Dr Disrespect explains why he accepted “life-changing” new Twitch deal

Streaming megastar Dr Disrespect has officially committed to Twitch for the next two years and Guy Beahm ⁠— the man behind the mustache ⁠— has revealed why he made the call to stick with the Amazon-owned platform.

The Two-Time isn’t the only streamer to have penned an exclusive deal with Twitch recently, with stream-queen Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys, Tim ‘TimTheTatman’ Betar, and Ben ‘DrLupo’ Lupo are all saying put too ⁠— but he may be the biggest.

After some of the platform’s biggest entertainers, Ninja and Shroud chief among them, defected to other sites like Mixer and YouTube, securing the Doc and his Champions Club is a huge coup for Twitch.

According to Beahm, who has been building the personality of Dr Disrespect for the last ten years, there was “little chance” he ever left Twitch. 

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He wanted to make sure he was getting the best deal for both himself and his mega-fanbase, though, admitting as much in an interview with The Verge. If Twitch is the best place to “continue Doc’s momentum,” that’s where he wants to be.

There were a few factors that played on Beahm’s mind as he tried to decide what would be best for him, and what the “dangerous” character himself would want to do as well. A big part of it, he said, was Twitch’s already established fame.

“It’s the platform of my choice simply because it’s embedded,” the Twitch megastar said of his new two-year deal. “No surprise, it’s the Doctor’s platform of choice. It feels good to be on the platform we built the Champion’s Club on. It’s home baby.”

The fact Dr Disrespect’s growth has mainly come from Twitch was also a major factor for Beahm. After first emerging on YouTube ten years ago, the Doc finally clicked with online audiences as he began streaming.

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“It feels good to be on Twitch, and stay on Twitch. This is where we started, and we have a hell of a journey ahead of us,” he said, before joking he made the call because “Jeff [Beezos, Amazon president] and [him] go way back.”

For the Doc, who is all about sharing the journey with his millions of fan and including them in every stream, it was also about trust. When he was first introducing his ‘over the top’ character to life, Twitch backed him to the hilt.

“Let’s just say, when I first started streaming, was something like this fathomable? If it was, you’re dreaming really, really big. To me, it’s shocking, and it’s very obviously life-changing, rewarding… Twitch saw the potential in this guy,” he said.

• Read More: Pokimane reveals why she decided to stay with Twitch

“He’s such a different type of streamer. He’s unique, he’s over the top and can feel like he might be a little threatening or dangerous, in terms of an investment. Honestly… [this deal] It was only really a matter of time.”

Now, Dr Disrespect looks to the future. He’s been working on getting an exclusivity deal of this type bedded since February 2016. Now that it’s locked, he’s ready to go even further. As he said in his announcement, he’s got “plans to stick around.”

“We’ve got that weight-16 bowling ball, and it’s going down the fast lane,” the Doc said of his plans during his March 12 stream, his first after the news. “The pistons are moving. The momentum is… you can feel it, right, but we’re not there yet.”

There’s been no real clues on what to expect next from the 1993-1994 Blockbuster champion, but if his recent stunts are anything to go by ⁠— he’s penned a TV deal and came face-to-face with WWE’s Undertaker ⁠— it’s going to be big.