Joining The Twitch Partner Program Will Likely Require 11k Followers

Joining the Twitch Partner Program gives Twitch channels access to monetization, quality, and features that can increase a channel’s revenue and engagement. But what does it take to get access to this program? Twitch has an application process and encourages channels that demonstrate high community development to apply. On June 14, 2016 we analyzed 4,213 channels that were streaming one of 11 games. Of these 4,213 channels, 189 channels were in the partner program. Analyzing these channels reveals that you’ll probably need close to 11,000 followers before you’re accepted into the program.

During this snapshot on June 14, 4.5% of channels were in the Partner Program. The median, partner has 24,700 followers, and the 25th percentile channel has 11,740 followers. The median number of followers for regular channels is 59 and the 75th percentile has 294 followers. Of note, the outlier accounts in the graph above (streaminc and saltyteemo) have more followers than the majority of the partner channels and would definitely qualify for Partner status if they applied and met the other criteria of the program.

In addition to having a lot of followers (although these are very correlated), it takes years to create a partner channel.

Additionally, partners generally have been managing their channel for many years. In fact, on average, they’ve been streaming for a couple years more than the standard accounts. As mentioned, since the number of followers seems to be a significant criteria of the Partner Program, it makes sense that partner channels are older. Time and commitment is an important component of building a loyal following on Twitch.

Partners have significantly more followers and are older channels than the standard broadcaster channels. If you manage a channel with more than 11,000 followers, it’s likely that you’d be accepted into the Twitch Partner Program. With this distinction, you’ll be rewarded with more revenue and a better channel experience for your followers and subscribers.