Trapped at home during successive lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, we looked for entertainment on the Internet. It is not surprising that the popularity of live broadcasts and computer games has skyrocketed. And these two areas – and much more – are perfectly connected by Twitch. Find out what this platform is and why you should invest in Twitch Ads.
What is Twitch?
Twitch.tv is a streaming platform. It is available on computers, mobile devices, and popular game consoles. The service has gained huge popularity mainly as a place for video game lovers, but live broadcasts today have a variety of topics and, consequently, also the audience. Brands are taking advantage of this, realizing that it is the perfect platform to reach younger customers.
How did Twitch come about in the first place? It all started in 2007 when two friends – Justin Kan and Emmett Shear – launched a website called Justin.tv. It allowed for broadcasts and live chatting. Gamers quickly became interested in the site. In 2014, the name was changed to Twitch Interactive. The platform was then acquired by Amazon for $970 million.
Today, Twitch is one of the most popular forms of online entertainment. Gamers still love this service, but you can also find content related to music, sports, and travel. Twitch now supports everything from video game streaming, podcasting, stand-up comedy, concerts, interviews, behind-the-scenes streaming, esports, and more. This means that the audience is increasingly diverse. Therefore, if you still think that Twitch is a good place for ads only for a very narrow segment – you’d better change your mind quickly.
Twitch – who uses it? Target group
Twitch is visited by an average of 31 million visitors every day, and 8 million streamers are active there monthly. Twitch users are mainly representatives of Gen Z and millennials. Almost 75% of the audience is between the ages of 16 and 34. More accurate data are as follows:
- 16-24 years old – 41% of users
- 25-34 years old – 32% of users
- 35-45 years old – 17% of users
- 45-54 years old – 7% of users
- 55+ years old – 3% of users
A study of the live streaming market in Poland conducted by Streamerzy.pl shows that as many as 94% of respondents watch streams on Twitch. Other livestreaming platforms are far behind. In addition, almost 30% of respondents started watching more streams due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To the question “What do you spend most of your time on?” 32.4% of people answered that they watched Twitch.
Young Twitch users (18-34 years old) are favorably disposed to ads. 72% of them accept that ads appear in exchange for access to the content they are interested in. 43% believe that advertising content helps them discover new products and brands.
As you can see, Twitch is the perfect place to go if you want to reach consumers under 35. Importantly, Twitch users often show more engagement than those using other social media platforms. This is very good news for brands that want to start their adventure with Twitch Ads!
Twitch Ads – display ad formats
Twitch offers several ad formats that cater to both creators and brands. Get to know Twitch Ads and their specifications:
- Homepage Carousel
The ad appears on the Twitch homepage and can be up to 250 characters long. However, this ad format is primarily aimed at creators, not brands, and is designed to direct viewers to a channel.
- Homepage Headliner
Ad specs: The ad consists of two images, displayed on either side. Each of them has dimensions of 450x350px. The maximum size is 150KB. The graphic must be in PNG or JPG format. For this, you need to indicate the main background color (in the hexadecimal system) – it will turn into a gradient.
- Medium Rectangle
The ad is rectangular in shape and appears on the page where the user is browsing the content (after clicking “Browse” located on the home page on the right).
- Super Leaderboard
It’s a long banner that sits at the top of the screen. It appears on the page to search for content.
Ad specs: The dimensions should be 970×66 px and the maximum file size allowed is 100 KB. Supported formats include GIF, JPG, and PNG. If animations are used, their length should be a maximum of 15 seconds.
Twitch Ads – why is it worth it?
Twitch’s advertising revenue is growing rapidly. In 2017, they amounted to $100 million, in 2019 – $310 million, and in 2021 – as much as $750 million. So more and more companies are appearing on the platform. However, many advertisers still avoid Twitch because, for example:
- have a stereotypical idea of Twitch as a platform aimed only at gamers = so there is no target group of the company
- don’t know how to get started with Twitch Ads
- think that their presence on other social media such as Facebook, Instagram or even TikTok is sufficient
However, it is worth taking advantage of the opportunities offered by Twitch Ads. The big players already know this. A live streaming survey in Poland conducted by Streamerzy.pl shows that respondents noticed the presence of brands such as Adidas, Alior Bank, Netflix and Samsung on Twitch.tv.