The rapid development of digital technology throughout the 00s has made possible the spread of fast and high-quality Internet connections around the world. In 2011, Justin Kan launched Twitch, which allowed a large number of viewers to watch live how other people play video games (Dave). According to Investopedia, “Twitch.tv, owned by Amazon.com (AMZN), is an online service used for watching or broadcasting live or prerecorded videos of gameplays.”
Twitch has initially been a gaming section at Justin.tv, however, due to its high popularity; it was redone into a separate site. A year later, the monthly audience of the streaming service totaled more than 20 million unique viewers. The financial success and uniqueness of the platform interested the media giant Amazon who bought Twitch for about a billion dollars in 2014. Access to data centers and promotion technologies contributed to the further expansion of Twitch, and nowadays, the number of users is more than 140 million per month. The unique collaboration of motivated amateurs and skilled staff are responsible for such incredible success.
Twitch staff is divided into four primary sectors, which are also divided into departments. These sectors are engineering, sales, systems administration, and data science (“Twitch Interships 2020”). The engineering division mainly consists of software engineers who are responsible for creating programs for ad product, video and client platforms, creator and viewer formats, information security, and music (“Open Jobs”).
Hardware and software errors are monitored by system administration specialists represented by administrators, managers, and service representatives. The sales division separates into departments of advertising, marketing, business development, commerce, partnerships, which consist of account directors and managers, financial strategists and analysts, and business partners (“Open Jobs”). Data and experience analysts and scientists from the data science sector examine the statistics obtained from all three sections described above from the data science division. The top management of the Twitch streaming platform is also of great interest.
Twitch’s top managerial position is the Chief Executive Officer, who currently holds Emmett Shear. Michelle Weaver is Chief Financial Officer, and her subordinate is Walker Jacobs, Chief Revenue Officer (“Org chart”). Also, Amir Shevat, VP Product, Developer Experience, Kevin Lin, Co-Founder, Michael Olson, VP, Head of Music, and Mike Aragon, SVP of Content, included in the management team (“Twitch”). Chief Operating Officer of Twitch is Sarah Clemens, and she also leads Managing Directors of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Sudarshana Rangachary, Chief HR Officer, is responsible for HR personnel. Yet, all these people represent only one side of the coin of Twitch business activity.
The public aspect of Twitch, which is available for viewing to each user, is represented by streamers and junior managing roles. According to Computer Hope, the streamer is “a person who broadcasts his or herself in real time (referred to as streaming) while playing video games is known as a streamer.” Their job is to broadcast live gameplay, creative activities, and podcasts. Streamers earn money through user donations, integrated advertisements views, and Twitch partnership programs.
Fifty percent of all earnings go to Twitch, and part of this amount goes to salaries of junior management. This staff consists of editors, moderators, and VIPs who oversee compliance with live broadcast standards (Hikm). Editors are responsible for filling the channel with online content such as adding emojis and live recordings. Moderators monitor compliance with the rules of the platform in the chat and also can ban users and post links. VIPs are users or viewers who can use the software features of moderators. If the streamer violates any requirements and norms of Twitch, then fines and penalties will be executed for both editors and moderators of the channel.
Works Cited
Computer Hope. “Streamer.” Computer Hope. 2019. Web.
Dave. “History and Growth of Twitch.” ProStreamerHUB. 2018. Web.
Hikm, Marina. “How to Become a Twitch Partner.” OneTwoStream. Web.
Investopedia. “How Twitch.tv Works and Its Business Model.” Investopedia. 2019. Web.
“Org chart.” The Org. Web.
“Open Jobs.” Twitch. Web.
“Twitch.” The Official Board. Web.
“Twitch Internships 2020.” Twitch. Web.