With over 9 million monthly broadcasters and 100 million viewers, Twitch is one of the world’s most popular live-streaming platforms. However, only about 15% of all Twitch streamers are affiliates and even fewer partners. This article will discuss the differences between the Twitch affiliate vs partner programs and what it takes to join them. You can think of it as the ultimate Twitch partner vs affiliate checklist and use it to easily compare their perks and benefits.
Twitch Affiliate vs Partner Requirements
To kick things off, let’s look at the necessary conditions streamers must meet to become eligible for each program. Out of the two, the Twitch affiliate program is much easier to join. When carefully prepared, streamers can meet its prerequisites in as short as seven days. Here’s what they need:
- A minimum of 50 followers.
- A minimum total streaming time of eight hours.
- An average of at least three viewers in the last 30 days.
- Having streamed on seven different days in the previous 30.
The requirements for becoming a partner are essentially the same, only with larger numbers:
- 50 or more followers.
- Total streaming time of at least 25 hours.
- An average of at least 75 viewers in the previous 30 days.
- Having streamed on 12 different days in the last 30.
Reaching the Twitch partnership status is a tedious process that requires real dedication. The program is meant for serious gamers who feel ready to take their streaming to the next level. For many Twitch partners, streaming is a full-time job.
For this reason, the Twitch partnership program offers more lucrative benefits and better perks than the affiliate.
Twitch Affiliate vs Partner Perks
The main reason streamers want to become a Twitch affiliate or partner is to get access to the advantages of these programs. They include monetization, advanced streaming, and customization options. Let’s break them down in detail and see how they compare.
Twitch Affiliate Benefits
When a streamer joins the Twitch affiliate program, they can start earning through their streams. Additionally, they can create exclusive streams and use custom badges and emoticons to interact with their viewers.
Monetization
There are three ways Twitch affiliates can make money when streaming:
- Subscriptions for affiliates — every time a viewer subscribes to their channel, affiliate streamers earn 50% of the subscription fee. There are three subscription tiers on Twitch, $4.99, $9.99, and $24.99.
- Cheering with bits for affiliates — bits are a virtual currency in Twitch that viewers can use to support streamers or stand out in the chat. Affiliates get $0.01 for every bit used on their channel.
- Twitch affiliate ad revenue — streamers with the affiliate status also earn a share of the revenue generated from the ads playing on their channel. They have the right to decide the length of the ads and how often they will play.
These three sources of income are the only factors that decide the size of the Twitch affiliate payout. There are no other incentives that reward streamers financially just for being part of the program, and like in every other job, they have to work and earn their money.
Streaming tools
One major difference between the Twitch affiliate and Twitch partner programs is the number of streaming perks included in each one of them. The video options for affiliates are somewhat limited and similar to the default tools that Twitch provides to all streamers.
Even though their broadcasts are transcoded with priority, they only get access to the standard quality options. In addition, affiliates can create “Subscriber Streams,” which are only broadcast to their subscribers, creating a sense of exclusivity.
Finally, affiliates get access to new “Video Producer” tools they can use to add flair to their streams and separate the premiers from reruns.
Customization
Affiliate streamers on Twitch also get a hold of several personalization options that can enhance the ways they interact with their followers. Besides being fun additions that add vanity to their channel, they can ultimately help streamers get new subscribers. The affiliate customization features include:
- Subscription names — affiliate streamers have the ability to name each of the subscription tiers. Clever use of words and creativity can go a long way with this feature, and with the right names, they can encourage viewers to subscribe to their channel.
- Emotes — just like names, emotes also give a personal touch to the channel, which is well received by viewers. Another significant difference between affiliate and partner on Twitch is the number of custom emotes streamers get with each program. Affiliates get only five, while partners get 50.
- Loyalty badges — affiliate streamers grant badges to their subscribers as a reward for their support. Depending on their merits, there are multiple types of badges, including founder badge, cheer chat badge, sub gifter badge, etc.
