PaymoneyWubby calls Twitch’s 50/50 sub split “highway robbery” — here’s the actual math

PaymoneyWubby has a message for anyone thinking about streaming on Twitch: don’t. In an interview with Dexerto published Oct 14, the streamer called Twitch’s subscription revenue split “highway robbery” and said “don’t stream on Twitch; you’re getting robbed.”

He’s not just yelling from the outside. Wubby streams on both Twitch and Kick, according to Dexerto. So we pulled up both platforms’ own rules to check his math.

What he said

On what he’d change about Twitch, he went straight to the money.

I think it is highway robbery; it is not industry standard at this point, especially with the rise of Kick.— PaymoneyWubby, to Dexerto, Oct 14

He also said: “Twitch is so far behind with their sub split. New streamers is 50/50 – that’s insulting.” He added that “as you grow on Twitch, they’re generous enough to give you 70/30,” and that Kick is “at the very least” doing 95/5.

The actual math

Twitch’s side: Twitch’s help page for the Plus Program lists two upgraded rates: Level 1 at 60/40 and Level 2 at 70/30. To get them, you need 100 or 300 “Plus Points” every month for three consecutive months, and only recurring paid subs earn points. A Tier 1 sub is worth 1 point, Tier 2 is 2, and Tier 3 is 6. The better rate then lasts 12 months, longer if you keep qualifying.

The catch: Prime subs don’t count toward Plus Points, and gift subs don’t count toward qualifying either, though they do earn the higher rate once you’re in. When Twitch announced the 60/40 tier in January 2024, CEO Dan Clancy’s blog post called 50% “the standard rate.”

Kick’s side: Kick’s help center says it “uses a 95/5 split across our main revenue streams,” with the 5% described as a processing fee. You have to be a Kick Affiliate or Partner to earn from subs.

Why now

Kick is having a moment. The same week, Adin Ross’s Brand Risk 16 pulled a reported peak of a little over 1.4 million concurrent viewers on Kick, and the platform launched a new Kick Events hub days earlier, according to win.gg.

What happens next

Dexerto’s report doesn’t include any response from Twitch. The Plus Program page says Twitch has “consistently made updates” since the program started and will keep evaluating it. For now, the 50% starting rate is the one new streamers will see.