How Arab streamers are building audiences on Twitch

Middle Eastern viewers are supporting Twitch creators at rates comparable to those in the United States, despite the region's smaller audiences. Mike Minton, Twitch's chief product officer, attributes this success to viewer willingness to back creators via subscriptions and other paid features. Advertisers and brands are also increasingly interested in regional channels.

However, Twitch operates in a competitive landscape where creators can move between platforms like YouTube and Kick. The challenge for Arab creators is to grow from an engaged audience to a broader, more sustainable community. Twitch's Arab creators cover gaming, conversational broadcasts, football, and large live events. Notable examples include Saudi streamer Yazan Alsubhi, known as YZNSA, who gained a following through Overwatch and expanded into titles like Marvel Rivals and Just Chatting.

Egyptian streamer The_Salma focuses on personality-led gaming combined with longer Just Chatting sessions. Twitch has seen an active Arab community of creators, spanning competitive gaming, conversational broadcasts, football, and large live events. Minton notes that Twitch's focus on the region has increased over the past three years, with Arabic localization and right-to-left support.

However, the platform must also address safety concerns for younger viewers, implementing parental controls and content labeling. Twitch Drops reward viewers for watching streams, with campaigns generating new in-game spenders and encouraging viewers to spend money on in-game items.