The streaming world is constantly evolving, and content creators are always looking for the best platform to help them achieve their dreams. Depending on the type of content they create, the audience they want to reach, or even the region where they live, the best platform for them to stream on differs.
There are plenty of streaming platforms, that give creators different options, and also provide fans with different viewing experiences. Platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming, Trovo, and even the recently founded broadcasting platform Kick, as well as many others, all have something that makes them unique.
Sometimes streamers decide that changing platforms is the best thing for their careers. In 2022, many popular content creators decided to take their talents elsewhere. These types of decisions are not easy to make, and there are a lot of factors that come into play when making them. So, in this article, I will explain why they did so, and how their viewership was impacted by it.
Sykkuno
Sykkuno was one of Twitch most popular variety streamers. The North American content creator would regularly play games with OfflineTV members, and other popular streamers such as Valkyrae, or fuslie. He is known for being shy and soft-spoken, and had created a big and loyal fan base on Twitch. Despite that, on the 2nd of May, he announced he was moving to YouTube.
Everything started when Sykkuno received an email from Twitch, from which the subject was: Twitch x Sukkuno Agreement. The platform didn't get the streamer name right, which Sykkuno obviously did not appreciate. He said:
“I’m supposed to be the 28th highest earning creator on the platform — the 45th most followed of all time on the platform — and they called me ‘Sukkuno’ in an official email. I mean, maybe I have too big of an ego or something, but I was shocked.”
But this wasn't why he left Twitch. He joined YouTube because they offered him a better deal, and he felt underappreciated at Twitch. Despite being one of the most popular content creators on the platform, he said that:
“I didn’t feel that appreciated there, guys. They couldn’t even spell my name right. So I started thinking, I’m about to take [the YouTube] deal. I was willing to work harder for less money because I thought I liked Twitch that much, but they couldn’t even spell my name right.”
When we look at the viewership numbers of Sykkuno, we can see they stayed pretty much the same. In his first 30 days on YouTube, his average viewership saw a very small decrease of 1.5%, compared to his last 30 days on Twitch. However, its PV went up a staggering 30%. The type of content Sykkuno produces stayed the same, and he quickly became one of the faces of the platform.
LilyPichu
LilyPichu was another streamer that left Twitch for YouTube. She is well known for her singing, and art streams. However, she also broadcasts plenty of games such as League of Legends, Valorant, or Among Us. She is one of the founders of OfflineTV, and decided that after 10 years on Twitch, it was time for a change. On July 7th, the streamer announced she was joining YouTube, which caught most people by surprise. Even the creator fans were not expecting this sudden move. The main reason behind LilyPichu move: stagnation.
“I felt like I wasn’t really going anywhere on Twitch. Financial stability, change of space… if I’m going to fall off, I might as well fall off on YouTube where I get paid, so yeah.”
If we take a look at LilyPichu viewership, we can see that her first month on YouTube wasn’t the best. It's hard to bring viewers to a different platform, especially if you have been streaming for ten years in one place. LilyPichu numbers prove that, as she saw a decrease of 34.8% in her average viewership. Her PV and HW metrics were no different, decreasing 31%, and 52%, respectively.
Myth
A few days after LilyPichu had announced her switch to YouTube, another popular Twitch streamer did the same. Myth was a popular FPS content creator on Twitch. The former Fortnite pro player would usually stream Valorant, or other shooter games. However, Myth was starting to become more of a variety streamer. He was playing games from multiple different genres, and Just Chatting was his second most streamed category. On the 1st of July, Myth announced he had signed a contract to stream exclusively on YouTube. The main reason for that was the great offer that he got from the platform.
“So first things first, why did I move over? We all know the answer to that question: the f**king bag bro. It was an amount that would have been stupid of me to turn down.”
But there were plenty of other things that led him to change platforms. The money was important, but Myth felt that it made sense to move to YouTube, as the platform really wanted him, and could help him create amazing content.
“In general, I just felt like they were a team that was genuinely invested in who I am and what I could bring to the table in terms of content creation and personality.”
