On Wednesday night, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy sat down with four creators from Australia and New Zealand for a Q&A stream. The creators involved – 8bitElliot, JackHuddo, Carla, and Trash – were free to throw questions to Clancy and Twitch’s ANZ content director Lewis Mitchell about the state of its Australian business and support for local streamers. 

There’s been a growing restlessness among creators in the ANZ region since a major wave of redundancies in January gutted its Australian operations. Previously clear communications and healthy support that local creators enjoyed before the layoffs have dramatically withered in the months since. Many of Twitch’s bigger local creators have found it harder and harder to draw the company’s attention as it focuses on more populous and lucrative North American and European regions.

Though Clancy stressed at the beginning of the stream that he hoped it would be a fun conversation, the creators came prepared to play hardball. What they were given was two hours of broad assurances that left Australian creators feeling uncertain and unsatisfied.

The future of Twitch ANZ

Trash did not beat around the bush, immediately hitting Clancy with what is, for creators, the obvious question: What is the future of Twitch ANZ? 

It’s clear that the January layoffs – a global reduction of 500 jobs that decimated the ANZ team – have badly damaged Twitch’s operations in ANZ. In the months since, the lines of communication have gone dark. Creators are feeling under-resourced and unloved. What is Twitch doing about this? Does it even care about us anymore?

Clancy’s lengthy answer wasn’t as good at reassuring local creators as it was at covering the company’s arse. What he felt was “tricky to appreciate” about the layoffs was that, from the company’s perspective, Twitch ANZ was over-resourced compared to other regions. "For quite some time, we actually invested, in terms of the number of people working on ANZ, it was quite disproportionate, in terms of the number of creators, the number of partners, the number of streamers, everything."

"A big thing that we’ve been needing to do is kind of look (at) where we’re spending our money and being as efficient as possible, because every dollar we have is the cut we take from streamers’ rev shares. … Don’t take us feeling like there’s less resources as us not caring about ANZ. We do care deeply about Australia and New Zealand, I think it’s a critical market."

Translation: Twitch was spending too much on ANZ and not making its investment back. This comes as no surprise. Despite the massive influence it exerts on the livestreaming space, Twitch is famously unprofitable. In a livestream from January, Clancy admitted that, prior to the layoffs, Twitch had been relying on financial backing from parent company Amazon to remain afloat. The slashing and burning of regional offices, like Twitch ANZ, was done to keep the company from financially bleeding to death.

Asked by JackHuddo about the size of Twitch’s ANZ operations post-layoffs and whether Mitchell was now doing the work of what had previously been an entire team, both Mitchell and Clancy avoided a direct answer. A marketing team was mentioned, but not whether they were ANZ-based or resources allocated from a wider APAC (Asia Pacific) team.

Another answer about Twitch Rivals and its viability in Australia pointed to difficulties offering value to creators while paying the bills. Clancy spoke about how Twitch has been trying to evolve Rivals (the ANZ version of which didn’t even stream on the main Rivals channel) to ensure it brings in the kinds of views required to make it worth Twitch’s while financially. 

This went down like a lead balloon in 8bitElliot’s chat, with creators wondering when the platform will start prioritising community sentiment ahead of metrics. The answer, even if Clancy isn’t able to say so, seems fairly clear: The business reality is that it can’t, not if it wants to survive.

However, Clancy does point out that he isn’t just keeping his eye on the region through the safety of a spreadsheet. The CEO is making several trips to Australia this year. His first was at Dreamhack Melbourne, where he roamed the halls and sounded out larger local creators. He will return in October for back-to-back appearances at PAX Australia and SXSW Sydney. Travel is a big component of Clancy’s role. As he correctly points out, Australia is not terribly easy to get to but he’s making the effort to get down here anyway. 

I will give him this: three trips in a year is more attention than most American CEOs pay us in a lifetime. However, the frequent flier miles need to be backed up with results. The face time is good, but taking feedback gleaned from these trips and doing something with it is better.

A global approach (if you live in the Northern Hemisphere)

Since the January layoffs, many ANZ creators have noticed support from Twitch HQ drying up. Communication between Twitch and creators had become slower and more difficult. The transparency Twitch ANZ offered local creators around which new programs were geolocked was gone. Even the company’s local social media channels, which had been used to promote channels of all sizes, had gone dark.

