With more viewers than Netflix and ESPN combined, Twitch is now the largest live streaming platform on the web .
The purple platform has quickly become a fast-growing market, a sector that offers great advertising opportunities for all brands , especially in the gaming world. With today's in-depth analysis, we will provide a general overview of Twitch, with a focus on the marketing side.
But now let's get into the specifics, we'll see some great things.
What is Twitch?
First of all, let's take a step back.
Twitch is an Amazon-owned platform that primarily streams content live.
In addition to gaming, Twitch broadcasts music, creative content, and real life content . Although it is a container for a wide variety of topics, the vast majority of views and hours that users spend on Twitch are dedicated to watching video game matches.
With a chat room embedded in each stream, the user is not just following the live broadcast, but is an integral part of the show. It is, therefore, a truly interactive social experience .
Twitch's model is very interesting and different from YouTube's because it is not focused on advertising.
Streamers are encouraged to sell paid subscriptions to their channel, to gain access to exclusive content (Channel Affiliate Badges, access to exclusive streams, and subscriber-only live chat) .
Another important and very curious point is the possibility of requesting donations (in technical jargon, Bits) and only as a last option can they earn a percentage of the advertising revenue.
The model works, it really works: many creators have moved to live on Twitch for one simple reason, you earn more.
Some data: Twitch audience
Twitch is the home of Millennials, Generation Z, who remain the largest target audience for content on the Web today . According to industry research, the platform is used by approximately 12% of Italians.
Here on the side we find in detail who are the users of Twitch, divided by age group, but what is most striking is the data relating to the time spent on the platform .
Below I report some of them:
Twitch has over 15 million daily active users.
Twitch has between 2.2 and 3.2 million monthly content creators.
Users spend an average of 44 billion minutes per month watching streams.
Analyzing this data (and there would be many more, but I don't want to go into detail) we can observe that the strong point is loyalty , which has led to exponential growth of the platform.
The Secret of Twitch: The Importance of Community
We have arrived at the crux of this study, the community.
The heart of Twitch is the Streamers and Followers: the ability to aggregate and involve a community around the proposed contents is unique. In short, an above average engagement.
The platform is therefore characterized by the strong degree of interaction between users , the platform interface allows for the exchange of ideas, opinions and advice at 360 degrees through a live chat.
But what does Twitch do to have such an active community?
Users are particularly involved during live events, and it's as if they were participating in a real event.
The concept of User Generated Content (which for simplicity, from now on I will abbreviate to UGC) is one of the key elements that led Twitch to its definitive explosion.
As the term itself suggests, UGC represents any type of content created by users spontaneously and in the form of videos, photos, images, comments, and in particular on Twitch, the opening of Rewards in the gaming sector.
All this generates great value, thanks to UGC, chats have become conversations , with users ready to express opinions, write, or ask for advice.
In conclusion
Twitch is shaping a new consumer , a new way of living and interacting with social media.
Authenticity and passion represent the values that the typical user of the purple platform reflects, who aims to establish a connection , a relationship with the other participants in the stream.
Loyalty is another key factor: the user is even willing to pay a small subscription, to support the streamer and enjoy the content.
I am very convinced that all of this will have a profound impact on the world outside of Twitch, which has been able to revolutionize the way of approaching Social Media.
And you, what do you think?
Write it in the comments below, or in our Facebook group Marketing for Small and Medium Businesses .