Twitch has launched Subscriber Streams, which are streams only available to subscribers, VIPs, and Mods. Subscriber Streams are being pitched as a way for streamers to offer exclusive content to their biggest supporters. Which means the ones willing to pay.

Twitch streamers who build an audience can make a lot of money (see Ninja). And most of this comes from people subscribing to their channels. Paid subscribers can gain access to custom emotes, badges, ad-free viewing, and, now, subscriber-only streams.

How to Stream Exclusively for Subscribers

As detailed in a post on the Twitch Blog, Subscriber Streams are coming to a Twitch channel near you. In a nutshell, Subscriber Streams are streams available exclusively to people who subscribe to that channel, with non-subscribers locked out.

Subscriber Streams are accessible to anyone who has subscribed to a channel at any tier. And that includes Twitch Prime subscriptions. Non-subscribers who land on a channel running a Subscriber Stream will see a preview, and have to subscribe to gain access.

Twitch doesn't trust everyone to run a Subscriber Stream. So, in order to launch a Subscriber Stream, streamers need to be an Affiliate or Partner, have broadcasted for at least 90 days, and not violated Twitch's Community Guidelines for the last 90 days.

Twitch has now launched Subscriber Streams in beta, and they're currently available to Partners and Affiliates. There's no news yet on when they'll be available to the wider community, but we would hazard a guess that that depends on people's reactions to them.

Tempting Viewers Into Buying a Subscription

Not everyone is keen on the idea of Subscriber Streams, with some Twitch users complaining that they separate communities by their willingness to pay. Which is a fact. However, it's up to individual streamers to decide if they want to take part.

Subscriber Streams are just another way of tempting you into subscribing to your favorite Twitch channels. However, subscribing is still entirely optional. If Subscriber Streams mean you're more likely to subscribe, here's our guide to buying Twitch subscriptions.