Josh Caruso, Joseph McManus, Kyle Holford, Michael Derose, Maclej Trojniar

Emerging World of Esports

www.twitch.tv

www.twitch.tv
What is Twitch?
• Previously known as Justin.tv
• Co-Founders: Justin Kan and Emmett Shear started in
2007
• By 2014, Twitch.tv had established itself as the #1
video game streaming website.
• 4th most visited site during peak hours
• More than 35 million unique visitors a month
• Twitch.Tv became the official live streaming platform
for the Esports Industry late in 2014

www.twitch.tv
How Twitch Works
• Becoming a broadcaster is as easy as making
an account.
• Once viewership reaches a certain point,
broadcasters can reap benefits.
• Like most video streaming websites, money
is made through advertising.
• Multiple charity options for broadcasters
to promote
• Streamers receive money through
subscribers and merchandising

Fundamentals of Twitch

www.twitch.tv
Internal/External Factors
Strengths Weaknesses
• Expansion due to purchase by Amazon.Com
($970 million)
• Community of over 1.5 million broadcasters
• Broadcasting rights of major gaming tournaments
• Strong website security with minimal system
hacks
• Slow broadcasting bandwidth when compared to
competitor Hitbox.Tv
• Due to size, difficult for new broadcasters to be
noticed
• Individual broadcaster’s videos are limited to 14
days or 30 days for Turbo users
Opportunities Threats
• Influencer Campaign (broadcaster sponsored
content)
• Possible sponsor expansion as Esports industry
rises
• Rise in popularity of Creative
• 4th in internet viewership during peak hours
creating more demand for advertisements
• Multiple substitues with high internet usage
(Youtube, Netflix, Google)
• Main competitors in Esports Streaming
(Hitbox.Tv, Pivotshare, GamingLiveTv)
• Esports streaming relatively ‘untapped’ high risk
of new entry

www.twitch.tv
Who is Using Twitch?
• Ages: 12 – 35
• Has a network of friends who also play/stream games
• Has a strong sense of community
• Active in social media, mainly in the form of blogs, webcasts and broadcasting
• Interest in Esports, Art, or joining a community with like interests
• Has minimal broadcasting and computer knowledge

www.twitch.tv
Community Content
• Top activities on Twitch
• Watch live streaming, chat with
community, watch highlights,
broadcasting
• Speedrunning
• Games playing themselves
• Salty Bet
• Spelunky Death Roulette
• Twitch Turbo
• Twitch Media Group

www.twitch.tv
Community Content
• Let’s Play
• TwitchPlaysPokemon
• 1.16 million participants
• Twitch Town Hall
• Twitch Weekly
• TwitchCon
• 1.9 million viewers

www.twitch.tv
Community Content
• Twitch Chat
• Emotes
• Twitch Creative
• Joy of Painting marathon
• 183,000 concurrent viewers
• 3.8 million emotes sent
• Twitch TV Food
• Julia Child’s marathon
• Twitch Developer Success

www.twitch.tv
Emotes

www.twitch.tv
Charitable Donations
• In 2015 Twitch raised around
$17,400,000 for 55 different charities
• Extra Life
• Raised $7,000,000 for Children’s Miracle
Network
• Games Done Quick
• Raised just under $3 million for Prevent
Cancer Foundation and Doctors without
Borders
• Gaming for Good
• Raised around $1.5 million for Save the
Children

www.twitch.tv
Top Company Broadcasters

www.twitch.tv
By the Numbers
2.1 Million Followers 1.4 Million Followers 659,210 Followers

www.twitch.tv
Company Influencers
• Companies like Syndicate and Riot Games pay people to play and endorse their products on
Twitch.
• This is mostly done by people who these companies call “Shoutcasters.”
• They pay Esports competitors money to endorse their products (LoL, Dota 2, CS:GO) while
playing in different global circuits such as the United States and Europe.
• Saahil “UNIVeRsE” Arora, a 25-year-old American videogamer is the world’s highest-paid
professional videogamer, a.k.a Esports champion. In August he won $1,964,038 at The
International Dota 2 tournament in Seattle. He’s not alone. At least ten more players made more
than a million each by playing Dota 2, according to e-Sports Earnings.

www.twitch.tv
Community Influencers
• There are two paths these streamers take. Twitch streamers
are either really good at their favorite game or they are
entertainers, where their broadcasts become like a radio
show, comedy sessions and very funny video-game
commentary.
• Twitch said they have offered around 12,000 broadcasters a
“subscribe button,” which lets fans support them with
monthly $5 subscriptions.
• Twitch fans pay partly to support the streamer, but also to
get benefits which include virtual badges, custom emoticons
and chat room privileges

www.twitch.tv
Merchandise
• Every Twitch partner who has “made it,” enough to have paying
subscribers can sell branded T-shirts.
• Twitch encourages broadcasters to make merchandise by building
Teespring, ( a website that Twitch has partnered with where they can
design and sell items) into the dashboard of their personal Twitch
page.
• Let’s use Twitch broadcaster Lirik for example. He has 1.1 million
followers. His latest $23 “cat in a helmet” Tee had 6,681 sales.
That’s $153,663 in gross sales. This was his third Teespring
campaign.
• Teespring said broadcasters make $12-$18 a tee from sales. They’ve
launched 1400 Twitch campaigns since 2012.

www.twitch.tv
Rise of Esports
• Esports – Electronic Sports where the
games are played through electric
systems such as PCs or consoles
• Esports originated in South Korea until
popular games brought it to western
audiences
• Now Esports draws in real money and
real spectators with viewership rivaling
traditional sports

www.twitch.tv
Major Players
• League of Legends
(MOBA) – Began in
2009 now draws the
biggest crowds
• Hearthstone (Card
game) – Started in 2014
• DOTA2 (MOBA) –
Started in 2013
• Counterstrike (FPS) –
Began 2012

www.twitch.tv
Esports and Twitch
• Twitch helped bring Esports grow
(and still continues to) by providing a
platform to stream tournaments
• Now Twitch is the premiere Esports
streaming platform

www.twitch.tv
Esports Twitch Stats
• League of Legends World Final
Viewership 2015 – 360 Millions
hours viewed with 4.2 million in
unique viewers
– Final game had 14 million
viewers at one time with 36
million in total
• DOTA2 International
6.6M prize for first
place drawing in over
4.2 million viewers at
one time
• MLG 2015 Spring
Championship received
about 4.7 Million Unique
viewers

www.twitch.tv
Social Media Partnership
Xavier Woods (aka Austin Creed):
- 292k Twitter Followers
- 455,852 Youtube Subscribers
- Salary $100,000 or less
- $75,000 sponsorship

www.twitch.tv
Social Media Partnership
Justin Wong:
- 81.9k Twitter followers
- Made $67,468 in 133 Tournaments
- $100,000 Sponsorship
- Professional Street Fighter Gamer
- EVO2014 UMVC3
- MLG KI Champion
- MK9 National Champion
- Plays for Evil Geniuses
- 225k Twtter Followers

www.twitch.tv
Social Media Partnership
Guy Fieri:
- Internet Meme
- 1.74M Twitter Followers
- $100K/appearance
- Net worth: $8.5M
- $400,000 for a month of
content (4 appearances)

www.twitch.tv
Social Media Partnership
SSSniperwolf:
- 2.58M Youtube Subscribers
- 429K Twitter Followers
- Estimated Net worth: $1.2M
- $250,000 sponsorship

Thank You!
Questions?