Twitch Announces Major Changes to Monetization Policies in 2025

“We’re excited to open up monetization tools—subscriptions and bits—to most streamers, from day one. This will help creators, whether they’re just getting started or have been on Twitch for a while, grow their communities and begin earning through direct patronage.”

Twitch is shaking up its monetization policies, opening up new revenue opportunities for a wider range of streamers in 2025. Traditionally, only Twitch affiliates and partners had access to the platform’s monetization tools, such as subscriptions and bits. However, starting in 2025, these tools will be available to most streamers from day one, giving even new creators the ability to earn revenue right away.

In a blog post, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy explained, “We’re excited to open up monetization tools—subscriptions and bits—to most streamers, from day one. This will help creators, whether they’re just getting started or have been on Twitch for a while, grow their communities and begin earning through direct patronage.” Additionally, the company is introducing a new feature that will allow all streamers to use their earnings for purchases within the Twitch platform.

Previously, becoming a Twitch partner required streamers to meet specific milestones, such as having 50 followers, an average of three viewers per stream, and streaming for at least eight hours across seven different days. While these requirements were achievable, they often posed a barrier for new or smaller streamers who were just starting out in the competitive world of Twitch.

In addition to this monetization overhaul, Twitch has revealed other upcoming features for 2025. The company is working to enhance collaboration opportunities for partners, improve mobile viewing with new landscape and vertical video broadcasting options, and make clip editing tools more robust. However, some users are expressing concerns over another recent announcement: starting April 19, 2025, Twitch will implement a 100-hour cap on highlights and uploads. This move has sparked backlash, particularly because Twitch’s parent company, Amazon, is one of the largest players in cloud storage. Critics argue that this cost-cutting measure seems unnecessary given Amazon’s vast cloud infrastructure.

As Twitch continues to evolve, these changes signal a new era for creators, offering greater access to monetization tools and expanded opportunities for growth. However, how these updates will affect the platform’s community remains to be seen, especially with the ongoing backlash over video storage limitations.