Twitch Subscriber Streams launched in beta today for Twitch Partners and Affiliates. Twitch introduced these subscriber-only streams as a way for streamers to reward their subscribers (including Twitch Prime subscribers), VIPs, and Mods with access to exclusive streams. When non-subscribers arrive at a Subscriber Stream, they will be able to see a preview of the stream before they are locked out and prompted to subscribe. Once the viewer has subscribed, they will immediately be able to watch the Subscriber Stream.
Twitch announced the service with a blog post detailing its rules and how it works. Most notably, Twitch Subscriber Streams are restricted to streamers of Affiliate or Partner status. In order for a streamer to broadcast a Subscriber Stream, they must also have broadcasted for at least 90 unique days as an Affiliate or Partner and must not have violated Twitch’s community guidelines in the last 90 days of broadcasts.
Twitch notes that, in order to prevent the streaming of content that violates the service’s guidelines, Subscriber Streams are not private. Anyone can view live previews of the streams and report any inappropriate content.
VOD versions of Subscriber Streams will automatically be available for subscribers only, though streamers can change the permissions on Subscriber Stream VODs. Clips made during the streams, however, will be completely unrestricted. If streamers want to prevent viewers from sharing clips with non-subscribers, they will have to change their channel’s overall clip settings. Additionally, Twitch Subscriber Streams will be tagged “Subscriber Stream” and will feature a star icon (like the one pictured at the top of this article) to distinguish them from other streams.
There’s no word yet if Twitch plans to allow non-Partners and non-Affiliates to broadcast Subscriber Streams. Judging by the fact that the current requirements are all contingent on being a Partner or Affiliate, it seems unlikely. Plus, if anyone were able to start a subscriber stream, it would probably be significantly harder for Twitch to monitor them and prevent inappropriate content.
Small creators haven’t been left out in the cold, though. Twitch recently added another feature, the “Viewers (Low to High)” filter, that could help smaller, non-Affiliate streamers grow their channels — and maybe eventually run Subscriber Streams of their own.
