How Twitch Is Reaching New Audiences, and Making Brands Feel Welcome Too

People spend a staggering 1.7 billion hours per month watching Twitch streams, which is more than twice the hours spent on Netflix, Hulu, ESPN and HBO combined. It's also double Twitch's numbers of just a year ago—remarkable growth due in part to the Covid-19 pandemic. In this episode of ON BRAND, we chat with Twitch's vp of global marketing, John Koller, about just what that growth looks like—a heavy new emphasis on music, in addition to its roots in gaming, as well as the charity angle Twitch has always championed. We also discuss Twitch's efforts to diversify its user base, which has long skewed male, and how it engages brands in a space that can be tough to navigate for newbies. 

Timestamps:

1:34 - How WFH is going for John and his team.
3:11 - What is Twitch, exactly, and how has it evolved?
6:45 - A look at Twitch's Stream Aid 2020 virtual event.
10:28 - How Twitch is engaging the music industry.
12:16 - A look at Streamer Bowl 2020, where celebs battled in Fortnite on Twitch.
14:29 - How Twitch created a virtual replacement for E3.
16:16 - How Twitch works with big brands like P&G.
19:29 - What brands should do to feel comfortable with Twitch.
22:13 - Making Twitch's user base more diverse.
26:10 - What the next six months look like for Twitch.

Every Thursday at 4 p.m., Clio president Nicole Purcell and I chat with top brand marketers—most of whom are still working from home—about the value of creativity, what they want from their agency and solution partners, how they're shepherding their brands through Covid and beyond, and more. See all the On Brand episodes here.

If you're a brand marketer who'd like to take part in the series, please get in touch.