Twitch

Earlier this summer, Twitch shipped a set of features that all share a common thread: they turn community participation into real creator earnings. Here's what launched: 🏅 Creator Badge Drops. Streamers design custom badges for big events and set how viewers unlock them. In testing, creators saw up to 50% more gift sub revenue on day one. ⬆️ Custom Power-ups. Viewers spend Bits to trigger creator-defined interactions live on stream. Picking the next in-game move, blasting overlays, you name it. 🚂 New Hype Train types. Community Trains reward even non-participating viewers with emotes, and earned 2X more than typical Hype Trains in testing. Under the hood, these features sit at the intersection of real-time systems, creator tooling, and behavioral economics. Badge eligibility resolves in real time, Power-up effects need sub-second rendering, and Hype Train triggers balance randomness with engagement signals at scale. More on the full feature set: https://lnkd.in/gpCg47Av

🍂The Twitch community is meeting up IRL this Saturday in New York City! StreamNYC's Autumn 2026 Meetup brings together content creators, moderators, game designers, and streaming fans at OS NYC on September 26th. The connections people build on Twitch are real, and events like this are proof. If you're in the NYC area and curious about the world of streaming and content creation, come through! Details and registration here: https://lnkd.in/gc8WK2pY

🎬 2026 Streamer Awards Applications Open Now! For four years, getting nominated for The Streamer Awards meant your community had to put your name forward. Starting today, any creator can apply directly. Sign in, choose your categories, upload your clips, and pitch yourself on your own terms. Once nominated, creators control how they show up on stage. The audience still holds the power with 70% of the vote while an industry panel weighs in on the remaining 30%. Applications close October 2nd and the show goes live November 12th in LA and on Twitch! Here's the how-to: https://lnkd.in/gFpk5ik9

🎮 8.6 billion hours of gaming content watched on Twitch in just eight months. That's one hour for every person on earth! From horror to sandbox to indie breakouts, our community keeps showing up and showing out for the games and creators they love. Read our full State of Gaming Report to see what's shaping live gaming in 2026: https://lnkd.in/gFv7cWsy

🎧 Big news for the Twitch DJ community. Clips are now officially part of the Twitch DJ Program! DJs, editors, and mods can now capture mid-set chat hype, crowd reactions, BTS moments, and Q&As, and share them directly to social platforms. The voice, the energy, and the vibe of the set all come through in every Clip. The DJ Program is a first-of-its-kind initiative that gives artists a space to perform live, connect with audiences in real time, and build genuine communities around shared musical experiences. By adding Clips, Twitch is making it easier for these artists to extend those moments beyond the live stream. A DJ's energy, the Chat going wild, the spontaneous magic of a live set can now travel to new audiences and inspire new listeners, growing a creative community. Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/g7bQN52H

Affiliates can now get discovered by brands and run sponsorships directly on Twitch! This started with creators telling us what they wanted after campaigns like "Tiny Takeover," and today it's live for all Affiliates globally. Get set up in the Sponsorship Portal and check out the new Creator Profile tools to put your best content in front of brands. Full details at: https://lnkd.in/gmnmPwMK

🏆 Mattel, Inc. just announced the UNO Championship Series, transforming UNO from kitchen table family fun into a cutthroat no-holds-barred tournament. The final showdown on November 11th will be broadcast globally on Twitch, with a $50,000 grand prize on the line. Who else is ready to watch someone get hit with a Draw 4 on a $50K stage? ✋ Weekly qualifying tournaments kick off next week! https://lnkd.in/gthDmW65

🎥 🏀 Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, also known as StudBudz, went live on Twitch for 72 hours straight during WNBA AllsStar Weekend. They gave viewers an inside look at courtside warmups, locker room energy, the player party, and even behind the bench during the actual All-Star Game. No breaks, no highlight reels, just the real thing in real time. Twitch is bringing the courtside experience to every fan, no ticket required! 🎟️ Check out VODs and clips from All-Star Weekend here: https://lnkd.in/guW7VdMm

Twitch creator HMBLZAYY just completed a 3,000-mile charity walk from Philadelphia to California, livestreaming 124 days on the road, surviving being hit by two cars, and raising nearly $200,000 to build a trade school for teens. Huge congratulations to HMBLZAYY on this incredible feat! This is the Twitch community showing up, tuning in, and turning live content into real world impact. Check out more from his journey here: https://lnkd.in/gHhdbsaA

🎓 Class is in session 🎓 Kai Cenat's Streamer University is underway! Watch your favorite streamers get schooled by top creators, ace their content game, and graduate ready to make their mark. This is what Twitch is all about: empowering creators, building community, and proving that the next generation of entertainment is being built live, together. 📚 Enrollment is up. Attendance is mandatory. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gArjQmBC