too. It has communities around art, music, how-tos, DIY, travel, outdoors, and more. 

Basically anything that can be live-streamed and shared can be found on Twitch!

Twitch streamers broadcast their game or activity by sharing their screen with fans and subscribers who can hear and watch them live on desktop or on mobile. A split-screen or picture-in-picture display allows viewers to see what the streamer sees on their monitor, as well as watch the streamer play through a smaller window on the edge of the video. Live comments are found alongside the broadcast. Twitch also saves streams, giving people the option to watch previously streamed content at their convenience. 

After being acquired by Amazon in 2014 for $970 million dollars in cash, the platform began actively expanding its content to be relevant to more businesses and interests beyond gaming. However, the main focus and priority of the platform has and will always be the community, not ads. 

Twitch offers both free and paid subscriptions with three tiers. Subscriptions allow users to support their favorite streamer and grant them the ability to watch a channel ad-free and access other perks such as emotes or chat badges. One of the major draws of Twitch - beyond the young, tech-savvy community - is its built-in monetization program for streamers.

Who is streaming on Twitch?

Twitch has a reputation for growing the biggest mega-stars in the world of content creation. Influencers like Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, and Michael ‘Shroud’ Grzesiek stream to tens of thousands of viewers every day and have been noticed by national media outlets.

Blevins, who currently has 6 million Twitter followers, 23.7 million YouTube subscribers, and 15 million Instagram followers, broke a Twitch record in 2018 by attracting over 600,000 concurrent viewers on one of his Twitch streams. This past week, it was reported that Grzesiek, who briefly moved to another gaming platform, turned down a $20 million contract with Facebook Gaming in favor of returning to Twitch. 

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Essential Twitch Stats You Need to Know  

According to Twitch (reported June 2020), it has...

• 1,500,000+ average viewership at any given moment.

• 15 Million daily active users

• 4 Million+ unique creators streaming each month

• 17.5 Million average daily visitors

• 95 minutes are watched per user, per day, on average

• 80% reach of teen males in the U.S. 

Business of Apps reports that 65% of the overall Twitch userbase is male and 35% female. In terms of an age split, 73% of Twitch users are between the ages of 16 to 34.

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How are Businesses Leveraging Twitch?

With so many streamers gaining huge followings and the platform growing in mainstream popularity, brands and advertisers are paying close attention to Twitch streamers as influencers. It also doesn’t hurt that Twitch is actively catering to these brands by offering an “easy mode for your next influencer campaign” and case studies showcasing how brands are using the platform for scaled engagement and reaching their campaign goals.

Read about six ways brands have leveraged Twitch on the HubSpot blog: What Is Twitch? How Do Brands Use It?

Twitch offers a variety of dynamic ad placements on the site. However, sponsored promotions with influencers on Twitch are delivered as live videos, not static videos or images. Promotions on Twitch can be a simple shout-out, a product unboxing, a giveaway, or more. 

The advantage of Twitch over other social media platforms is the deep level interaction between the audience and the streamer. The average Twitch viewer spends 1.5 hours per day watching their favorite Twitch streamers. With the action on Twitch so centered on being live and in real-time, both the audience and the streamer are actively participating in the promotion as it is occurring. Audiences on Twitch tend to be in favor of their favorite streamers promoting products they love and are much more likely to take recommendations from them.

Do you think Twitch is a fit for your Influencer Campaign? We’re here to help develop a marketing strategy for your brand. Contact us to explore your influencer and marketing options, potentially pairing up with one of our content creators and influencers with your brand.