Requirements to monetize your channel

Making a living as a streamer or content creator on the internet has become a dream for many young people today and, although possible, it is not an easy task. There are different platforms that the creator has to choose from, each with specific requirements to monetize the channel.

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What does it take to monetize your channel?

What does it take to monetize your channel?

Whether on the big and imposing Twitch, or on its current competitor Kick or on YouTube, Trovo, Facebook and even TikTok, the content creator has to fulfill some requirements before starting to earn money with his channel.

Mainly, the streamer will need a constant broadcast schedule and a minimum audience to be able to monetize the channel. Monetization forms vary from platform to platform and include: channel subscriptions, donations and ad revenue sharing.

Here, then, we bring what each platform asks of its user before starting to pay for published content. With this information, you can choose the best platform for your content and your audience.

Twitch

Twitch is, without a doubt, the most popular streaming platform available today. It’s the first thing that comes to the mind of beginner streamers and it can be, yes, the springboard to make a living on the internet. However, with so many users and creators, it’s a difficult platform to stand out.

Twitch is also one of the most difficult platforms to start monetizing the channel, currently requiring at least affiliate status to have the monetization tools available.

For this, the streamer needs:

At least 500 minutes of streaming in 30 days
Stream for at least 7 days in 30 days
Average of 3 viewers
50 followers

Twitch even has a “premium” option for its larger creators, known as Partners. Twitch Partners have new monetization options available, such as Hype Chat, and better revenue sharing rates.

For this, streamers need:

25 hours of broadcast in 30 days
Stream for at least 12 days in 30 days
Average of 75 viewers

Kick

Twitch’s current thorn in the side is bringing to it some of the biggest streamers on the Amazon platform and has become something of a haven for smaller streamers due to its 95% all-channel subscription billing rate for the streamer, as well as a better channel discovery tool and a more lenient community policy.

In addition to all these attractions, being a Kick affiliate and having monetization enabled is a less complicated task than on Twitch.

For this, the streamer needs:

75 followers
At least 5 hours of streaming in 30 days

Kick does not yet have a “premium” version of its affiliates, only offering a Verified option for larger channels with more intense requirements. But there are plans for a Creators Program, where streamers will be paid per hour transmitted, with value varying according to some factors, such as the number of hours transmitted, their engagement in transmissions and the average audience.

YouTube

Despite being the largest video platform in the world, YouTube still lags behind Twitch when it comes to live streaming, especially games. But for a streamer and creative content creator, Google’s platform can be perfect for hybrid content that utilizes both live and recorded formats.

And monetizing your content on YouTube just got easier. Thanks to a revision of the affiliation requirements, to enable the different forms of monetization, the creator needs:

500 subscribers on the channel
3 valid uploads in the last 90 days
3000 hours watched in the last 12 months or 3 million views on Shorts in the last 90 days

There is also an enhanced version of the YouTube Partner Program where the creator will need:

1000 subscribers on the channel
4,000 hours watched in the last 12 months or 10 million views on Shorts in the last 90 days

YouTube is one of the platforms that offers the most monetization options for its creators, including exclusive tools for live broadcasts.

The fee retained by YouTube for channel billing varies depending on the location of viewers and the companies that use the platform for advertising.

Facebook

Despite losing space in the live streaming scenario, Facebook is still a platform that can generate good results for streamers and content creators.

Like YouTube, Facebook also offers the possibility of hybrid formats of publications on the page/channel: in addition to live broadcasts, the creator can reach his audience with videos, images, links, etc…

Facebook also has a specialized program for game streamers: Level Up. Level Up is one of the simplest programs to meet the requirements and with it the streamer can now monetize their live broadcasts.

To enter the Level Up program, streamers must:

Stream for 14 days in 30 days
100 followers on Facebook page

Trovo

With several different forms of monetization, already available to any streamer, even with a beginner channel, Trovo still has a special Affiliate Program, also known as Trovo 500, which offers several benefits to participants.

With Trovo 500, streamers earn money from their lives, regardless of the size of their channels. Each month, the platform distributes $100,000 among its 500 most popular streamers. There are several different tiers, covering different sizes of channels and audiences.

TikTok

Despite not having a partner or affiliate program, like other platforms, the content creator and streamer can also monetize his channel on TikTok.

When streaming live on TikTok, the streamer can receive donations and gifts, right on the platform. With a wide variety of gifts, the streamer can then convert each of them into diamonds and later into cash.

There is also the TikTok Creator Fund, currently available in select countries, which monetizes creators’ content on the platform.

To apply for the TikTok Creator Fund, in addition to being a resident of one of the participating countries, the creator must: