The UK electrical retailer, Ebuyer, has released research showing just how long it would take to make it big as a Twitch streamer. Launching a decade ago this year, streaming giant Twitch boasts over 8 million creators and 30 million daily visitors. It’s no wonder why so many gamers are itching to join the platform. Searches like ‘tips for Twitch streaming’ have gone up over 250% this year, proving just how enticing the career of ‘streamer’ is.
These top streamers regularly earn millions of dollars annually, generated from the millions of views the site brings to their content. This money is predominantly brought in from advertising deals and paid subscriptions via Twitch. With how lucrative this can sound to the average gamer, many are asking themselves just how long would it take to get to that level of success?
A recent Ebuyer report has shown the top ten most successful Twitch streamers took an average of 7.8 years to reach their current status. Below, is a list of the top ten Twitch streamers and the number of years it has taken them to reach their current number of subscribers:
Rank | Streamer | Number of Twitch Subscribers | Years active on social media (inc YouTube) |
1 | Ninja | 16,995,150 | 9 |
2 | TFUE | 10,705,069 | 6 |
3 | Auronplay | 10,424,694 | 12 |
4 | Rubius | 10,190,065 | 15 |
5 | Shroud | 9,756,471 | 6 |
6 | xQcOW | 9,342,125 | 5 |
7 | Pokimane | 8,297,764 | 7 |
8 | THEGREFG | 8,293,096 | 9 |
9 | IBAI | 8,149,585 | 4 |
10 | MYTH | 7,362,554 | 5 |
As with most things, this data illustrates that gamers need to be in it for the long haul if they are to make it to the tippy top. For those aspiring game streamers unperturbed by the average of 7.8 years, the next question is, how do you get started? Along with the research data, Ebuyer also laid out some tips for success.
To get started in online streaming you will need a headset and a webcam, plus a good gaming computer. As far as technical specs go, Twitch recommends having at least an Intel Core i5-4670 processor (or its AMD equivalent), 8GB of RAM, and Windows 7 or newer – however, you can stream from a Mac too.”
A good internet connection is also crucial, with Ebuyer suggesting an upload speed of at least 3Mbits per second. PC gamers will also need a graphics card capable of supporting your streaming software.
With how popular streaming is these days, it’s not a surprise that it takes so long to make it.