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Twitch Affiliate thoughts...

scarsunseen

RIP TYM 6/11/2021
When someone subscribes to a Twitch Affiliate for $4.99, the affiliate keeps $2.21 and Twitch keeps the rest. Twitch Affiliates are not eligible to actually receive that money until they reach $100 from subscribers. This hurts small streamers while Twitch pockets the money per subscriber anyway. How is a small-time streamer like me ever going to reach that $100? That's 46 subscribers. I don't expect to get 46 subscribers ever. I stream because it's fun. I think they should either lower the pay threshold for small-time streamers or take away the Affiliate program completely. What are your thoughts on this?
 
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EMPEROR PRYCE

WAR SEASON "THE WEAK EXPOSED!"
I agree. I believe the should just pay out whatever subs you have whether it be 1 or 25. Either that or just get rid of the affiliate system.

No reason to have it if that's the case, it's literally just a glorified sub button with no real purpose behind it.
 

scarsunseen

RIP TYM 6/11/2021
stream.me says they have a 70/30 split in the streamer's favor, but that's all I know. I have like 1500 followers on Twitch and don't want to have to start over on stream.me. I'd rather just use Twitch and NOT have a Sub button.
 

scarsunseen

RIP TYM 6/11/2021
Also per the terms, if I put any content on Twitch, I am not allowed to share it ANYWHERE ELSE until 24 hours after. Here's the legal text:

Solely for any live audio-visual work you choose to provide to us as User Content (your “Live Twitch Content”), starting from beginning of the Initial Broadcast of any such Live Twitch Content, and continuing for a period of twenty-four (24) hours following the end of the Initial Broadcast of such Live Twitch Content (the “Exclusivity Period”), such Live Twitch Content is exclusive to Twitch (even as to you). During the Exclusivity Period of any Live Twitch Content, you will not, nor permit or authorize any third party to, broadcast, stream, distribute, exhibit and otherwise make available such Live Twitch Content in any manner. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you have the right to make any Live Twitch Content available, during the Exclusivity Period, solely via the Twitch Services. After the Exclusivity Period of any Live Twitch Content, the license to such Live Twitch Content will become non-exclusive and you will have the right to broadcast, stream, distribute, exhibit and otherwise make available such Live Twitch Content in any manner and format desired by you.

What right do they have to control my own sharing of MY creative content that includes MY voice, MY face, MY likeness? I realize it's only 24 hours, but that's not the point. No one should have right to control ANYTHING that includes MY LIKENESS. It's not like I'm streaming outside in a public place.

In the future, I'm sure a lot of Affiliates are going to wonder "WHERE'S MY MONEY?"

This whole thing feels like a class action lawsuit just waiting to happen.
 

EntropicByDesign

It's all so very confusing.
So, I agree in part.. But there is another side to this.

Quick question: The need to earn 100$ before they pay out, is that per month, or just as soon as your "balance" with them reaches 100$? Ie, if you made 50$/month in sub fees, would they pay you after two months?

Now, just paying everyone, from one sub on up would be expensive, extremely so. I certainly dont know how their contract with whoever handles the payment transfer stuff and all that jazz works, but its going to cost *something* for those transfers. It may be a bundled deal, or a per-transfer, or based on the total amount of money transferred over a specific amount of time, etc, but I can understand why they would require you to reach a certain number before transferring your funds. Thousands of transfers a month potentially of nothing more than a dollar or two would be cost prohibitive in the extreme.

Next, the rights they have to control your likeness and everything.. well, thats a pretty sticky issue. My GF is a photographer and there is a whole universe to this sort of thing.. But at the same time, and I dont mean this to sound like a douche, Im just playing a little devils advocate.. so, at the same time, you are using a service they have created - a free service. Tens of thousands of lines of code, christ only knows the amount of data transfer, insurance, employees, servers, techs, marketing.. Twitch is an enormous machine that you can use, free of charge, to benefit yourself in any number of ways and its completely free. Them requiring you to hold content (I dont imagine its something they often enforce, but assuming it is..) isnt a terrible price to pay for the benefits the service offers. You dont have to agree with their contract and your free to use another service, create your own, or simply forgo streaming.



