Twitch Introduces Paid Subscriber Only Live Streams

A new level of exclusivity is coming to live streaming. Twitch has announced a new feature that allows streamers to enable broadcasts that only subscribed members can access. It's called Subscriber Streams.

On Twitch, anyone with an account can follow a streamer. This allows them to be notified of when they go live and for quick access via the "following" page. For people who want to show additional support for a streamer, they can Subscribe to them. This special option costs the user $5 a month, which goes toward the streamer themselves as a form of financial support.

Essentially, Subscriber Streams are live broadcasts hidden behind a paywall. Anyone who is not a subscriber will be shown a short preview of the stream before being cut off.

Not just anyone can run a Subscriber Stream. Twitch has a few restrictions in place for the feature. Only streamers with affiliate or partner status can run one of these streams. They also must have at least 90 unique live stream days and must be 90 unique streams away from their last Community Guidelines violation.

Not everyone is happy with this idea. Many found this to be counter-intuitive with cultivating a healthy community in favor of a more monetizable one. The decision will be in the hands of the streamer, at least.

And yes, Twitch Prime subs count.