Mitchell chimed in to note that Twitch ANZ socials were firing up again and that promotion would continue (though appears Twitch has contracted an external agency for help).

Answers around creator programs excluding ANZ creators were considerably murkier. According to Mitchell, programs like Twitch Ambassadors are being rolled out in larger markets before they can be rolled out in smaller ones like ANZ. This is an inversion of the previous strategy, where markets like ANZ were used as test beds precisely because of their smaller population. Curiously, Clancy puts this down to various languages and cultures, with the company focusing on English-language streamers in regions like APAC. According to Clancy, certain programs can’t "scale globally" (i.e. work in every region, due to cultural sensitivities or legislative concerns). 

Even requests for smaller community programs, like a Twitch Unity Guild dedicated to First Nations and Torres Strait Islander creators were met with a similar response: we’d love to some day, and we’re working on it. Clancy appeared unaware of programs like Twitch ANZ Grassroots, a previous avenue for promoting smaller creators and affiliates.

Clancy then went on to say that his wider strategy revolves around putting money back in creators’ pockets, like lowering the threshold for entering the revenue sharing Plus Program, but did not get into any further specifics.

Even things like booths at shows like PAX have been de-emphasised. Twitch is not alone in this, many major parties in the games industry have been attempting to move away from conventions like PAX in an effort to save money. In Twitch’s case, it moved toward officially sanctioned Gatherings to give creators IRL spaces to socialise and network. Carla immediately disputed this, pointing out how successful the Twitch booth at PAX Australia had been in 2023, well beyond what local Gatherings had been able to accomplish. Clancy appeared unmoved, but admitted in regions as far-flung as ANZ there is a case for retaining the convention booth strategy.

Broadly, what Clancy and Mitchell are saying makes sense as a business case, but it also makes it clear what the layoffs have cost Twitch streamers in ANZ. In 2023, ANZ was using its resources to thrive. Now, we’re bundled up with much larger, more populous, far more important markets, and it shows. Despite Clancy’s insistence that we remain an important market, and his own regular visits, ANZ has plainly been shuffled down the order of priority.

Though Clancy stressed at the beginning of the stream that he hoped it would be a fun conversation, the creators came prepared to play hardball. What they were given was two hours of broad assurances that left Australian creators feeling uncertain and unsatisfied.

Live ANZ reaction

As the chat went on, sentiment from creators watching the stream began to roll in online, and few were feeling positive.

Here, the division between the needs of the region and the needs of the business are cast in black and white. Local creators want more, they want to be taken seriously and given the opportunities of their contemporaries in larger markets. That’s a fair request, but it seems clearer than ever that Twitch can’t help them without spending money it may not have.

Where to now?

For Twitch, Australia has become the same problem it has been to so many American companies: a region too small and underpopulated to worry about when money’s tight. Though I’m sure Clancy meant every nice thing he said about us as a region, his responses paint a picture of a company with too many masters and no money with which to serve their increasingly complex needs. It’s a battle that can’t be won – creators who’ve turned to the platform as a way to make a living are at odds with a company that cannot seem to turn a profit.

If Twitch hopes to take a global view of what it can offer creators and viewers alike, then it needs to ensure that every region gets a fair shake, not just those in the Northern Hemisphere. That feels like it goes without saying, but as Australians know, Americans rarely think about anything that goes on below the equator.

In the end, creators can only hope that the chat gave Clancy something to think about. And if it didn’t, he will hear about it in person in Sydney and Melbourne this October.

One thing to keep in mind if you want to become a successful Twitch streamer is: you’re not solely limited to doing game streams.

One genre that’s gaining traction on the popular live streaming platform is Just Chatting, where streamers talk to their audience and do anything under the sun (which includes dancing or singing).

If you’re aiming to stream IRL content on Twitch, here are some beginner-friendly tips to keep in mind:

1. Find a way to fill in the gaps

For many aspiring streamers, it’ll be quite a challenge to talk nonstop for hours especially if you only have a limited audience at present. To avoid awkward pauses and gaps, it’s best to prepare a list of possible topics to talk about ahead of time.

Search about relevant, trending topics that you believe would entice more viewers to join the conversation. Getting your audience engaged in a conversation is key if you want to broadcast long Just Chatting streams.  You can also choose to prepare talking points, not necessarily a script but a short guide on ready content threads.

