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Twitch’s Zero-Pay “Sponsorship” Crosses a Line
Twitch's latest sponsorship campaign offers creators exactly nothing in return for promoting a major game launch. Riot Games has since distanced themselves from how it was presented.
January 28, 2026
Why You Might Finally Ditch Adobe
Apple just dropped a massive announcement that directly attacks Adobe’s dominance in the creator space. Is it finally time to cancel those subscriptions?
January 21, 2026
The End of Discord As We Know It
Discord prepares for a massive IPO that could change the platform forever, an AI VTuber breaks the Twitch Hype Train record, and YouTube finally lets you filter Shorts out of search results.
January 14, 2026
20 Predictions for Streaming in 2026
The industry feels different entering 2026. The "growth at all costs" era is over. Platforms are cleaning up their metrics, optimizing for better ad delivery, and finally taking creator safety seriously.
January 7, 2026
2025: A Year in Review (Ranking My Predictions)
It’s the final edition of the year! We’re grading my 25 predictions from January to see which streaming trends I nailed and which ones I missed completely.
December 17, 2025
Twitch’s New Sponsorship Tool: A Rocky Start to a Good Idea
Twitch’s long-awaited Sponsorship Dashboard is finally live for Partners, but the initial pay rates caused a stir. We break down the numbers, the sudden pay hikes, and what this means for the future of the program.
December 10, 2025
Black Friday: 25 Best Streaming Deals (65+ More Inside)
We’ve curated the best livestreaming Black Friday deals for 2025. The next few days are an ideal opportunity to grab huge discounts on streaming equipment to level up your live streams and engage your audience like never before.
November 28, 2025
Kick Admits $150M Viewbot Problem
Kick's co-founder admits their $150M partnership program has been heavily exploited by viewbotters, resulting in reduced payouts for creators. It's another chapter in the industry-wide viewbot epidemic we've been tracking all year.
November 19, 2025
Twitch Infrastructure Problems, Free Adobe Alternative, and More
It's been a quieter week on the news front, but there are still some important updates worth your attention - Twitch's ongoing infrastructure problems, a genuinely useful free tool for creators, and a messy industry story about Luminosity Gaming.
November 12, 2025
YouTube Just Changed the Rules for Gaming Content
YouTube is implementing stricter enforcement on graphic gaming violence and gambling content starting November 17th. If you upload gaming content to YouTube, these changes will affect how your videos perform.
November 5, 2025
YouTube’s AI Defense: Likeness Detection Goes Live
YouTube is rolling out its Likeness Detection tool to all Partner Program creators, offering the first major platform solution for AI-generated deepfakes. But the community has serious questions about the data YouTube's collecting to make it work.
October 29, 2025
TwitchCon 2025: What Went Wrong (And What Was Announced)
TwitchCon San Diego brought significant feature announcements for creators, but the weekend was marred by a serious security incident that raises questions about Twitch's commitment to creator safety.
October 22, 2025
Twitch’s New Co-Streaming Feature
Twitch announced new Co-Streaming features designed to amplify large-scale events by combining viewership across multiple channels.
October 15, 2025
Twitch Social Badges Are Now Live
Twitch has officially launched Social Media Badges, rewarding viewers who help clips go viral on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
October 8, 2025
Twitch Just Made Partnership Easier
Twitch announced an overhaul to partnership requirements and a suite of moderation improvements during their September Patch Notes stream.
October 1, 2025
Twitch Silently Removes Streaming Servers Worldwide
Twitch has silently removed dozens of ingest servers around the world without any official announcement, potentially leaving streamers with higher latency and fewer connection options.
September 24, 2025
YouTube Drops 30+ New Features in Biggest Update Ever
YouTube just announced over 30 new features that are coming to the platform. The centerpiece is what they're calling their "largest upgrade to Live we've ever made." We focus on the livestreaming features that actually matter for creators.
September 17, 2025
Why Are Big YouTubers Suddenly Losing Millions of Views?
Some of YouTube's biggest creators are reporting massive view drops starting mid-August, but their revenue and engagement remain stable. Here's what the data tells us about this platform-wide anomaly.
September 10, 2025
Twitch Hits a 5-Year Viewership Low (But That Might Be Good News)
August 2025 saw Twitch record its lowest hours watched in over five years, a significant drop primarily driven by the platform's ongoing viewbot crackdown. Let's dive into the numbers and what they mean for creators navigating this new reality.
September 3, 2025
Twitch Gets Smart About Moderation: Three New Tools
Twitch is rolling out significant updates designed to give streamers better control, clearer insights, and more peace of mind when it comes to moderation. Here's what's new and why it matters for your channel.
August 27, 2025
Twitch Launches Dual-Format Streaming Alpha
Twitch has officially launched its dual-format streaming alpha, and we're also seeing new leaks suggesting YouTube is working on similar capabilities for creators.
August 20, 2025
Are Raids Hurting Your Twitch Stream?
Raiding is a huge part of Twitch culture, but new research suggests that sending huge raids might actually be hurting your community engagement more than helping.
August 13, 2025
YouTube Tests New Creator Collaboration Feature
YouTube is testing a new collaboration feature that could change how creators work together. But will it actually solve discoverability problems, or is this just another feature that benefits the biggest channels?
August 6, 2025
Twitch Finally Gets Serious About Viewbotting
Twitch announced significant updates to their viewbot detection systems, promising to crack down on artificial viewership that's been inflating numbers across the platform for years.
July 30, 2025
Twitch’s Zero-Pay “Sponsorship” Crosses a Line
Twitch’s Sponsorship Program Hits a New Low Back in December, I covered the launch of Twitch’s Sponsorship Dashboard and its rocky start with below-market-rate offers. At the time, I said the program could be a “massive win-win” if Twitch settled on fair rates. I also warned that if they tried ...
