YouTube star Ludwig Ahgren thinks Twitch’s decision to let its partnered content creators stream on rival platforms is a result of the Amazon-owned platform being “nervous” about people seeking ‘greener pastures.’
The policy change means Twitch stars can stream on any platform, including YouTube, as long as they don’t do it while they’re live on Twitch (unless it’s a mobile service).
Giving them the option to see if the grass is greener on the other side without breaking any Twitch exclusivity rules seems like the opposite of what Ludwig is saying. But he thinks he’s on to something.
“I think Twitch is now a little bit nervous that people are going to start leaving them to go try out other websites, so I think they’re trying to curb that,” he said during his stream on YouTube on Aug. 24.
“In the old world, the way it used to work was Twitch would not allow you to stream on any other website,” he added. “They could do that because they were the biggest dog in the fight. But things have changed.”
YouTube is now a big dog, too. Since they signed Ludwig in Nov 2021, Sykkuno, Lily “LilyPichu” Ki, and Ali “Myth” Kabbani have followed suit, and Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang thinks more will follow. So, they’ve been forced to adapt.
“Now Twitch is like, ‘We’re cool with it. Fuck around. Mess around a little bit. You’ll probably come back to me anyway, but at least now we’re not gonna burn the bridge so you have the opportunity to come back,’” said Ludwig.
It’s not all about the big streamers, though. The YouTube star says Twitch is also fearful of losing thousands upon thousands of ‘middle-of-the-road’ partnered streamers who make up a lot of the numbers.
“Partners have been curious,” Ludwig said.
“They don’t get the bespoke deals. They don’t get paid a million dollars. They get paid through their partner contract, ad revenue, and subs. And they’ve been interested in leaving to YouTube. I’ve seen it myself!”
The reason, in his view, is that the “new school” way for up-and-coming streamers to thrive is by growing communities on other sites and bringing them onto streams.
Regardless of the reasoning behind Twitch’s decision, the consensus is it’s a good thing for everyone. It might benefit Twitch to some degree.
However, it also helps stars and their fans, which can only be a good thing.
It also means we might see Dr Disrespect collaborate with stars on the site he once called home—a feat that’s been impossible since his mysterious ban in June 2020. But that didn’t stop the two-time throwing a jab or two, of course.
Twitch will be hosting a livestream on Thursday, Aug. 25 at 2pm CT to explain the new changes in more detail for interested Twitch partners, streamers, and viewers.
