Twitch ad revenue nosedives – streamers sound the alarm

Twitch, a live-streaming platform and source of revenue for many individuals who rely on advertisements displayed on their channels for profit, might not be as reliable in this aspect as before, according to the observations of a couple of top streamers.

Indeed, popular streamers on the platform, Knut and Mizkif, have complained about the substantially lower ad revenue on their channels, with Knut sharing an illustration of the current situation, per an X post by online entertainment news platform DramaAlert on May 20.

Specifically, the streamer explained in the posted video that the ad revenue has dropped significantly, although he didn’t share the specifics, and that a fellow streamer, Mizkif, has noticed the same thing:

“Ad revenue is at an all-time low. (…) I talked to Mizkif about it yesterday as well, and he said he looked at his dashboard, the ad revenue compared to before, it’s so shit.”

That said, he also observed that multi-streaming on Kick – another popular video live-streaming platform – helped him make up for the losses incurred during his Twitch slump.

As it happens, ads are one of the few ways in which streamers on Twitch can make money, with other sources including subscriptions and donations. However, for many of them, ads make up the largest chunk of revenue, considering the fact that all non-subscribed viewers can see them.

Why Twitch ad revenue has dropped

That said, ad earnings typically fluctuate across platforms, especially in streaming, due to companies basically competing for a spot. Because of this, the cost of the ad – and consequently profit for those showing it – can drop based on demand. 

On top of that, Twitch faced some accusations of antisemitism in 2024, resulting from blocking sign-ups from Israel and Palestine following the attacks in October 2023, with the company arguing that the goal was to prevent the sharing of graphic material. In response, a number of advertisers abandoned it.

Finally, the streaming platform has also shaken up the way ads there work, experimenting with picture-in-picture ads (where the muted ad displays in a smaller, picture-in-picture spot while the stream stays in focus), as well as allowing smaller streamers to accept subscriptions and donations from viewers.

All things considered, if ad revenue for streamers on Twitch – long considered the go-to platform for live streaming) continues to decline, creators might start feeling undervalued and turn to other platforms instead, like YouTube or Kick, as Knut has already pointed out.