January 28, 2026
20 Predictions for Streaming in 2026
What’s Next for Streaming in 2026? Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday break, ate too much food, and perhaps even took a few days off from the grind. We are back for another year of Stream Report, and we are sticking to tradition. Last year, I ...
January 7, 2026
2025: A Year in Review (Ranking My Predictions)
My 2025 Predictions: A Scorecard As we look at the calendar, the next two Wednesdays fall on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. I’m going to assume you’d rather be eating leftovers and spending time with family than reading about bitrates, so this will be the final Stream Report of ...
December 17, 2025
Twitch’s New Sponsorship Tool: A Rocky Start to a Good Idea
Twitch’s Sponsorship Dashboard: Lowball Offers or Big Opportunity? After nearly three years in testing, Twitch has finally launched its Sponsorship Dashboard. The program promises to streamline how creators find paid opportunities, acting as a direct bridge between streamers and brands. Currently available only to Partners, the system is straightforward: Twitch ...
December 10, 2025
Twitch Infrastructure Problems, Free Adobe Alternative, and More
Twitch’s Amazon CDN Transition Continues to Cause Problems Twitch experienced another round of streaming issues this week, with elevated buffering rates affecting broadcasts to the US-EAST-2 server region. The platform confirmed the service recovered for new broadcasts, though existing affected streams needed to be restarted to resolve the issue. This ...
November 12, 2025
TwitchCon 2025: What Went Wrong (And What Was Announced)
TwitchCon’s 10th Anniversary: The Good and the Inexcusable TwitchCon San Diego was supposed to mark 10 years of bringing the community together, with major feature announcements and thousands of creators connecting in person. Instead, the weekend ended with a high-profile streamer being assaulted at her meet and greet while Twitch ...
October 22, 2025
Twitch’s New Co-Streaming Feature
New Twitch Co-Streaming Feature Targets Major Events Twitch finally announced official support for something that’s been happening informally on the platform for years: co-streaming. The new feature lets Main Broadcasters (event organizers, brands, and select partners) authorize specific streamers to rebroadcast their content while adding their own commentary. The key ...
October 15, 2025
Twitch Social Badges Are Now Live
Twitch’s Social Badges: Everything You Need to Know Twitch has officially launched their Social Media Badge program, introducing a new way for viewers to earn recognition by sharing clips off-platform. The concept is straightforward: share your favorite streamer’s clips on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube, submit the links to Twitch, and ...
October 8, 2025
Twitch Just Made Partnership Easier
Twitch Overhauls Partnership Path and Moderation Tools Twitch’s New Partnership Requirements Twitch is making the biggest change to partnership requirements in years, and it’s actually lowering the bar while simultaneously making the process far less confusing. Here’s what you now need to become a Twitch Partner: That’s down from the ...
October 1, 2025
Twitch Silently Removes Streaming Servers Worldwide
The Twitch Servers That Vanished Overnight Over the past week, streamers worldwide have discovered that many of their usual Twitch ingest servers have quietly vanished from their OBS server lists. With no official announcement from Twitch, this appears to be a deliberate consolidation of streaming infrastructure that could significantly impact ...
September 24, 2025
Twitch Hits a 5-Year Viewership Low (But That Might Be Good News)
Twitch Viewership Crashes to Pre-Pandemic Levels August 2025 marked a significant turning point for Twitch, with the platform experiencing its lowest aggregate hours watched in over five years. Our data shows August hit just 1.49 billion hours watched, an 8.78% drop from July and the lowest figure since March 2020. ...
September 3, 2025
Twitch Gets Smart About Moderation: Three New Tools
Moderation Made Simple: Twitch’s Latest Updates Twitch is testing some significant updates designed to give streamers better control, clearer insights, and more peace of mind when it comes to moderation. Here’s what’s new: Test Your AutoMod Before It Goes Live The most immediately useful addition is Twitch’s new AutoMod Testing ...
August 27, 2025
Twitch Launches Dual-Format Streaming Alpha
The Future is Vertical (and Horizontal): Dual-Format Streaming Arrives Mobile viewing is massive, and platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts have conditioned millions of users to expect full-screen vertical content. They’ve also largely led the way in algorithmic discoverability, something livestreamers on platforms like Twitch have long struggled to truly ...
August 20, 2025
Are Raids Hurting Your Twitch Stream?
Twitch Raids: Are They Hurting Community Engagement? Raiding is one of those classic Twitch moves. You finish your stream, gather up your community, and send them off to another creator. It feels good, right? You’re helping someone out, boosting their numbers, and maybe even cross-pollinating audiences. But what if that ...
August 13, 2025
Twitch Finally Gets Serious About Viewbotting
Twitch’s New Viewbot Crackdown: What Creators Need to Know After years of creators complaining about artificial viewership inflating the platform’s metrics, Twitch finally announced they’re taking serious action. This week, Twitch Support revealed they’ve made “meaningful improvements” to their ability to identify viewbots, inauthentic viewership, and fake engagement. What Twitch ...
July 30, 2025
A New Free Tool for Creators: Preview Your Vertical Content
Check Your Vertical Content (My New Free Tool) Over the past few months, we’ve covered the explosive growth of vertical content everywhere. YouTube Shorts hitting 200 billion daily views. Twitch rolling out dual-format streaming. Every platform pushing creators toward that 9:16 aspect ratio like their lives depend on it. Here’s ...