In its first month on YouTube, Myth average viewership suffered a staggering decrease. It went down 72% compared to his last 30 days on Twitch, with his PV also having a huge decrease of 78%. It certainly wasn’t the start Myth wanted, and unfortunately, since then his average viewership hasn't improved.
Swagg
Swagg is the next name on the list of content creators that left Twitch, and joined their biggest rival YouTube. He started streaming in 2017, and became popular because of his Call of Duty content. Since he was a little boy that Swagg loved to play Call of Duty, and he managed to turn that passion into his work. The vast majority of his content comes from Call of Duty Warzone, as he plays the game regularly.
Swagg announced he was joining YouTube on the 1st of September. It was done through a great video. Swagg was talking with his younger self, giving him advice, and reminiscing about his journey. While the other streamers mentioned plenty of reasons to why they decided to move, Swagg only mentioned one thing. In his announcement video, he says to his younger self: “When you see a big opportunity be sure to take it”. It probably means the deal that YouTube offered was too good to turn down, similar to what happened with Myth.
Curiously, Swagg is the only streamer on this list that managed to grow his audience in the first 30 days after the switch. His average viewership went up 16%, with his peak viewership having a staggering increase of 69%. Swagg has cemented himself as one of the most popular streamers of the platform, and Call of Duty Warzone continues to be his most played game.
fuslie
In the last two years, fuslie became one of Twitch most popular Just Chatting streamers. She was also one of the most-watched female creators on the platform. Fuslie had built a big community, and her popularity was quickly growing. Despite that, she still felt that going to YouTube was a better career decision.
She joined the Google-owned streaming platform on the 6th of September, and Twitch lost one of its biggest stars. The main reason behind fuslie switch was the way Twitch handled DMCA takedowns. The fear of maybe “ losing her career”, played a big factor in the decision to move platforms.
“On Twitch it’s like, ‘Hey, two years ago there’s this clip, you were listening to Ariana Grande, and you listened to it two times in one day, so that’s two strikes on your channel. One more and we’re gonna have to permanently take your channel down.'”
Just like what happened to the majority of streamers that made the switch, fuslie average viewership numbers declined. She lost almost 2K Average Viewers, and her HW decreased by 31%, in the first 30 days. Despite that, she still reached a wide audience.
Ninja
While most streamers change platforms, Ninja did something a little bit different. The streaming star decided to multi-stream, meaning he was going to stream everywhere. TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, and others, Ninja is streaming in all of them.
It's a unique decision, that gathered mixed reactions. Some praised him saying it was a very smart move. Others felt like it was going to lower the quality of his streams, and it was something that would not work for smaller streamers. For Ninja, it was all about having control of his brand, and reaching a wider audience.
“For the first time in 11 years, I own my streaming content. How crazy is that?”
In the first 30 days of his multi-stream adventure, Ninja lost viewers on both Twitch and YouTube. But its viewership decrease wasn't huge, and his lives on both TikTok and Instagram attracted a decent amount of viewers. It’s still early to say this is the future of streaming, but it's definitely what Ninja thinks is best for his brand.
Trainwreckstv
Trainwreckstv went even further than Ninja, and helped create a new streaming platform. The streamer, who became a Twitch star due to his gambling content, decide it was time to create a platform that was fair for content creators. So Kick was born, and Trainwreckstv announced he was going to primarily stream on the platform. He still streams on Twitch occasionally, but KICK is his main platform right now.
He believes that in one year Kick will attract many content creators, and become a viable option for streamers. Others think Kick will just be another drop in the streaming ocean, and that the platform has no chance to compete with Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and others.
Currently, he is averaging 14.2K viewers, and had 72K Peak Viewers. These are great numbers, and show that as of today, Trainwreckstv is the heart and soul of Kick. If the platform will succeed or not, only time will tell.
As we can see, many top names changed platforms this year. With the “streaming wars” between Twitch and YouTube being at their peak, we can expect more content creators to switch platforms in the near future. Platforms like Facebook, Trovo, and Kick, are also working to attract new streamers and communities. After all, Twitch might still be the most popular live-streaming platform in the world today, but it never had so much competition.
