How Much Money Do Mixer Streamers Really Make?

With Ninja's recent move to Mixer, the platform's been getting a whole lot more attention. Fans have wondered what kind of deal he got (we don't know, unfortunately). And others — potentially some interested streamers — have been asking about Mixer's pay structure compared to Twitch. How much do Mixer streamers really make?

The honest truth is, we have no idea.

Here's the thing about Mixer and how streamers on that service are paid. There is far less transparency on Mixer than there is on Twitch when it comes to compensation, because Mixer deals with each streamer on a case-by-case basis. For subscribers, Twitch offers most partners a 50% cut, and that's been well publicized at this point. Head over to Mixer, however, and the numbers become more opaque.

Mixer's own article (which has since been taken down) on "how to calculate expected pay" simply describes the subscriber cut a streamer might get as their "sub split." That sub split — a percentage of each $5.99 subscription — is laid out in that individual's contract, which we've yet to see any streamer share. It's been said that Mixer has streamers sign non-disclosure agreements as part of their contracts, keeping their deals under wraps. And that would make a lot of sense, as it would prevent one streamer from catching wind of another's deal, thus granting them some leverage.

And Mixer treats the payment for stream views much the same way. Those on Mixer are paid a CPM rate for every thousand impressions, so they're still making money even if viewers aren't subscribers. But those numbers also appear to be unique to each streamer, and have remained hidden, as well.

So on one hand, Microsoft can sign someone like Ninja to a huge deal without anyone really knowing what he was offered, and that might keep current Mixer partners from rioting. On the other hand, though, those who might want to relocate from Twitch have zero insight into their earnings potential on the platform. A jump to Mixer could either be a huge risk or a boon. It's not spelled out at all.

We can't tell you definitively what Mixer streamers really make at this point in time. It's unfortunate, because a lot of people would like to know. Should more information be made public, however, we'll certainly update this space.