July 23, 2025
The Future of Streaming According to Twitch’s CEO
4 Key Takeaways from Twitch CEO’s Latest Interview Twitch CEO Dan Clancy recently appeared on The Colin and Samir Show for one of his most revealing interviews yet, covering everything from why the platform abandoned exclusive contracts to his thoughts on creator growth and community building. While much of the ...
July 16, 2025
Twitch’s 2K Streaming Beta: Everything You Need to Know
Get Your Stream Ready: Twitch 2K Access Is Rolling Out While TwitchCon Rotterdam may be fresh in our minds from just two weeks ago, one of its biggest announcements – 2K (1440p) streaming – is already expanding its reach. More streamers are getting access to the beta, and the conversations ...
June 19, 2025
Twitch’s Future: Vertical Video, 2K Streams & Monetization Overhaul
Big News from TwitchCon: Rewind, 2K & Easier Affiliate! TwitchCon Rotterdam just wrapped, marking ten years of the event, and Twitch came armed with a veritable avalanche of announcements. From long-awaited features finally making an appearance (hello, Rewind!) to new monetization tools and a continued push on mobile, there’s a ...
June 4, 2025
New on Twitch: Shared Hype, Spendable Balance & More
Twitch This Week: Hype Gets Shared, Earnings Get Spent, and Art Gets… Scrutinized? It’s another busy week in the Twitchverse, with the platform rolling out several new features. We’re seeing fresh ways to engage communities and manage earnings, but as always, not every update lands without a few raised eyebrows. ...
May 28, 2025
Twitch Adjusts Plus Program
Twitch Reworks Plus Program for Latin American Creators Twitch has announced significant adjustments to its Plus Program specifically for streamers in Latin America. The platform is lowering the qualification thresholds, which will allow more creators in the region to access higher net revenue shares from subscriptions. Effective June 1, 2025, ...
May 21, 2025
Twitch is Testing a New Ad Format
Twitch’s New Ad Test: A Glimmer of Hope or More of the Same? Twitch is currently the subject of discussion for testing a new ad format. The experiment involves displaying muted video advertisements in a dedicated space alongside the main stream content, allowing the creator’s broadcast to continue uninterrupted. What’s ...
May 14, 2025
Twitch Suddenly Blocked for Streamers in Spain
Twitch Goes Dark for Creators in Spain Streamers in Spain faced a major hurdle this past weekend: Twitch became inaccessible. This wasn’t a platform outage on Twitch’s end, but the direct result of Spanish ISPs enforcing a court order obtained by LaLiga, the country’s top football league, in its ongoing ...
May 7, 2025
Twitch Introduces ‘Combos’ & Overhauls Clips
What Streamers Need To Know About Twitch Combos This week, Twitch announced some exciting product updates focused on community interaction and content sharing. The core news centered around a brand new feature called Combos and a suite of much-needed updates to Clips. Let’s dive into what these changes mean for ...
April 30, 2025
Twitch’s Zero-Pay “Sponsorship” Crosses a Line
Twitch’s Sponsorship Program Hits a New Low Back in December, I covered the launch of Twitch’s Sponsorship Dashboard and its rocky start with below-market-rate offers. At the time, I said the program could be a “massive win-win” if Twitch settled on fair rates. I also warned that if they tried ...
January 28, 2026
20 Predictions for Streaming in 2026
What’s Next for Streaming in 2026? Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday break, ate too much food, and perhaps even took a few days off from the grind. We are back for another year of Stream Report, and we are sticking to tradition. Last year, I ...
January 7, 2026
2025: A Year in Review (Ranking My Predictions)
My 2025 Predictions: A Scorecard As we look at the calendar, the next two Wednesdays fall on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. I’m going to assume you’d rather be eating leftovers and spending time with family than reading about bitrates, so this will be the final Stream Report of ...
December 17, 2025
YouTube Just Changed the Rules for Gaming Content
Is Your Gaming Content Safe from YouTube’s New Policy? YouTube announced policy updates this week affecting gaming creators starting November 17th, 2025. The platform is expanding enforcement around graphic violence in gaming and tightening restrictions on gambling-related content. What’s Actually Changing The update targets three main areas: 1. Online Gambling ...
November 5, 2025
YouTube’s AI Defense: Likeness Detection Goes Live
YouTube Protects Creator Likeness (But at What Cost?) YouTube just announced they’re expanding their Likeness Detection tool to all creators in the YouTube Partner Program over the next few months. After testing with a small group of creators, they’re ready to give everyone access to technology that detects when someone’s ...
October 29, 2025
YouTube Drops 30+ New Features in Biggest Update Ever
6 Major Updates for Streaming on YouTube YouTube clearly wants to be taken seriously in livestreaming. With over 30% of daily logged-in users watching live content in Q2 2025 alone, they’re finally investing in features that address real creator pain points rather than just chasing trends. Here are 6 livestreaming ...
September 17, 2025
Why Are Big YouTubers Suddenly Losing Millions of Views?
YouTube Views vs Revenue: Something Isn’t Adding Up Something strange is happening on YouTube. Since mid-August, major creators across the platform have been reporting dramatic view drops (we’re talking 50% or more) while their revenue, likes, and overall engagement remain completely stable. This isn’t just a few creators having a ...
September 10, 2025
Twitch Launches Dual-Format Streaming Alpha
The Future is Vertical (and Horizontal): Dual-Format Streaming Arrives Mobile viewing is massive, and platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts have conditioned millions of users to expect full-screen vertical content. They’ve also largely led the way in algorithmic discoverability, something livestreamers on platforms like Twitch have long struggled to truly ...
August 20, 2025
YouTube Tests New Creator Collaboration Feature
New on YouTube: Creator Collaborations Are Here Something interesting popped up on YouTube this past week: a new kind of collaborative video. It points to a new feature that could change how creators work together, and crucially, offer a boost for discoverability – one of the biggest challenges in this ...
