In partnership with

Viewership is great, but you can’t buy groceries with ‘attention bucks’.

When ad revenue sees a sudden drop, large creators default on their mansions and mid-tier creators go back to working at their dad’s carpet shop.

This week, Mogul Mail went viral with a YouTube video covering the current Twitch Adpocalypse, which appears to be pretty devastating. So where does Twitch go from here?

Also in this edition:

• Kai Cenat is Mafiathon 2’s Don

• Alan Chikin Chow Chiked Out New Studio Space

• Game Publishers Playing With Creators

• Black Friday = Affiliate Gold

• Job ops from Agentio, The Halal Guys, and Power Automedia

• …and a dank creator economy meme by yours truly!

Let’s get into it.

NEWS:

Twitch Revenue in a Ditch

Another year, another Adpocalypse, but the first for Twitch!

Streamers far and wide are reporting revenue drops from October to November as high as 85%.

Why?

Not sure. But a lot of brands have recently left the platform due to a two-sided controversy:

1. It appears Twitch blocked streams from Israel after the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks for nearly a year.

2. Politicians have lashed out at Twitch for platforming pro-Palestinian voices like Hasan Piker, who averaged over 45,000 concurrent viewers this month.

So when are we going to see a rebound?

My hot take: It’s almost always fast. I’m guessing this will recover fully by April.

Twitch has had over a decade of brand safety issues.

Welcome to the world of gaming.

But unlike X, Twitch responded to advertiser concerns professionally including reconfiguring policies for political speech.

In short, they’re going to do what it takes to get past this.

And past controversies have been buried quickly after platforms make a few ‘we heard your concerns and we’re addressing it with X’ announcements.

Kai Cenat is the Kingpin…Again

Move over Ironmouse, Kai is taking the ‘Most Subscribed on Twitch’ crown back.

He did it by pulling off yet another mind-blowing subathon called ‘Mafiathon 2’, in which he is streaming 24/7 for 30 days.

He pulled out all of the stops: an announcement video with Kim Kardashian, a huge McDonald’s activation, and celeb cameos from Serena Williams to Bill Nye to Snoop Dogg to Marshmello to Fixated client Rakai (couldn’t resist rooting for the home team!)

He is currently at 532,000 paid subscribers (the first to break 500k on Twitch), and even by conservative estimates where all subscribers are on the lowest $4.99 tier and he is on a 50/50 deal with Twitch, this would mean he’s making over $1.3m per month.

What does this mean for the future of streaming?

My hot take: This is a more interesting form of spectacle than MrBeast.

MrBeast is all about big big big.

Kai is all about what will he think of next?

His personality is infectious. He’s able to be compelling on stream for literal days on end. You never know who is going to come through his door.

Every day is fun, silly, shocking, serious, wild, and compelling. And the chat gets to feel like a part of it the whole time.

As AI takes over ‘clickbait videos’, creators like Kai will reign supreme.

Alan Chikin Chow Goes Hollywood

If you’re a Gen Z woman, you know Alan Chikin Chow.

If you don’t, it’s time to study up.

Unlike most recent creators who popped on YouTube, Alan did it with narrative, scripted long-form content and a consistent output of colorful, broad comedy shorts with minimal dialogue.

Think Disney Channel shows with an edge and a DIY sensibility, and millions of more views per episode.

He’s now expanding his capabilities with a 10,000-square-foot studio in Los Angeles.

Does it make sense for creators to take on this kind of overhead?

My hot take: Heck yeah. If you have a ‘thing’.

I define ‘a thing’ with creators as a brand so specific that if you see it, you say, “Oh! That’s an Alan Chikin Chow format!'“

Think trick shots and Dude Perfect.

Or short moralistic tales with Dhar Mann.

Or chatty podcasts with the world’s biggest market movers and a down-home libertarian vibe and Joe Rogan.

All have physical spaces for a reason.

As your infrastructure grows, you need to be able to churn out content with maximum efficiency.

Gone are the days when you plan a shoot and then start booking locations and crew.

The internet moves too fast for that.

And if Alan Chikin Chow’s new space allows him to double his ‘shorts’ output, that could mean the difference between his current measly 1 billion monthly views and a whopping 2 billion monthly views.

2025 Prediction: A Surge of Self-Serve CTV Buyers

Roku predicts that 2025 will be a breakthrough year for self-serve CTV advertising. Roku Ads Manager makes it easy to integrate CTV into your 2025 marketing mix. Easily segment your target audience, optimize campaigns in real-time, and drive conversions with interactive ad formats and shoppable ads with a Shopify integration. Roku Ads Manager makes CTV advertising accessible and impactful for businesses of any size.

Discover CTV performance on Roku

FAME & FORTUNE:

Hey, game streamers! Did you know many major publishers have creator networks that give you special perks? EA, known for top sports gaming titles and a little piece of IP called Star Wars, has an incredible creator network offering early access to games, connections to top streamers, and sponsorship opportunities for their games. Want to know if your favorite publisher has a program? Google it!

We’re a mere five days away from Black Friday, the ‘Prime Day’ of every non-Amazon company! TikTok Shop is continuing its march to e-commerce excellence with star-studded streams and insane discounts. And as a TikTok Shop seller, you still maintain your commission despite the discounts, so it’s an incredible chance to ride Black Friday’s hype train!

Agentio announced another $12m fundraise this week with their brand deal marketplace for YouTubers (yes…another one…) BUT this one has brands like Mint Mobile, Notion, and DoorDash. Check it out if you’re a YouTube creator looking for more deal flow.

Suffering from the Twitch Adpocalpyse? Top streamers have crushed it by offering live autograph sessions (MrBeast did it) and Streamily is making it easy by handling payments, shipping, and everything in between. Tell them Phil Ranta from The Creator Rep sent you if you reach out!

INDUSTRY HIRING:

Agentio (see above) needs a Creator Partnership Sales manager, and working with the ex-President of Cameo may mean you can get a discount on that Scott Bakula ‘Happy Birthday’ video for your Aunt Darcy!

Halal Guys is looking for an Advertising and Analytics Manager and if you get the job, send me as much white sauce as you can.

Power Automedia wants a Lead Content Creator - Diesel Army Truck Magazine. Content creators with Unleaded Army Trucks need not apply.

MEME ZONE:

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this edition, give it a share and if you get someone to sign up, I’ll send you my ‘10 Rep-Friendly Ways to Monetize Today!’ deck!

Until next time, protect yo rep.