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The streaming wars are in full swing. Both Twitch and YouTube compete for the exclusive broadcast rights of various popular content creators, some of which are worth millions of dollars in revenue for a platform.
It all started when Ninja left Twitch Mixer in favor of a deal with the now-defunct Microsoft streaming platform. Since then, YouTube has started to make its own moves.
YouTube’s initial foray didn’t include particularly prominent content creators, but since they joined the platform, streamers like CourageJD and Valkyrae have seen massive growth.
However, this fall, YouTube began its push in earnest, taking with it some of Twitch’s highest-paid content creators, and according to YouTube Gaming’s top exec Ryan Wyatt, that’s the case just the beginning.
CourageJD (November 5, 2019)
CourageJD was the first notable streamer to switch from Twitch to YouTube, and he did so while streamers like DrLupo, Lirik, and TimTheTatman were newly signed to Twitch.
Valkyries (January 13, 2020)
Just a few months after Courage made the switch to the platform, his 100Thieves colleague made the switch himself. At the time, Valkyrae was one of the most popular female content creators on Twitch, but she’s since become one of the biggest gaming streamers around.
After her move, she won the 2020 Game Award for Content Creator of the Year and the 2021 Adweek Creator Visionary Award for Gaming Creator of the Year.
Dr Disrespect (7 Aug 2020)
When recording Dr. Disrespect on YouTube was less about a war between platforms and more about an issue the Doc had with Twitch.
On June 26, 2020, Disrespect was banned from Twitch for reasons not yet disclosed, and after a little over a month he switched to YouTube because it was obvious he would no longer be allowed on Twitch.
DrLupo (30 Aug)
DrLupo was the first high-profile streamer to switch to YouTube in 2021, but he was quickly followed by two content creators who, on the whole, could prove to be a lot more earth-shattering.
Among other things, DrLupo is known as a family man who regularly uses his stream as a vehicle to promote charities such as St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
TimTheTatman (September 1)
TimTheTatman quickly eclipsed DrLupo’s move to YouTube, announcing he was moving to the platform just a day later. Just a year and a half earlier, the two had quit Twitch for multi-year contracts.
According to payouts leaked in October, TimTheTatman left Twitch as one of the top 10 highest paid content creators on the platform.
Ludwig (29.11.)
Best known for his “Subathon,” which generated record viewership and subscriber numbers, Ludwig exited Twitch as one of the highest-paid content creators on the platform, earning even more than TimTheTatman, according to leaked payouts.
While adding a talent like him would be reason enough to take Twitch seriously, Wyatt is in one post on twitter said, “We’re still not done,” suggesting there could be more signings in the near future.