My personal thoughts on the affiliate program are not positive in the least. I just listed what I did above to play a little devils advocate, as I stated. I personally believe the affiliate program is there to actively discourage donations - because Twitch doesn't get a piece of those. Since you can support your favorite streamers via a Sub button in some cases, the affiliate program gets more buttons out there without the effort of vetting the streams, so when people want to support a non-full sponsored streamer they enjoy, they're just as likely (or more so) to click the button rather than go through a donation procedure. In all honesty, it almost surprises me that Twitch doesn't have a donation framework in place to try and get pieces of that pie as well. I understand the handful of reasons they dont, just saying.
 
They've got a nice gig going there then? Didn't realise they took half and don't cough up under $100. Is that made obvious to subscribers? Seems a bit sneaky.

I did see one stream where the guy was apologising for taking a few days off and said that sub numbers drop whenever he takes a break. Think that would drive me up the wall trying to cater to the whims of such a demanding crowd if you relied on the income... Especially now it turns out streamers only see half the cash anyway. I can't see it being scrapped though - twitch are going to be looking for those big streamers who bring in the dough.
 

scarsunseen

RIP TYM 6/11/2021
@EntropicByDesign You weren't being a douche at all, no worries. I appreciate your perspective on this. To answer your question, affiliates are paid $100 in general.

If an Affiliate streamer goes inactive for 12 months, Twitch can suspend their Affiliate status and charge the streamer a $25 fee (which is deducted from the streamer's earnings.)
 
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Bleu231

Tohan playing shotgun
They've got a nice gig going there then? Didn't realise they took half and don't cough up under $100. Is that made obvious to subscribers? Seems a bit sneaky.
When I subscribed to Scars, I knew she was an Affiliate, but I was not made aware that she wouldn't be recieving any money that I was spending to support her.

However, I do think if subs knew this they would donate instead, since the whole reason they're subscribing in the first place is to support the streamer.
 

scarsunseen

RIP TYM 6/11/2021
This is exactly why I want to leave the program and why I'm talking about this. I was excited to get my first subscriber (Bleu231 above), so then I researched how to transfer that $2.21 and found out that I can't get any money until I bank $100. It'll never happen. Perhaps I'm at fault for excitedly, hastily signing up for the Affiliate program without reading every single little legal detail. While I greatly appreciate Bleu's intent, Twitch basically pockets all the money, I get nothing, and I inadvertently waste my viewers' money.
 
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Gooberking

FGC Cannon Fodder
This is exactly why I want to leave the program and why I'm talking about this. I was excited to get my first subscriber (Bleu231 above), so then I researched how to transfer that $2.21 and found out that I can't get any money until I bank $100. It'll never happen. Perhaps I'm at fault for excitedly, hastily signing up for the Affiliate program without reading every single little legal detail. While I greatly appreciate Bleu's intent, Twitch basically pockets all the money, I get nothing, and I inadvertently waste my viewers' money.
A lot things work off ignorance, and giving people a little while taking the bulk because it's more than nothing. This is that one step further by getting you to benefit them because it has a possibility of getting you a little something, but likely won't.

I don't know that it isn't an old song, but as someone that tries to support a couple of the nrs players that stream, I appreciate knowing more about how it works.

I understand there being some need to bunch payouts, but I don't know why it wouldn't be 25$. 100$ seems like it's deliberately done to prevent payouts to all but the big earners.

I do want to actually support the people and not just the platform. I typically donate but I do have a couple of players I sub to.

I am curious if the affiliate program covers all sub buttons or if there are different kinds. I know there is the new sub tier of 10$
 
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CrimsonShadow

Administrator and Community Engineer
Administrator
So, I agree in part.. But there is another side to this.

Quick question: The need to earn 100$ before they pay out, is that per month, or just as soon as your "balance" with them reaches 100$? Ie, if you made 50$/month in sub fees, would they pay you after two months?
I was going to ask this as well -- because if it's just a total, you don't need 46 subscribers to reach it.

Btw this is pretty standard fare for websites; waiting until you hit a certain minimum amount before they pay out, so that they don't have to do taxes and accounting for like 100,000 people gettting paymens of $2 and 74 cents. It's standard for payments on residuals in the entertainment industry as well.

People are saying it 'hurts the little guy', but honestly 'the little guy' should be happy that Twitch is allowing them to participate in revshare at all with such a small viewerbase, rather than requiring them to be a full partner.
 

Indecisive

We'll burn you all—that is your fate!
Do they also count bits as well towards the 100. Also let's you get 10 consistent subs and that's it. After 20 months of so would that count towards the 100