Twitch CEO Emmett Shear's Top Prioritizes Are Growth and Monetization
*By Brandon Brathwaite*
Twitch CEO Emmett Shear knows that, while his streaming service is thriving, the company still has a lot of work ahead to make its platform more friendly for streamers.
In an interview from TwitchCon 2018, Cheddar CEO Jon Steinberg pointed out some of the difficulties with setting up Twitch's streaming tool, OBS, and asked why Twitch didn’t do more to make streaming easier. Shear admitted to the tool's shortcomings, but also made the argument that streamers were sending Twitch a different message about their top priorities.
“Their top priorities are around reach, monetization, and trying to create healthy, thriving communities,” said Shear. “I’m sure at some point we’ll invest in trying to make streaming easier, it just hasn’t reached the top of the priority list.”
Despite the barrier of entry for streaming, Twitch is still enjoying a renaissance that can contribute to the rise of gaming and esports. Shear explained that the business of Twitch, which he describes as multiplayer entertainment, is “having a moment."
Fortnite is having the kind of moment that Shear is speaking of, but he doesn’t see Twitch's success as a detriment to the games on the platform.
“We still see games from Activision-Blizzard ($ATVI) doing well," he said. "We still see games from EA ($EA) doing really well. We see a ton of indie games doing well."
The formula of success for Twitch is in its ability to ride the wave of hit games that take off on its platform, according to Shear.
“Every time there’s a new hit game that’s a new thing that works on Twitch... it doesn’t destroy the old stuff, it adds to it.”
TwitchCon 2018, the annual event for streamers and industry partners that's hosted by Twitch, is now in its fourth year. And despite more attention than ever, the event has still been able to uphold its quirky, gamer-centered culture that helped Twitch gain early dominance as the live-streaming platform for streamers.
Shear led off the event's keynote by pointing out that more than a million people are watching streams on the platform with half a million streamers providing the content. As part of its revenue program, over 235,000 streamers are Affiliates on the streaming service, and more than 6,000 have reached Partner status. The achievement speaks to how well Twitch can create revenue streams for its broadcasters.
To make the most of the growth the company has seen, Twitch rolled out a number of new and upcoming features centered around helping grow communities and sharing in the streaming experience. One such feature is the new Squad Stream, which allows up to four streamers to stream together in a single view. Viewers will be able to customize the experience, selecting the viewpoint they wish to have from the streamers that have been paired together. Revamps to the Twitch homepage to highlight different segments of its growing broadcaster base and better moderation tools were also announced during the keynote.
For the full interview with Twitch CEO Emmett Shear, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/twitch-ceo-emmett-shear-on-growth-of-twitch-the-rise-of-fortnite-and-amazon-during-twitchcon-2018)
Cody Roark, NFL analyst at Pro Football Network joins Cheddar News to talk about NFL playoff predictions and which teams have a shot at the Super Bowl.
Next-gen social sports platform Break the Love recently raised $2.5 million in seed funding. Break the Love's platform and iOS app allows users to discover and book group-based tennis activities, to either learn, train, or compete. The new company has already gotten support from a few big names in the world of tennis, including the coach of Naomi Osaka, as well as the United States Tennis Association and the brand Wilson. Break the Love founder and CEO Trisha Goyal joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about his own brand of organic light beer called Eight (his jersey number with the Dallas Cowboys) and explained that he's had an interest in the industry since his days working for a distributor during college. "These brands that are on the market have been there for a long time and [I] felt that it was time for something fresh, something new, and I thought that we could do it in a way that was a better-for-you beer' and that's what we've done," he said. Aikman also provided some insight into the upcoming NFL playoffs and noted that he doesn't see a clear frontrunner for this year's Vince Lombardi trophy.
It is 'game on' for sports bettors in the state of New York, as mobile betting kicks off on four major betting operating platforms this Saturday. The state, with over 20 million residents, will be the most populous state with legal online sports betting. Max Bichsel, VP of US Business for EmpireStakes.com joins Cheddar News to discuss.
College athletes scored big in 2021 when they were finally allowed to begin earning money based off of their name, image, and likeness, known as NIL. But how can young athletes best manage their money so they can set themselves up for years of success? Nicole Pullen Ross, Head of Goldman Sachs Sports and Entertainment Solutions, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss why financial management for college athletes is important, common pitfalls they could run into, and more.
On Saturday, New York will join neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut in authorizing mobile sports betting. Matt Kalish, president and co-founder of Draftkings North America, joined Cheddar to talk about the landmark change that is estimated to rake in $500 million in annual tax revenue on a potential billion-dollar market. Kalish also addressed the possibility that legalized sports betting in the Empire State could cannibalize his company's revenues in the bordering states. "It's pretty inconvenient, you know, to go across the border to make a bet. And people were doing it, but I think it really stifled a lot of the opportunity," he said. "So while there's some of that going on, I think really a tremendous amount, like a giant percent, of New York will be very incremental."
Desmond Howard, former NFL wide receiver and Modelo college football playoff ambassador, joins Cheddar News to talk about the Modelo sweepstakes honoring the 30th anniversary of his iconic punt return.
The New York Times has acquired sports outlet The Athletic in a $550 million deal. The acquisition brings the Times closer to its 10 million paid subscribers goal by 2025.
Austin Mock, College Football betting contributor for The Athletic, explains his strategy for selecting a winner in the national title game between Georgia and Alabama.
Sponsored by BetMGM