August 6, 2025
A New Free Tool for Creators: Preview Your Vertical Content
Check Your Vertical Content (My New Free Tool) Over the past few months, we’ve covered the explosive growth of vertical content everywhere. YouTube Shorts hitting 200 billion daily views. Twitch rolling out dual-format streaming. Every platform pushing creators toward that 9:16 aspect ratio like their lives depend on it. Here’s ...
July 23, 2025
YouTube Launches Live Leaderboard for Top Fans
New on YouTube Live: The Top Fans Leaderboard YouTube is rolling out a new feature called the Live Leaderboard for Top Fans, designed to boost livestream engagement. This system ranks the top 50 most active viewers during a livestream. The top 3 viewers earn a special badge next to their ...
July 9, 2025
MrBeast Removes AI Thumbnail Tool After Backlash
MrBeast and the AI Thumbnail Backlash This week, the biggest news in the creator world came from none other than Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast. His analytics platform, Viewstats, launched an AI thumbnail generator. The tool’s pitch was clear: it promised to “generate viral thumbnails,” complete with features like ...
July 2, 2025
YouTube Launches Communities: What Creators Need to Know
YouTube Communities: Will Your Audience Move In? YouTube has officially rolled out Communities, a significant new feature designed to give creators and their subscribers a dedicated space for conversation and connection directly on their channels. Think of it as YouTube’s answer to a social feed, aiming to foster deeper engagement ...
June 25, 2025
5 New Creative Tools For YouTube Shorts
New YouTube Shorts Editor Revealed YouTube is adjusting how it measures success on Shorts, specifically changing the definition of a “view.” Previously, a view was counted only after a Short was played for a few seconds. Now, based on creator feedback, YouTube is shifting to count a view based on ...
April 9, 2025
YouTube Overhauls Mid-Roll Ads
YouTube Gives Creators More Ad Control YouTube is rolling out major changes to how mid-roll ads work on the platform, providing creators with unprecedented transparency about ad placement while simultaneously causing confusion and concern throughout the creator community. What’s Actually Changing? The core change is simple but significant: YouTube is ...
March 26, 2025
Sidemen Sell Out Wembley Stadium
From Bedroom Gaming to Wembley Stadium The Sidemen, YouTube’s powerhouse content collective, made internet history this weekend by selling out Wembley Stadium for their annual charity football match, raising a record-breaking £4.7 million for charitable causes. All 90,000 tickets were snapped up in just three hours, demonstrating the immense drawing ...
March 12, 2025
YouTube Turns 20: Big Changes Coming in 2025
The Future of YouTube: 4 Key Changes Coming YouTube is embracing its 20-year milestone with plans that signify it’s not slowing down. Over the past two decades, the platform has not only become a cultural phenomenon but has also generated countless jobs for individual creators, transforming the landscape of content ...
February 19, 2025
The Best Platforms for Growing Your Audience
Unlocking Growth Secrets for Small Creators This week, Metricool released their 2025 Social Media Study. This extensive report analyzed over 1.3 million accounts and 21 million social posts, revealing valuable insights for creators looking to navigate the complex world of social media. Where Do Small Accounts Grow Best? So, where ...
February 12, 2025
Twitch CEO Calls Out YouTube and Kick for Copying
Twitch CEO’s Thoughts on Competition In a recent interview, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy shared his insights on the competitive landscape of the livestreaming industry, addressing Twitch’s biggest rivals: YouTube, TikTok, and Kick. Here’s a breakdown of what he had to say. Clancy’s Bold Statements on Rivals Clancy didn’t hold back ...
February 5, 2025
25 Predictions for Streaming in 2025
What’s Next for Streaming in 2025? The livestreaming and content creation space is evolving faster than ever, and 2025 is shaping up to be a year of big changes. From platform innovations to creator-driven trends, the industry is poised for some exciting (and maybe a little chaotic) shifts. In this ...
January 8, 2025
YouTube Shorts Just Got Longer
YouTube Shorts Gets a Big Update YouTube is rolling out some updates to Shorts, and starting October 15, 2024, creators will be able to upload Shorts up to three minutes long. This is a response to requests from creators who wanted more flexibility to tell their stories. What’s New for ...
October 9, 2024
The Secrets Behind Ludwig’s Success
Ludwig’s Streaming Mantra: One Viewer or 10,000, Give It Your All Redbull recently conducted an insightful interview and profile of Ludwig Ahgren. When Ludwig was 16, he boldly told Jay Leno, “Hey Jay, I’m gonna be a late-night talk show host.” Today, with 5.8 million subscribers, Ludwig has become one ...
July 31, 2024
One Year of YouTube Shorts Monetization
Has Shorts Monetization Paid Off for YouTube? As we mark a year since YouTube introduced monetization for Shorts, it’s time to sift through the data and understand what it really means for content creators. YouTube’s blog has unveiled some figures, but let’s dive deeper and see beyond the surface. By ...
April 3, 2024
How YouTube’s Algorithm Really Works
Understanding YouTube’s Algorithm In a recent YouTube video, the head of YouTube‘s Growth and Discovery team, Todd Beaupré, shared some secrets about how the platform’s algorithm works. Here are the key takeaways all creators should know, sprinkled with direct insights from the algorithm guru himself. Can a bad video hurt ...
March 6, 2024
Twitch’s Zero-Pay “Sponsorship” Crosses a Line
Twitch’s Sponsorship Program Hits a New Low Back in December, I covered the launch of Twitch’s Sponsorship Dashboard and its rocky start with below-market-rate offers. At the time, I said the program could be a “massive win-win” if Twitch settled on fair rates. I also warned that if they tried ...
