Twitch is adding a 60/40 revenue split tier to its premium revenue sharing program, the “Partner Plus Program,” that accommodates smaller artists with fewer qualification standards.
In May, affiliates and partners can join the “Plus Program,” rebranded.
According to Amazon, it will waive the $100,000 annual restriction on 70/30 shares for eligible partners on Wednesday. The current scheme gives Partner Plus streamers 70% of the first $100,000 of net subscription income and 50% after that. Twitch stated in a blog post that the limits “limited the earnings and growth opportunities” for streamers and “served as a disincentive.”
Twitch’s chief monetization officer, Mike Minton, told Eltrys before the release, “We know that streamers have been quite clear; it’s a priority for them to have access to higher revenue shares, so we launched the Partner Plus program in its initial form. There was feedback that said, ‘Hey, I gotta be a pretty massive streamer [to qualify],’ but this update alters that significantly.”
The upgrade reduces 70/30 split qualifying conditions and creates an intermediate tier so streamers “have a clear path forward.”
Streamers need 100 Plus Points for three months to get the new 60/40 income split. The change reduces the prerequisite for the 70/30 split from 350 to 300 Plus Points. Each paid monthly membership counts toward the point total; however, some have greater point values.
“These are not permanent numbers, and we will continue to change them to serve the community,” he said.
The announcement has disappointed some streamers. Starting June 3, Amazon Prime Gaming subscriptions will be paid out at a predetermined rate based on the subscriber’s country, rather than at the same revenue split as normal monthly subscriptions.
In the blog article, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy indicated that broadcasters who qualify for the 70/30 split would be most affected by this move, and reducing the yearly ceiling will mitigate the impact on monthly income. The firm will publish and revise pricing annually.
Many streamers said the Partner Plus Program excludes most artists due to strict qualification requirements. The scheme began when Twitch ended its 70/30 sweetheart arrangement with streamers to prioritize ad income.
When the program launched, smaller broadcasters argued that the 350 monthly subscriber minimum was unachievable, especially since gifting and Prime memberships didn’t count. Twitch subsequently implemented a point system to weight high-tiered memberships, which cost more. Tier 1 ($4.99), Tier 2 ($9.99), and Tier 3 ($24.99) memberships are worth 1, 2, and 6 points, respectively.
Affiliates can join the Plus Program, but neither tier guarantees partner status. Partners must fulfill Twitch’s “editorial judgment” and consistent viewership standards.
Minton remarked, “We wanted objective, clear criteria for monetization. To provide more creators access, we reduced partner criteria but kept sub-requirements. Not all creators stream consistently, yet they nonetheless have significant communities. It shows their Plus eligibility. They may not be partners, but we wanted to promote all creators, regardless of partnership status.”
Minton noted that streamers have been vocal about their unhappiness with Twitch. Some have switched to YouTube and Kick, which provide bigger income shares and simpler qualifying requirements. After reviewing the streaming community’s monetization suggestions, Minton and Clancy concluded that removing the $100,000 ceiling on 70/30 income splits would encourage platform loyalty.
Minton said streamers were anecdotally showing how they were moving priorities and modifying their behavior. “It became clear to both of us that we wanted to uncap that opportunity and ensure that streamers felt like our interests were aligned, were motivated to use our revenue products, and didn’t change behavior.”
He said the adjustments are “not reactive changes,” but part of a more transparent platform monetization system. The corporation does not consider “competitive pressures,” such as streams leaving for other platforms.
Despite massive layoffs last year, Twitch still struggles to make a profit. This month, the corporation fired 35%, or 500 workers. Twitch laid off another large number of employees in a year. It revealed intentions to end South Korean operations last month due to “prohibitively expensive” network prices.
Minton disputed that Twitch’s expense cuts were related to streamer monetization. He said one informs the other, although Prime subscription payments and the Plus Program have been planned for months. He noted that expanding sponsorship possibilities is important.
“I won’t say these things aren’t related, but they’re independent, right? Minton said revenue shares are part of how we manage the firm, or, as Dan frequently says, making sure we’re here for 50 years and beyond. It’s separate from our other, crucial goal of growing streamers’ pie.
