Hi, Reader,
My ex-boyfriend, Dan Clancy 🤣 (aka Twitch CEO, aka the man who left us on the road for years) recently dropped an open letter with some major updates for 2025. And for once, it’s not just about “ad-sense opportunities” and vague promises, although it IS, dare I say, a LOT like last year’s open letter…. Let’s break it down, DJ-style.
Oh, and if this one is a little snarky, well I've been sick for over a week so I might be a wee bit saltier than usual!
✉️ TL;DR of Dan the Man's Open Letter
🎶 Forced Group Projects, But Make It Streaming
Twitch will be rolling out Shared Hype Trains, shared sub goals, and shared chat because apparently, we’re incapable of doing anything alone. That’s right—if you’ve ever wanted to co-stream but also experience the emotional rollercoaster of splitting the check at a group dinner, this is for you. Now you and your streamer bestie can pool your resources and let the internet decide which one of you is their favorite. Excited? Nervous? Already pre-blocking someone? SAME.
📱 Mobile Just Leveled Up (Finally)
Twitch finally figured out that people use their phones. Soon, you’ll be able to stream in both landscape and vertical like a normal social media app in 2025. Will this make DJs easier to discover? Unclear. But it does mean you can go live while laying down, so we take our wins where we can. Meanwhile, the Clips and Discovery feeds are getting updates too, so maybe—just maybe—one of us will get discovered by someone other than the people who already follow us. Manifesting. (Even though we still don’t have clips or any equivalent that we were promised)
💸 Monetization for All! (Good Luck Managing Your Taxes)
Twitch is making subs and Bits available from day one—no more Affiliate grind. Sounds great, right? Yes… but also no. Now everyone can get paid, which means:
1️⃣ Less pressure to hit arbitrary goals.
2️⃣ More streamers competing for the same dollar.
3️⃣ An IRS headache when your “fun hobby” suddenly comes with 1099s.
So yeah, welcome to capitalism, but make it Twitch. Will it be easier to make money? Maybe. Will Twitch still take a giant cut? Absolutely. Will this help Twitch become profitable? UM NO. But that’s just me being bitter again.
🤝 Brand Deals Are the New “You Up?” Texts
Twitch is dropping a new tool that lets streamers signal their interest in sponsorships, finally making it easier to get paid for hawking RGB lights, energy drinks, or whatever random thing brands want to sell us. Expect emails like, “We’d love to work with you, but we can only offer exposure” to become “We’d love to work with you, and we’ll pay you in Twitch Bits.” Progress? Perhaps. TDB. This is what the New dashboard looks like:
It has a place to write your bio, interests, and list current sponsorships. It has a section for clips (RIP clips for DJs), and then some stats that brands can look at. Essentially it's a media kit, but built into Twitch. To find it, go to your STREAM MANAGER < MONETIZATION < SPONSORSHIPS. And yes, I guess I need to update mine.
🌟 Want to Be a Twitch Ambassador?
The Ambassador program is expanding, and actually DOUBLING meaning you might finally get recognized for your groundbreaking contribution to the art of DJ streaming. (Or, at the very least, get a cute badge and some perks.) If you want to apply, here’s the link:
Twitch Ambassador Application
In data I found but can't remember where, Ambassadors had 60% more viewership than the regular folks on Twitch. I'm pretty sure I heard it from Zach Bussy.
So, is this Twitch’s redemption arc? Will Dan win me back? No one knows right now. But at least they’re trying to give us some tools that aren’t just more ad placements.
What do you think? Are we hyped? Are we skeptical? Are we just here for the drama? Hit reply and let me know.
Catch you in The Twitch Streets,
Lavonda
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