2. Build a show

Think of your Just Chatting broadcast as a TV show, assigning different segments so the livestream has solid structure. Most viewers wouldn’t want to watch hours-long live broadcasts that’s very random and unorganized.

When preparing for your stream structure, consider your intended schedule so as not to overextend or run short of segments for your stream of the day. However, do keep in mind that these plans are subject to change once you go live.

If you happen to stumble across technical difficulties or any problems, adjust your plans accordingly.

3. Be consistent

When it comes to Just Chatting streams, you need to establish your branding as a Twitch streamer as early as you can. This will help you distinguish and make yourself unique especially with hundreds of other aspiring streamers on the platform.

Hence, make it a goal to keep everything consistent— from your tone of voice to banner overlays and logos. Like many other things in life, consistency is key.

4. Be creative with titles

Stream titles are often overlooked by many content creators, but it’s actually one important element that can help your Twitch career take off at some point. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your stream titles!

For instance, make it intriguing enough to convince people to click and check out your video. Be funny and witty! Don’t stray away too much and make it irrelevant to what you’re actually doing in your live stream though.

5. Pick a good thumbnail

Before you select your stream thumbnail, it’s ideal to ask the opinion and comments of others first. Your goal should be selecting a strong thumbnail image that will stand out from the crowd.

Remember that there are hundreds of other Just Chatting streams on Twitch. It’s easy for new, potential viewers to scroll past your live broadcast if you don’t make your thumbnails compelling enough.

6. Just keep talking

There will come a point in your Just Chatting stream where you’ll feel like you’ve run out of things to talk about. Don’t worry, that’s just normal. Plenty of other content creators in the same category also feel the same way.

One solution to this predicament is to just always be talking. Aside from preparing a list of possible topics to talk about, you can keep your stream going by interacting with your viewers by asking questions, telling personal funny stories, or sharing what happened to your day.

7. Don’t shoo away lurkers

There’s no need to feel self-conscious if an overwhelming amount of your viewers end up lurking in your livestream. This is actually quite normal among many content creators, with the majority of their audience preferring to chill and lowkey lurk in the background as streamers do their thing (whether Just Chatting or play video games).

Although reminding them to be active in the chat or to give your channel a follow is ideal, be careful not to overdo it. The last thing you’d want is to force your audience into doing stuff all for the benefit of your channel growth.

8. Master the art of improvisation

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Just Chatting on Twitch has a very improvised nature compared to traditional gameplay streams. When doing streams under this category, aspiring streamers are allowed to do anything they want on camera as long as it follows the platform’s Terms of Service.

It features a great opportunity for new talents to stand out with their extraordinary improv skills. At the same time, it also gives a way to stay more connected with one’s growing following.

9. Use clips for promotions

If you have funny highlights and interesting moments from your Just Chatting streams, simply save a clip and use it to promote your channel across social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.

This is a great way to lure new and interested viewers to check out your live broadcasts, as you are showing them some of the footage they might witness when they decide to tune in.

You may also include some behind-the-scenes (BTS) footage of your Just Chatting streams.

10. Befriend other Just Chatting streamers

Instead of considering other streamers in the same category as your rivals, you should instead consider them as possible friends who can help you succeed in the industry.

Keep an eye out for other Twitch streamers with similar content, you may even learn a thing or two from them. Making friends with other Just Chatting streamers on Twitch may just give you the right connections you need to succeed in the platform.

11. Do self-promotions

Remember: you’re not solely limited to promoting on Twitch alone. Social media is a great tool to widen your audience reach and increase your online presence— hence you should use it to your advantage.

Be creative in promoting your scheduled Just Chatting streams on your social media accounts like Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter. Keep in mind that you only have one shot at making a good first impression as a content creator on the internet. For instance, you may attach a current taken selfie (if you’re comfortable) or fun video clips.

12. Reach out to your community

Keep engaged with your audience even after your streams are over. You may choose to take the conversation and discussion in a private Discord server or on Twitter where you can still keep in touch with some of your loyal followers.

Engaging with your viewers as much as possible is a great way to form a lasting connection with them. By giving them your precious time, they may just find a good reason to keep supporting you in your career.

13. Showcase your talents

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If you have hidden talents, Just Chatting streams prove to be a great avenue for you to showcase your skills and share them with the world! This includes Photoshop editing, drawing and Illustrator skills or playing musical instruments.