January 28, 2026
Why You Might Finally Ditch Adobe
Apple vs. Adobe: The War for Your Wallet For over a decade, Adobe has held a tight grip on the creative industry with its Creative Cloud subscription. If you wanted the industry standard tools, you had to pay the “Adobe Tax”, currently running about $60/month for the full suite. This ...
January 21, 2026
The End of Discord As We Know It
The End of the “Cozy” Discord Era? It has been rumored for years, but reports now indicate that Discord has confidentially filed for an IPO (Initial Public Offering). This means they could list on the stock market as early as March. For years, Discord has been the safe haven for ...
January 14, 2026
20 Predictions for Streaming in 2026
What’s Next for Streaming in 2026? Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday break, ate too much food, and perhaps even took a few days off from the grind. We are back for another year of Stream Report, and we are sticking to tradition. Last year, I ...
January 7, 2026
2025: A Year in Review (Ranking My Predictions)
My 2025 Predictions: A Scorecard As we look at the calendar, the next two Wednesdays fall on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. I’m going to assume you’d rather be eating leftovers and spending time with family than reading about bitrates, so this will be the final Stream Report of ...
December 17, 2025
Twitch’s New Sponsorship Tool: A Rocky Start to a Good Idea
Twitch’s Sponsorship Dashboard: Lowball Offers or Big Opportunity? After nearly three years in testing, Twitch has finally launched its Sponsorship Dashboard. The program promises to streamline how creators find paid opportunities, acting as a direct bridge between streamers and brands. Currently available only to Partners, the system is straightforward: Twitch ...
December 10, 2025
Black Friday: 25 Best Streaming Deals (65+ More Inside)
Audio Cameras Stream Deck Capture Cards Overlays & Software Go ahead and check out the full list of our Top 65+ Streamer Black Friday Deals. Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read Stream Report. Pete ✌️
November 28, 2025
Kick Admits $150M Viewbot Problem
Kick’s Partnership Problem Kick co-founder Eddie has publicly acknowledged what many suspected: the platform’s ambitious $150 million Partnership Program has been systematically exploited by viewbotters, and the company has taken drastic action to clean it up. In a statement posted to X this week, Eddie revealed that Kick has removed ...
November 19, 2025
Twitch Infrastructure Problems, Free Adobe Alternative, and More
Twitch’s Amazon CDN Transition Continues to Cause Problems Twitch experienced another round of streaming issues this week, with elevated buffering rates affecting broadcasts to the US-EAST-2 server region. The platform confirmed the service recovered for new broadcasts, though existing affected streams needed to be restarted to resolve the issue. This ...
November 12, 2025
YouTube Just Changed the Rules for Gaming Content
Is Your Gaming Content Safe from YouTube’s New Policy? YouTube announced policy updates this week affecting gaming creators starting November 17th, 2025. The platform is expanding enforcement around graphic violence in gaming and tightening restrictions on gambling-related content. What’s Actually Changing The update targets three main areas: 1. Online Gambling ...
November 5, 2025
YouTube’s AI Defense: Likeness Detection Goes Live
YouTube Protects Creator Likeness (But at What Cost?) YouTube just announced they’re expanding their Likeness Detection tool to all creators in the YouTube Partner Program over the next few months. After testing with a small group of creators, they’re ready to give everyone access to technology that detects when someone’s ...
October 29, 2025
TwitchCon 2025: What Went Wrong (And What Was Announced)
TwitchCon’s 10th Anniversary: The Good and the Inexcusable TwitchCon San Diego was supposed to mark 10 years of bringing the community together, with major feature announcements and thousands of creators connecting in person. Instead, the weekend ended with a high-profile streamer being assaulted at her meet and greet while Twitch ...
October 22, 2025
Twitch’s New Co-Streaming Feature
New Twitch Co-Streaming Feature Targets Major Events Twitch finally announced official support for something that’s been happening informally on the platform for years: co-streaming. The new feature lets Main Broadcasters (event organizers, brands, and select partners) authorize specific streamers to rebroadcast their content while adding their own commentary. The key ...
October 15, 2025
Twitch Social Badges Are Now Live
Twitch’s Social Badges: Everything You Need to Know Twitch has officially launched their Social Media Badge program, introducing a new way for viewers to earn recognition by sharing clips off-platform. The concept is straightforward: share your favorite streamer’s clips on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube, submit the links to Twitch, and ...
October 8, 2025
Twitch Just Made Partnership Easier
Twitch Overhauls Partnership Path and Moderation Tools Twitch’s New Partnership Requirements Twitch is making the biggest change to partnership requirements in years, and it’s actually lowering the bar while simultaneously making the process far less confusing. Here’s what you now need to become a Twitch Partner: That’s down from the ...
October 1, 2025
YouTube Drops 30+ New Features in Biggest Update Ever
6 Major Updates for Streaming on YouTube YouTube clearly wants to be taken seriously in livestreaming. With over 30% of daily logged-in users watching live content in Q2 2025 alone, they’re finally investing in features that address real creator pain points rather than just chasing trends. Here are 6 livestreaming ...
September 17, 2025
Why Are Big YouTubers Suddenly Losing Millions of Views?
YouTube Views vs Revenue: Something Isn’t Adding Up Something strange is happening on YouTube. Since mid-August, major creators across the platform have been reporting dramatic view drops (we’re talking 50% or more) while their revenue, likes, and overall engagement remain completely stable. This isn’t just a few creators having a ...
