Ludwig Reveals Biggest Pros And Cons Of YouTube Vs. Twitch

Twitch has spent years as the platform of choice for streamers, rising from a simple spinoff of a broadcasting site to a company Amazon shelled out $970 million to acquire (via Business Insider). Twitch is largely responsible for kicking off video game livestreaming as a pop culture mainstay. However, as noted by The Washington Post, Twitch seemingly grew too comfortable in its market position and began offering increasingly unfavorable contracts. Because of this, YouTube has started to look better than Twitch for many streamers, which has led to popular names like Sykkuno, LilyPichu, and Myth to change platforms. One popular streamer, however, has argued that attracting big names with handsome contracts may not be enough, and that even experienced Twitch streamers might have a hard time adjusting to YouTube.

Ludwig and a number of other streamers felt undervalued by Twitch, which prompted a jump to YouTube. Since making the change, he has found himself struggling to adapt to the new platform's specific needs. A copystrike led to his channel being suspended shortly after his arrival on YouTube. In a video recently posted to his Mogul Mail channel, Ludwig explained to his followers that YouTube definitely has a few shortcomings when compared to Twitch, framing the red brand as less versatile for streamers and necessitating more creative content.

In Ludwig's new video, he commented on Myth and LilyPichu's recent switches to YouTube, explaining how LilyPichu in particular gave valid reasons for changing platforms. "She's going to make cool s*** because of this opportunity," Ludwig said. He continued, "I think ambition is the key for all the people who are succeeding on YouTube, 'cause I think it is harder, pound-for-pound." The streamer also argued that repeating the same types of content typically works for Twitch's algorithm, but that's not necessarily the case on YouTube.

Beyond requiring more variety in content, Ludwig also expressed a feeling that YouTube's infrastructure has led to other problems streamers cannot avoid. Thumbnails, for one, have proven tedious to create. Ludwig noted that he hosts so many streams that it's ultimately a pain to create unique thumbnails for each one, especially when that means also having to change them mid-stream if he switches to a different activity.

Ludwig also implied that a lack of channel customization options made things a bit more difficult as well. compared to Twitch like separate tabs for shorts and streams. "Everybody does [streaming] different, and because everybody does it different, there's confusion amongst the viewers of livestreams," Ludwig said. It will take time to catch up to Twitch in terms of customization, he argued, because YouTube has grown into such a massive company outside of streaming.

Several streamers have felt disrespected by Twitch, despite having helped to bring the platform immense success, but Twitch at least developed convenient features for live-streamers. Ludwig has predicted that YouTube will reach that point eventually and become legitimately tough competition, but it may be a few years.