Twitch confirms subscription price hikes in THESE countries, receives backlash from community
In a first, the Amazon-owned streaming platform, Twitch, acknowledged raising the price of channel subscriptions in the UK, Canada & Australia from next month.
Twitch, the Amazon-owned streaming platform, has acknowledged raising the price of channel subscriptions for the first time. In a blog post on Tuesday, the purple platform detailed the reasons for the hike.,
Tier 1 subscription prices will rise in the UK, Canada, and Australia from 28 March, while Turkish subscribers will pay more for all three levels. It will likely to be a one dollar/pound increase in the first three countries, but a more notable increase—from 9.90 liras to 43.90 liras—will occur in Turkey.
There have also been hints of a price increase that may occur in the United States but nothing is confirmed as of now.
Mike Minton, Chief Monetisation Officer said: “Twitch streamers rely on our monetisation tools to reach their goals and build their communities. Subscriptions are one of the most important ways that viewers support their favorite channels."
“We have not increased channel sub prices since their inception, and many markets saw reduced prices in 2021. This year we are updating prices in several countries to help streamer revenue keep pace with rising costs and reflect local currency fluctuations.”
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While the UK, Canada, and Australia have seen a rise in subscriptions due to the belief that their respective markets can withstand the impact of such an increase, Turkey may have another explanation.
These days, it's extremely typical to offer Twitch subscriptions as gifts, with a portion of the money going to the platform and the streamer. However, their earnings vary according to the country of origin of the subscription. Due to this, a lot of people in Turkey provide bundles of 10, 20, or 50 subscriptions, which brings in less revenue than they would have if they had offered only two or three subscriptions.
Twitch explains reason behind subscription prices hike
Twitch, however, has claimed that the step has been taken to keep up with monetary fluctuations.
“Subscriptions are one of the most reliable ways viewers can support the streamers they love. We are increasing subscription prices to drive more revenue to our streamers and help make streaming a more sustainable business for them,” Minton said.
Last month, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy's stated that the service was not profitable, following confirmation of job cuts impacting about 500 people. Therefore, the news of the modest hike does not come as a shock.
Here's how much will a Twitch subscription increase
Tier 1
United Kingdom
Current rate – £3.99
New rate – £4.99
Australia
Current rate – A$7.99
New rate – A$8.99
Canada
Current rate – C$6.99
New rate – C$7.99
Turkey
Tier 1:
Current rate – TRY9.90
New rate – TRY43.90
Tier 2:
Current rate – TRY19.99
New rate – TRY87.90
Tier 3:
Current rate – TRY49.99
New rate – TRY215.90
Twitch's latest move irks community
Meanwhile, many creators and regular viewers have slammed Twitch after they confirmed the impending revisions on X.
"Current exchange rate for $5USD to CAD is $6.76 and you're making it $8CAD? That's messed up."fortnite-promotional-banner," one X user wrote.
“Used to have a paid sub and a prime sub every month and was upset that Canadian viewers had to pay more than their US counterparts. With this new outlandish change I can guarantee twitch will be losing that paid sub every month,” another added.
Third user said: “Twitch, it’s not hard to say “increasing” rather than saying “updating” on this tweet.”
“The pricing increase doesn’t make sense- it doesn’t reflect the countries’ cost of living comparison to how $5 feels to an average American. Whoever did this pricing list is seriously out of touch with how the common person lives, and this is not reasonable,” another added.