You may also jump on the trend of Mukbang (eating) or cooking shows, where streamers eat large quantities of scrumptious food in front of the camera and engage with their viewers while finishing their meal.

If you’re a pop culture aficionado, you might also consider doing streams about movie, book, or game reviews. Fellow like-minded individuals are most likely to check out your streams if you shoot your shot well.

14. Be genuine

As the adage goes, fake it ’til you make it— however, faking your interest and enthusiasm in “talking” would just bring up more problems on your part as a Just Chatting streamer in the long run. Keep in mind that you’ll have to talk quite a lot in your livestreams, usually for hours.

If you’re aiming to be successful in the industry, start by being genuine in front of the camera. Let your audience feel your sincerity in your streaming endeavors. Being interactive is a great strategy, hence try to talk more about yourself if you’re just starting your career.

Viewers who watch new streamers with a relatively small viewer count are typically those who want interaction or connection with someone new. Tell some interesting stuff about yourself, your hobbies or goals. More people will likely be compelled to jump in the conversation if you do.

15. Ignore malicious trolls

Let’s face it, there is no end in sight for Twitch trolls. Every streamer on the platform gets their fair share every now and then, and beginner streamers are not exempted to their nuisance.

As a content creator, you must learn to roll with it and practice the art of ignoring trolls in your chat. You have the option to mute/ban if necessary, especially if things start to go awry. It’s easier said than done but you mustn’t let these online trolls get to you.

Being a Just Chatting streamer where you have to adlib most of the time and go with impromptu discussions, don’t let a troll ruin your online conversation with your audience. Choose to ignore malicious live comments, as they don’t deserve any of your attention or time anyway.

Featured image from inzaynia on Twitch

The post 15 Tips for your Just Chatting Twitch Streams appeared first on CTRL+Zed.

Pog, poggers, pogchamp… What exactly do these terms mean?

If you’re spending long hours on the internet and live streaming platforms such as Twitch— arguably the world’s leading streaming site, you might have come across these terms on numerous occasions.

Words like “Pog” and “PogChamp” have been so widely used that it has intertwined with Twitch’s popular subculture. Regardless, we’re here to shed light on what these terms exactly imply for curious beginners.

Twitch context

First off, let’s start with Pog’s huge context related with Twitch. One cannot separate Twitch from Pog, and vice versa. On Twitch, POG is known to stand for “Play Of the Game.”

It’s usually used in the context of a multiplayer game match up, where one player has done something so impressive that it is considered as the main highlight or “play of the game,” meaning what they’ve done is expected to clinch the victory.

Some people use it to spam in response to witnessing any good play, but it’s intended to refer to a series of moves so good it will lead to a win. Impressive, right?

Hence, “Pog” now roughly translates to “cool” or “amazing” especially when a player performs extremely well in a match. You will often see the term used in the livestreams of titular games such as Overwatch, CS:GO, and League of Legends.

The PogChamp Emote

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More specifically, the term is also a reference to a related yet infamous “PogChamp” emote which essentially means the same thing. It debuted on Twitch back in 2012, featuring the iconic facial expression of vlogger/streamer Gootecks making a goofy, surprised face.

Gootecks’ image itself dates back to November 2010 when the streamer made the face in response to his camera being knocked into the midst of a stream.

The pioneering PogChamp emote is considerably one of the oldest emotes on Twitch and is a popular pick to convey excitement in stream chats. Some people use it to express shock and awe, while others spam it on the chat when a streamer does something cool.

Though the Pog trend was commonly used when something crazy good happens unexpectedly, it has been notably overused nowadays. People just use it when anything mildly “okay” happens.

The excitement slash surprise element has been famously abbreviated to “Pog” or “Poggers,” which is the reason why you see the term used more often on the internet rather than the actual emote. It has since taken off as a general meme expressing surprise over the last few years.

PogChamp Emote Controversy

In the beginning of 2021, Twitch announced it will delete the iconic PogChamp emote over ‘further violence’ thus marking the end of an era.

The decision came after the streamer depicted published tweets “encouraging further violence” following a recent riot at the US Capitol.

