Twitch: The Success Of The New Amazon Platform

Also, in 2020, video games will be one of the industries with the highest turnover in the world.

Twitch: This result was achieved not only thanks to productions equal to Hollywood, such as The Last of Us: part 2, developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony for PlayStation 4, but also through developing new applications and fields.

One example is the success of so-called e-sports. A new vision of sport based on competition in online games, where real electronic athletes compete (singles or in teams) in tournaments that generate mind-boggling revenues and are highly followed both live and in live streaming.

Twitch. Tv is one of the most popular live-streaming platforms to date. Leader in the field of broadcasting events and esports competitions, it was born in 2007 with the name of Justin. Tv from the idea of ​​Justin Kan & Emmett Shear, two of the most famous names in Silicon Valley. In 2014 it was “stolen” by Amazon to Google for about 1 billion dollars.

With around 1131 BILLION minutes viewed so far (this year)  and around 2 million online users per hour, Twitch outperforms some of the leading US generalists and sports broadcasters (CNN, ESPN).

It is aimed at a very specific audience that is difficult to reach by other means: the Twitch user, made up of 65% of men between the ages of 15 and 35 with an excellent digital education and a great predisposition to purchase online.

credits: blog.globalwebindex.com

Yes, but how does Twitch work?

Twitch streams are entrusted to the same users who, through the platform, offer an entertainment service from which they can earn through voluntary donations from users or by subscribing to partner programs.

An agreement is therefore created between the parties, according to which Twitch allows the most popular streamers and with a programming of at least three streaming days a week to earn through a system of channel subscriptions, reproduction of advertisements, and “bits, “the digital currency internal to the site.

Twitch and Amazon: a winning duo

Since the acquisition, Jeff Bezos’ giant’s investments in the live-streaming platform have been huge.

Together with the annual subscription to Amazon prime, for example, there is the opportunity to activate the “Twitch prime” service, recently renamed “Prime gaming.”

A service that offers the possibility to subscribe for free to a streamer and receive video games for free monthly to be associated with your account.

Among the most recent functions, we also find the “Watch Party. ” This is a function in which the creator can watch the programs, films, and series present in the Prime Video catalog together with his audience and, at the same time, propose food delivery or food placements to be consumed while watching.

Young and irreverent, Twitch’s strict rules

Regarding safety,  Twitch has a code of conduct and strict guidelines.

The staff constantly monitors the live streams. Violating the code of conduct can lead to a ban of a week or more; it also prohibits the creator from appearing on any other online live-streaming platform under penalty of a permanent ban.

An episode that has led to the tightening of the rules of conduct on Twitch channels is that relating to some episodes of… drowsiness. Several gamers have gone viral after falling asleep while streaming.

Even adult content (Adult only) is prohibited, but not only that, it is easy to find video games that, despite not being for adults, are prohibited and therefore with which it is not possible to stream directly.

As strict as this regulation may seem, on the other hand, it gives extra assurance to both investors and users.

From competition to creativity, not just video games on Twitch TV

The evolutionary path followed by the platform from 2014 onwards has allowed the introduction of streaming categories that deviate from the videogame theme through specific events, such as the broadcast of DJ Steve Aoki’s concert in Miami in 2014, which paved the way for the introduction of the music category or like the 2015 marathon-event of “The joy of painting” by Bob Ross lasting eight days.

The American painter’s marathon not only introduced the “Creative” category but has become the symbol of the Twitch focus point from video games to creative works and artists in general.

Today Twitch is no longer just a videogame live streaming platform. Still, it presents itself as a platform where the concept of “creativity” is declined in the most disparate forms and where entertainment is based on the quality of the product offered and user loyalty the daily interaction with the creative gives it through the use of the streaming chat.

The keystone: direct interaction

The keystone of Twitch is precisely the success of direct interaction and the creation of very loyal communities around the streamer, also desired by other competitors, such as Facebook Gaming and YouTube Gaming, who subsequently implemented it.

These new possibilities attract investors and brands who want to reach audiences that are difficult to communicate with. Adidas, Nike, and Redbull have their own Twitch channel through which they broadcast and present their products, sponsoring e-sports teams and tournaments. They also collaborate with some of the most famous streamers, such as Ninja, the most followed streamer on Twitch (his channel has more than 15 million subscribers).

Ninja is not only an Adidas brand ambassador and Redbull collaborator but also has its underwear line and has repeatedly sponsored the food delivery company Uber Eats.

But the case study we would like to focus on is Gillette, a famous brand of shaving products.

The US company has decided to radically renew its language in 2019 to communicate with the youngest.

To reach this audience, it has renewed its language and sponsored professional teams or individual e-sports professionals, sending its commercials during tournament streams. Finally, he has also collaborated with some of the best-known streamers.

However, Gillette has gone further: in its commercials, it compares virtual athletes with traditional athletes, uniting the competitive spirit and sportsmanship of both practices and addressing all of its potential audiences.

Another interesting case that we think is the relationship between Twitch and Burberry.

Last September, the fashion house showed its new spring/summer 2021 collection in live streaming on the platform.

During the fashion show, a specific Twitch function was surprisingly useful: the “Stream Squad,” in fact, allowed viewers to observe the fashion show from several points of view simultaneously, involving them in an avant-garde vision of fashion that cannot be replicated in reality.

Digital has thus enhanced and offered a unique experience to end users.

Twitch is, therefore, an organic platform with a vast community and varied interests. Above all, it also offers the possibility of inclusion for non-endemic brands.

By carefully selecting the streamer to contact and understanding the interests of his community, it is possible to create a collaboration based not on the mere number of views but on the strong affiliation of the user.

The language and tone of voice are heterogeneous and change from creator to creator.

Future guesses

We are witnessing a migration from traditional media to new frontiers of entertainment, in which Twitch has been a co-star.

The pandemic has speeded up the change in the game’s rules, bringing to the attention of the Italian public a different platform from traditional media and more recent ones, such as Facebook and YouTube.

At the beginning of the decade, we were convinced that YouTube was replacing television and that it would monopolize web streaming.

Today we are witnessing a transformation from that approach in favor of the direct relationship in live streaming.

Is it possible that Twitch, growing up, can replace television and YouTube?

Also Read : 3 Clicks To Sell: Usability In eCommerce