September 10, 2025
Twitch Hits a 5-Year Viewership Low (But That Might Be Good News)
Twitch Viewership Crashes to Pre-Pandemic Levels August 2025 marked a significant turning point for Twitch, with the platform experiencing its lowest aggregate hours watched in over five years. Our data shows August hit just 1.49 billion hours watched, an 8.78% drop from July and the lowest figure since March 2020. ...
September 3, 2025
Are Raids Hurting Your Twitch Stream?
Twitch Raids: Are They Hurting Community Engagement? Raiding is one of those classic Twitch moves. You finish your stream, gather up your community, and send them off to another creator. It feels good, right? You’re helping someone out, boosting their numbers, and maybe even cross-pollinating audiences. But what if that ...
August 13, 2025
YouTube Tests New Creator Collaboration Feature
New on YouTube: Creator Collaborations Are Here Something interesting popped up on YouTube this past week: a new kind of collaborative video. It points to a new feature that could change how creators work together, and crucially, offer a boost for discoverability – one of the biggest challenges in this ...
August 6, 2025
A New Free Tool for Creators: Preview Your Vertical Content
Check Your Vertical Content (My New Free Tool) Over the past few months, we’ve covered the explosive growth of vertical content everywhere. YouTube Shorts hitting 200 billion daily views. Twitch rolling out dual-format streaming. Every platform pushing creators toward that 9:16 aspect ratio like their lives depend on it. Here’s ...
July 23, 2025
The Future of Streaming According to Twitch’s CEO
4 Key Takeaways from Twitch CEO’s Latest Interview Twitch CEO Dan Clancy recently appeared on The Colin and Samir Show for one of his most revealing interviews yet, covering everything from why the platform abandoned exclusive contracts to his thoughts on creator growth and community building. While much of the ...
July 16, 2025
YouTube Launches Live Leaderboard for Top Fans
New on YouTube Live: The Top Fans Leaderboard YouTube is rolling out a new feature called the Live Leaderboard for Top Fans, designed to boost livestream engagement. This system ranks the top 50 most active viewers during a livestream. The top 3 viewers earn a special badge next to their ...
July 9, 2025
MrBeast Removes AI Thumbnail Tool After Backlash
MrBeast and the AI Thumbnail Backlash This week, the biggest news in the creator world came from none other than Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast. His analytics platform, Viewstats, launched an AI thumbnail generator. The tool’s pitch was clear: it promised to “generate viral thumbnails,” complete with features like ...
July 2, 2025
Twitch’s Zero-Pay “Sponsorship” Crosses a Line
Twitch’s Sponsorship Program Hits a New Low Back in December, I covered the launch of Twitch’s Sponsorship Dashboard and its rocky start with below-market-rate offers. At the time, I said the program could be a “massive win-win” if Twitch settled on fair rates. I also warned that if they tried ...
January 28, 2026
20 Predictions for Streaming in 2026
What’s Next for Streaming in 2026? Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday break, ate too much food, and perhaps even took a few days off from the grind. We are back for another year of Stream Report, and we are sticking to tradition. Last year, I ...
January 7, 2026
Twitch’s New Sponsorship Tool: A Rocky Start to a Good Idea
Twitch’s Sponsorship Dashboard: Lowball Offers or Big Opportunity? After nearly three years in testing, Twitch has finally launched its Sponsorship Dashboard. The program promises to streamline how creators find paid opportunities, acting as a direct bridge between streamers and brands. Currently available only to Partners, the system is straightforward: Twitch ...
December 10, 2025
YouTube Just Changed the Rules for Gaming Content
Is Your Gaming Content Safe from YouTube’s New Policy? YouTube announced policy updates this week affecting gaming creators starting November 17th, 2025. The platform is expanding enforcement around graphic violence in gaming and tightening restrictions on gambling-related content. What’s Actually Changing The update targets three main areas: 1. Online Gambling ...
November 5, 2025
Twitch Just Made Partnership Easier
Twitch Overhauls Partnership Path and Moderation Tools Twitch’s New Partnership Requirements Twitch is making the biggest change to partnership requirements in years, and it’s actually lowering the bar while simultaneously making the process far less confusing. Here’s what you now need to become a Twitch Partner: That’s down from the ...
October 1, 2025
YouTube Drops 30+ New Features in Biggest Update Ever
6 Major Updates for Streaming on YouTube YouTube clearly wants to be taken seriously in livestreaming. With over 30% of daily logged-in users watching live content in Q2 2025 alone, they’re finally investing in features that address real creator pain points rather than just chasing trends. Here are 6 livestreaming ...
September 17, 2025
Twitch’s Future: Vertical Video, 2K Streams & Monetization Overhaul
Big News from TwitchCon: Rewind, 2K & Easier Affiliate! TwitchCon Rotterdam just wrapped, marking ten years of the event, and Twitch came armed with a veritable avalanche of announcements. From long-awaited features finally making an appearance (hello, Rewind!) to new monetization tools and a continued push on mobile, there’s a ...
June 4, 2025
New on Twitch: Shared Hype, Spendable Balance & More
Twitch This Week: Hype Gets Shared, Earnings Get Spent, and Art Gets… Scrutinized? It’s another busy week in the Twitchverse, with the platform rolling out several new features. We’re seeing fresh ways to engage communities and manage earnings, but as always, not every update lands without a few raised eyebrows. ...
May 28, 2025
Twitch Adjusts Plus Program
Twitch Reworks Plus Program for Latin American Creators Twitch has announced significant adjustments to its Plus Program specifically for streamers in Latin America. The platform is lowering the qualification thresholds, which will allow more creators in the region to access higher net revenue shares from subscriptions. Effective June 1, 2025, ...
