Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

When someone buys a sub ($5-25 depending on tier), Twitch gets half the money.

Bits are a little more complicated. Donators have to buy bits ahead of time and then donate them. 100 bits is worth $1 to a streamer. But 100 bits will cost between $1.18 and $1.26 depending on how many bits you buy at once. Buying a larger block means paying a little less. (Side note: Once the streamer has received the bits, they can't be taken back, even if the credit card charge that bought the bits is reversed due to a fraud claim)

If a streamer with <100 viewers was getting hundreds of dollars in a single hype train, then either that streamer is very lucky and has a rich viewer that doesn't mind throwing around money, or I'd suspect something fishy is going on. ie, bits being bought with stolen credit cards, or the whole thing is a money laundering scheme.



> If a streamer with <100 viewers was getting hundreds of dollars in a single hype train, then either that streamer is very lucky and has a rich viewer that doesn't mind throwing around money, or I'd suspect something fishy is going on. ie, bits being bought with stolen credit cards, or the whole thing is a money laundering scheme.

It would occur regularly to several different streamers I used to watch. Double digit level hype trains were the norm and according to the leaked earnings they were making well over 100K on twitch.


Sub prices also depend an your country. In some countries subs are noticeable cheaper then $5. Through I guess most viewers are in the countries where it's somewhat around that price.


I have often wondered when the big spenders are coming from export controlled countries, do the Federals ever get involved?




Consider applying for YC's Winter 2026 batch! Applications are open till Nov 10

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: