Streamers call for Twitch to stop taking 50% cut of subscriptions

Multiple Twitch streamers have called for an end of the platform taking half of subscription revenue, and are urging the Amazon-owned platform to alter the split.

While YouTube typically takes 30% of a streamer’s subscription revenue and Facebook is currently not taking anything at all, Twitch takes 50% of subs. While some streamer’s can negotiate a more favorable split, the majority of affiliates and partners will retain only half of the typical $4.99 subscription.

Twitch streamer Sorrey kicked off the conversation on August 9 with a simple tweet directed at the streaming juggernaut: “We are tired of only making 50% revenue from subscriptions.”

The message was echoed by many within the community, receiving over a thousand retweets, and sparking conversation about the topic on social media.

“It’s kind of baffling how this is still a thing. Twitch does not deserve to take 50% of revenue when all they do is supply a platform for us to create on and that’s it,” one user agreed.

•  Read More: Asmongold explains what “pathetic” New World needs before launch

“The fact is, 90% of streamers on the platform don’t even make enough to get paid out every month,” remarked Twitch partner Taylor Rae. “So considering that, is it really so crazy to be asking for 60/40 or 70/30 for top performers? I don’t think so.”

Not everyone was in agreement, however, with a few people pointing out how one of the big advantages of streaming on Twitch is that more eyes can potentially be on you. This can result in more discovery and opportunities to earn subs.

Additionally, former Twitch employee Chris Blume shared some reasons why streamers don’t get more of their revenue.

“I’m pretty sure 99.9%+ of all streamers would not believe how expensive it is just to keep the servers up and running. Let alone employee costs to improve things and marketing, which benefits those same streamers,” he explained. “50% is not a raw deal at all.”

•  Read More: IRL Twitch streamer confronts racist passerby for mocking him

“Twitch’s 50% has to also pay for the small streamers who aren’t providing money to Twitch but are using Twitch’s resources,” he noted.

Subscription prices have also been changed significantly on the platform in 2021. Twitch introduced regional pricing, meaning users outside of the USA can pay a more reasonable price when weighed against their local currency.

This caused concern among streamers about a drop in revenue, but the platform has argued that the increase in overall number of subs should balance the difference. Further, for the first three months, Twitch promises to guarantees 100% of a creators’ revenue from prior to the change.

But, with YouTube and Facebook Gaming offering more enticing splits, some content creators may be tempted to make the switch.