May 21, 2025
Twitch is Testing a New Ad Format
Twitch’s New Ad Test: A Glimmer of Hope or More of the Same? Twitch is currently the subject of discussion for testing a new ad format. The experiment involves displaying muted video advertisements in a dedicated space alongside the main stream content, allowing the creator’s broadcast to continue uninterrupted. What’s ...
May 14, 2025
Twitch Introduces ‘Combos’ & Overhauls Clips
What Streamers Need To Know About Twitch Combos This week, Twitch announced some exciting product updates focused on community interaction and content sharing. The core news centered around a brand new feature called Combos and a suite of much-needed updates to Clips. Let’s dive into what these changes mean for ...
April 30, 2025
Twitch Monetization Has a Catch
The Catch in Twitch’s “Monetization for All” Plan Back in February, Twitch generated significant buzz with the announcement that monetization tools like Subscriptions and Bits would be opened up to most streamers from day one starting in 2025. This move promised to let creators “start building earnings through direct patronage” ...
April 2, 2025
YouTube Overhauls Mid-Roll Ads
YouTube Gives Creators More Ad Control YouTube is rolling out major changes to how mid-roll ads work on the platform, providing creators with unprecedented transparency about ad placement while simultaneously causing confusion and concern throughout the creator community. What’s Actually Changing? The core change is simple but significant: YouTube is ...
March 26, 2025
How Twitch Streamers Monetize their Content
Balancing Passion and Profit: Monetization Strategies for Streamers Twitch has rapidly become a unique platform where streamers can not only share their passions but also turn them into a viable source of income. But how do streamers balance their passion for content creation with the need to monetize? Let’s explore ...
March 19, 2025
Twitch Opens Monetization to Everyone
Twitch’s 2025 Roadmap: Reading Between the Lines Dan Clancy, Twitch’s CEO, recently published his annual open letter outlining the platform’s priorities for 2025. While the letter paints a rosy picture of Twitch’s plans, let’s break down what these announcements actually mean for streamers and what’s noticeably missing from his vision. ...
March 5, 2025
25 Predictions for Streaming in 2025
What’s Next for Streaming in 2025? The livestreaming and content creation space is evolving faster than ever, and 2025 is shaping up to be a year of big changes. From platform innovations to creator-driven trends, the industry is poised for some exciting (and maybe a little chaotic) shifts. In this ...
January 8, 2025
Is Twitch Facing an Adpocalypse?
Twitch’s Adpocalypse: What’s Really Happening? Over the past few weeks, many streamers have reported significant drops in ad revenue, with some claiming their earnings have dropped by as much as 80-95%. This sudden dip has sparked concerns that Twitch may be heading toward its version of the YouTube Adpocalypse—a term ...
November 20, 2024
Twitch Wants You to Run More Ads
Twitch’s New Ad Push: Will It Help or Hurt Your Stream? Twitch is ramping up its efforts to encourage creators to run more ads, and it’s about to get a lot more direct. Soon, creators will start seeing notifications on their Creator Home page with stats comparing their ad revenue ...
October 23, 2024
Twitch’s Ads Manager Gets a Major Overhaul
Can Twitch’s New Ads Manager Boost Your Revenue? Twitch has rolled out new updates to its Ads Manager, giving streamers more control and transparency over how ads are managed on their channels. If you’re a streamer looking to maximize ad revenue while keeping your viewers happy, here’s a breakdown of ...
September 11, 2024
Why is Twitch Still Losing Money?
Amazon’s $1 Billion Twitch Gamble In 2014, Amazon made a bold move by acquiring Twitch for nearly $1 billion. Fast forward a decade, and the livestreaming platform still hasn’t turned a profit. Despite explosive popularity and millions of daily visitors, Twitch remains unprofitable, as highlighted by a recent Wall Street ...
August 7, 2024
Top Twitch Streamers Are Fed Up with Revenue Sharing
Critical Role Shifts Subscriptions Away from Twitch Critical Role, the powerhouse behind popular Dungeons & Dragons livestreams, is making bold moves to expand its influence in the nerd culture sphere. Known for captivating a massive audience of 1.3 million on Twitch, they’re now launching Beacon, their own subscription service. A ...
May 15, 2024
Did Twitch’s Subscription Glitch Cost You Money?
Twitch’s Subscription Glitch: What You Need to Know A recent technical issue at Twitch led to the unintended cancellation of some viewers’ subscriptions, affecting thousands across the platform. This glitch may have disrupted long-standing subscription streaks and could result in a temporary dip in earnings for streamers. During a detailed ...
April 24, 2024
Big Changes Ahead for Twitch Subs
Twitch Updates Subscription Pricing Starting March 28, Twitch will shake up its subscription pricing model. If you’re a streamer or viewer in Australia, Canada, the UK, or Turkey, get ready for some adjustments. Here’s what you need to know: Eyeing the U.S. Market During a recent broadcast, Twitch’s Mike Minton ...
February 28, 2024
Platforms vs. Ad Blockers ⚔️
YouTube Ramps Up Fight Against Ad Blockers YouTube has recently intensified its global efforts to combat ad blockers, prompting a wave of responses from users and industry insiders. This move follows a smaller-scale experiment conducted in June, which has now morphed into a more comprehensive enforcement strategy. The platform’s latest ...
November 8, 2023
2025: A Year in Review (Ranking My Predictions)
My 2025 Predictions: A Scorecard As we look at the calendar, the next two Wednesdays fall on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. I’m going to assume you’d rather be eating leftovers and spending time with family than reading about bitrates, so this will be the final Stream Report of ...
December 17, 2025
Kick Admits $150M Viewbot Problem
Kick’s Partnership Problem Kick co-founder Eddie has publicly acknowledged what many suspected: the platform’s ambitious $150 million Partnership Program has been systematically exploited by viewbotters, and the company has taken drastic action to clean it up. In a statement posted to X this week, Eddie revealed that Kick has removed ...