An official explanation was revealed in a series of tweets:

“We’ve made the decision to remove the PogChamp emote following statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today,”

“We want the sentiment and use of Pog to live on — its meaning is much bigger than the person depicted or image itself — and it has a big place in Twitch culture. However, we can’t in good conscience continue to enable use of the image.”

Although the PogChamp emote has been cancelled by the internet and the platform itself, Twitch promises to work with the community to design a new emote for the most hype moments on Twitch.

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It didn’t take long for the platform to confirm it’s time to be out with the old and in with the new! As of February 2021, a Komodo dragon has been crowned as Twitch’s permanent replacement for the PogChamp emote.

The KomodoHype emote features a Komodo dragon’s face that is clearly expressing hype. Just take a good look at its shockingly huge maw that somehow seems to be smiling.

It’s relatively easy to see why it won the majority of the community vote and be hailed as the new hype emoticon of the platform.

Bottomline

Now that the OG age of PogChamp is considerably over, there is no need for fans to worry— only the emote is going to be changed. The spirit and the culture behind Pog will remain with the new KomodoHype.

Even if voting is now closed, which emotes could be likened or on par to that of the old PogChamp emote? Should Twitch consider other alternatives? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Twitch 101: What does Pog mean? appeared first on CTRL+Zed.

Twitch could be considering a further wave of redundancies.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the streaming giant is demonstrating slowing user growth, intimating more cuts may be ahead.

If true, these cuts will come on top of layoffs in March 2023, October 2023, and January 2024, during which at least 900 people were let go.

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Streaming giant Twitch has updated its policies on sexual harassment.

Twitch said it was "making some clarifications to our sexual harassment policy and sharing more about a new AutoMod category designed to flag chat messages that may contain sexual harassment."

"While our policy remains largely unchanged, these updates are designed to make the policy easier to understand," the team explained.

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Twitch staff are concerned a third round of layoffs could hit the streaming platform, following 500 job cuts earlier this year and 400 in 2023.

That's according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, which states Amazon paid almost $1bn for Twitch but it's now making less money and engagement has slowed.

The company is set to have an annual operational review this autumn and staff are concerned more job losses could follow. Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy has led a profitability review at Twitch and shown little tolerance for unprofitable business, the Journal reports.

Read more

Twitch staff are concerned a third round of layoffs could hit the streaming platform, following 500 job cuts earlier this year and 400 in 2023.

That's according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, which states Amazon paid almost $1bn for Twitch but it's now making less money and engagement has slowed.

The company is set to have an annual operational review this autumn and staff are concerned more job losses could follow. Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy has led a profitability review at Twitch and shown little tolerance for unprofitable business, the Journal reports.

Read more

Popular streamer Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm has returned to the public eye a little over a month after admitting he sent “inappropriate” messages to a minor on Twitch. The controversial character, who was permanently banned from the platform on June 26, 2020, admitted in a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter) on June…

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Perrikaryal (or Perri) is already known and celebrated for streaming games like Elden Ring and Halo using a hands-free “mind control” setup, involving motion sensors to track her head and eye movements, as well as an electroencephalogram (EEG) device to record her brain’s electrical activity to use for inputs. Now,…

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Popular Twitch streamer Kai Cenat has embarked on a journey few of us could ever do: he’s been marathoning 2022’s hit RPG Elden Ring for the bulk of the last week. Cenat, who accidentally incited a riot in New York last year, announced that he would be playing the game “till I beat it” beginning May 10. It’s now been…

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Critical Role is going independent-er. After splitting from Geek & Sundry (and its parent company, Legendary Entertainment) some years ago, the wildly popular actual-play webseries has grown significantly from a singular show into its own network and company. Now it is taking the logical next step and launching its…

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Controversial streamer Adin Ross has a rabid fanbase that’ll do anything for attention, including driving a car into a lake because…reasons. These dare streams of Ross’ tend to come with the promise of a carrot at the end of the proverbial stick, whether that comes in the form of expensive products or cold hard cash.…

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Twitch will continue to improve its mobile experience this year, with a new mobile app on the way.

CEO Dan Clancy shared an open letter today detailing the company's plans for 2024, including making the platform more mobile friendly, helping streamers make more money, and improvements to the Clip Editor for easier shares on social media.

Back at TwitchCon Paris last year, Twitch announced its Stories and Discovery Feed features would be added to the Twitch mobile app. Both of these will form the backbone of improvements coming this year.

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