A large number of streamers are happy with the Twitch affiliate program and are not interested in becoming partners.
Twitch Partner Benefits
The obvious difference between the Twitch partner and affiliate programs is that the partnership enables streamers to make more money. However, it also includes a few small perks that don’t seem too remarkable but can do wonders to keep viewers engaged.
Monetization
In essence, the sources of income are the same in both programs, but partners can negotiate better terms. The Twitch partner revenue split for subscriptions is fifty-fifty in most cases, though some partners, with an immense viewership, have arranged a larger share.
Just like affiliates, partners get $0.01 from bit cheers. However, they have access to custom cheermotes and bit badges that can inspire viewers to cheer more generously.
Partners also get a share of the revenue generated by ads on their channel, and naturally, the most influential streamers get the best deals. A large number of views opens the door to all kinds of sponsorship opportunities. Some streamers even get paid directly by game publishing companies to play their latest game and promote it.
Streaming tools
While affiliates don’t get any significant improvements regarding video options, the streaming benefits of the Twitch partner program are considerable:
- VOD — partners can store their videos for 60 days and affiliates for only 14.
- Support — partners get a dedicated support team and are assisted with priority.
- Transcoding — affiliates get transcoding priority too, though partners have unlimited quality options.
- Broadcast delay — a feature exclusive to partners that allows them to delay the broadcast up to 15 minutes.
- Teams — only partners can stream in teams.
In addition, they get the same benefits from the affiliate program like premiers and reruns but also can create meet & greets, partner spotlights, streamer zones, etc.
Customization
One big difference between partner and affiliate on Twitch that usually goes unnoticed is the myriad of customization features for partners. They include:
- Custom chat badges
- Custom emoticons
- Emoticon prefixes
- Custom bit badges
- Custom cheermotes
- Badges for verified users.
Twitch partners further get a free lifetime chatbot subscription and up to three free subscriptions they can give away to viewers.
When comparing partner vs affiliate on Twitch, discussions tend to focus on the financial side of things. While it is true that partners get better monetization options than affiliates, the program also provides them with tools to create a better experience for their viewers.
Emoticons, cheers, and badges are very important for streaming culture. They give streamers and viewers a unique and personalized way to interact with each other. Additionally, they are critical for branding and creating an identity for a channel.
Affiliate vs Partner on Twitch — The Bottom Line
Overall, the Twitch partnership is the better program. It includes all the benefits of the affiliate program and provides extra features on top. Partner streamers can turn larger profits, expand their brand, add variety to their streams, and enhance their interactions with subscribers.
At the same time, reaching the partner status on Twitch is a great challenge that only the most persistent streamers can overcome, with stats showing that there are only about 51,000 Twitch partners.
The affiliate program, on the other hand, is much more accessible and generally considered a stepping stone to becoming a partner.
FAQs on Twitch Affiliate vs Partner
What is the difference between Twitch affiliate and partner?
The difference between Twitch affiliates and partners is the number of customization features, streaming options, and monetization benefits you get with each program. While both programs are great for motivating streamers to grow their channel, the partnership provides all the perks of the affiliate program and adds a few exclusive partnership-only features.
What are the benefits of being a Twitch affiliate?
Twitch affiliate streamers can utilize the program’s monetization options and earn revenue from subscriptions, cheers, and video ads. Additionally, they have access to a few enhanced video options and customization features that can improve the viewing experience of their followers.
What are the benefits of being a Twitch partner?
The Twitch partnership is a step-up from the affiliate program. It gives streamers the opportunity to find better sponsorships and negotiate more profitable revenue splits. Partners also get full access to all the video managing tools and customization features on Twitch and can improve the quality of their streams.
Do Twitch partners get paid more than affiliates?
Comparing the earnings of Twitch affiliate vs partner streamers shows that partners generally make more money than affiliates. However, because Twitch revenues are heavily based on viewership, there have been some cases where affiliates earned more than partners, though this is a very rare occurrence.
