ROUND 4

Monetary Gain

When—sorry, if—your profile blows up, there’s a lot to gain from streaming. A lucky few are even able to ditch the day job and play games for a living. This funding could come through private donations, via Patreon, or it might be by taking advantage of one of the services’ partner programs.

Twitch leads the way here. Hit one milestone—50 followers and proof of regular streaming—and your viewers can subscribe to your channel, chipping in a little each month ( shared with Twitch) to receive additional benefits. Cement your status, and you can become a Twitch partner, which offers a host of extra goodies, such as control of (and a slice of the profits from) mid-roll ads. Twitch viewers can also earn Bits, a local currency with which they can tip their favorite streamers.

Mixer’s subscription program is relatively young and, given its current viewership, not yet particularly profitable, although you can apply to jump to Mixer if you’re already established elsewhere. YouTube Live offers Super Chat, where viewers can pay to highlight their messages, as well as a share of ad revenue, and in some cases, sponsorship opportunities.

Winner: Twitch