November 19, 2025
Twitch CEO Calls Out YouTube and Kick for Copying
Twitch CEO’s Thoughts on Competition In a recent interview, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy shared his insights on the competitive landscape of the livestreaming industry, addressing Twitch’s biggest rivals: YouTube, TikTok, and Kick. Here’s a breakdown of what he had to say. Clancy’s Bold Statements on Rivals Clancy didn’t hold back ...
February 5, 2025
Live Rewind Is Here… But Not on Twitch
Kick Adds Rewind to Streams – Why Can’t Twitch? Kick has officially added live rewind, giving viewers the ability to pause or rewind streams in real time. Whether you need to step away for a moment or want to rewatch an epic play, this feature makes it easy to catch ...
January 29, 2025
25 Predictions for Streaming in 2025
What’s Next for Streaming in 2025? The livestreaming and content creation space is evolving faster than ever, and 2025 is shaping up to be a year of big changes. From platform innovations to creator-driven trends, the industry is poised for some exciting (and maybe a little chaotic) shifts. In this ...
January 8, 2025
Twitch Finally Allows Multi-Streaming To Other Platforms
Twitch’s New Multi-Platform Streaming Update Twitch recently announced at TwitchCon a significant update that allows creators to simultaneously stream on multiple platforms. Effective immediately, this feature enables streamers to diversify their audience without breaching any exclusivity agreements. Originally, Twitch had prohibited multi-streaming to platforms similar to itself. However, with other ...
October 25, 2023
Get Paid to Stream? Unpacking Kick’s Creator Incentive Program
Kick Unveils Requirements for Hourly Wage Program Kick has just released the requirements for its Creator Incentive Program, which was initially announced in August. This program offers a unique compensation model that includes an hourly wage for streamers, a stark contrast to other platforms like Twitch’s Partner Program. The newly announced requirements for the ...
September 20, 2023
Twitch Loses Top Streamer xQc as Kick Makes $100 Million Splash
Kick Shakes Up Streaming Industry with $100 Million Contract for xQc Kick, a new streaming service, has made headlines by signing Twitch’s top streamer, xQc, to a $100 million, two-year, non-exclusive contract. This move is unprecedented in the streaming industry, surpassing previous high-profile deals such as Ninja’s move to Microsoft’s Mixer for an ...
June 21, 2023
20 Predictions for Streaming in 2026
What’s Next for Streaming in 2026? Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday break, ate too much food, and perhaps even took a few days off from the grind. We are back for another year of Stream Report, and we are sticking to tradition. Last year, I ...
January 7, 2026
Twitch’s 2K Streaming Beta: Everything You Need to Know
Get Your Stream Ready: Twitch 2K Access Is Rolling Out While TwitchCon Rotterdam may be fresh in our minds from just two weeks ago, one of its biggest announcements – 2K (1440p) streaming – is already expanding its reach. More streamers are getting access to the beta, and the conversations ...
June 19, 2025
OBS Studio 31 Brings Big Wins for Streamers
OBS Studio 31: NVIDIA Gets the Spotlight, Plus Updates Everyone Will Appreciate OBS Studio 31 has officially launched, introducing some exciting features for streamers. If you’re using NVIDIA hardware, this update includes several improvements tailored to your setup. But even if you’re not, there are plenty of quality-of-life enhancements that ...
December 11, 2024
Streamlabs Launches New OBS Plugin
Streamlabs and OBS: A New Chapter Begins Streamlabs has launched an official plugin that integrates Streamlabs’ features into OBS Studio, offering streamers a unified experience with access to alerts, widgets, overlays, and more. This move is seen as a positive step, aligning with OBS’s community-driven ethos. Key Features of the ...
May 1, 2024
Twitch, NVIDIA, and OBS Team Up for Enhanced Broadcasting
Twitch Announces Multi-Encode Streaming with OBS and NVIDIA In a significant collaboration, Twitch, NVIDIA, and OBS have joined forces to introduce Enhanced Broadcasting, a feature set to transform the streaming experience for all content creators. What Enhanced Broadcasting Brings to the Table Enhanced Broadcasting is an initiative that allows streamers ...
January 10, 2024
OBS Studio 30 Launched: A Look at What’s New
OBS Studio 30: The Latest Features Unpacked The latest version of OBS Studio, version 30, has been released, introducing exciting features and enhancements to the widely used free and open-source streaming application. New features include: To manually update to OBS 30.0, launch OBS and navigate to the “Check Updates” option ...
November 15, 2023
A New Era for Live Streaming: Introducing AV1
YouTube’s Game-Changing Update: AV1 and HEVC Livestreams Now Available! YouTube has announced that livestreams using the AV1 and HEVC encoders are now available to everyone. These encoders offer substantial improvements over the widely used H.264 codec. This will allow streamers to: All major GPU brands now have cards in their line-up capable of ...
August 16, 2023
10 NEW Controls for OBS and Stream Deck
HUGE UPDATE for Stream Deck and OBS! If you have been using OBS Studio to stream and a Stream Deck of some sort to manage your stream, you’ve probably been pretty disappointed with the lack of things you could control. Well, today that changes, as a brand new update for the Stream Deck has ...
July 1, 2022
Why Your Twitch Stream SUCKS (and how to FIX it)
Tips To IMPROVE Your Streams on Twitch This week I released a new video that I think every livestreamer should watch. In 2022, there is no excuse for bad-looking streams or technical issues on Twitch anymore. In this video, I go through the most common issues people have streaming and ...
September 7, 2022
