Twitch CEO Dan Clancy publishing An open letter Thursday outlined the platform’s planned 2025 plan, which includes upcoming features, updates to mobile experiences, and significant changes in its monetization policy.
It is worth noting that Clancy revealed that Twitch is opening subscriptions and “bits”, a virtual item purchased by viewers, cheering on the ribbons, and no matter how many followers they have, cheering for “most” creators.
This change aims to democratize the monetization process of Twitch, so that more creators can make money when attracting audiences. Previously, only Twitch affiliates and partners had access to subscriptions and bits and had to meet specific criteria to qualify. This includes having at least 50 followers, with an average of 3 simultaneous viewers per stream and a cumulative flow time of at least eight hours per week.
Clancy added that the company also introduced a new option that “will allow all streamers to use their earnings in purchases within Twitch.”
In addition to the major shift in monetization policy, Clancy also gave a detailed introduction to further plans for Twitch in 2025. One of them involves creating an additional opportunity for streaming to generate revenue when collaborating.
The new feature, called “Shared Hype Train”, allows streamers to participate in streaming or shared chats together, bringing them together in the hype train, where members can gather to support their favorite streaming media. Creators can also start and manage shared chat sessions directly from the mobile app.
Another way Twitch plans to enhance streaming revenue opportunities is to provide creators with an easier way to have an interest in working with brands. Additionally, the platform is launching a new tool to help brands discover new channels to work with.
The company also plans to expand its promotional products and explore options to enable streamers to offer discounts and promotions during special events.
Regarding the mobile viewing experience, Twitch will soon offer landscape and vertical video options. The company has also introduced a new feature that enables viewers to react using specific moments in bit convection.
Additionally, the ability to create custom power is on the way. Power is an effect that can be used in streams, such as adding colored borders around messages or sending larger versions of emoticons.
The company has also introduced updates to editing, designed to make the editing process smoother and provide new features for highlighting moments in real time. There will also be more automated ways to identify the best moments in the stream.
These updates follow Twitch’s Recent announcements Major changes to its content storage policy. Starting April 19, the platform will impose a 100-hour upper limit in the storage of key and uploaded content, limiting how much content users can maintain on their channels.
