Twitch Expands Its Ad Incentive Program To With More Creators & Higher Ad Pay Rates

Source: Twitch

Twitch is expanding its Ad Incentive Program (AIP). The streaming service is making some updates just months after launching the program, which rewards creators with flat-rate incentives for streaming for a certain number of hours while running ads on the streams.

It's opening up the program to include more Twitch Partners and Affiliates. It's also upping its ad pay rate. Previously, streamers were paid on a fixed CPM, giving streamers a flat rate for every 1,000 views. Now, it's moving to a percentage-based model where creators will earn 55% of revenue for ads run on their streams, which it says will result in a 50-150% increase in ad pay rate.

Twitch also says that Twitch Affiliates who opt-in to three minutes of ads per hour will be able to remove pre-rolls and receive increased ad payouts.

As a result of Twitch's upgrades to the AIP, more creators will be able to earn a reliable income at a higher pay rate. However, not all creators find this appealing. According to tweets from creators about the announcement, many of them are conflicted. While some view AIP as a way to earn money, some believe that ads are disruptive since they can interrupt conversations and key moments and are repetitive, and as a result, often lead to a drop in viewership. Some creators prefer that the platform give them higher splits on other monetization tools like Subscriptions.

Since AIP is optional, creators can choose what works for them best. For example, ads may benefit larger, more popular streamers with audiences willing to sit through three minutes of ads to watch them over smaller, upcoming streamers that are still trying to build their audience and convince people to tune in.