While it isn’t uncommon for a big name Twitch streamer to have millions of followers, converting those followers into paying subscribers is another story. At this time, only five streamers have over 50,000 subscribers, as it is much more common for viewers to tune in for free and deal with ads a and lack of channel-specific emotes. To reach over 200,000 subscribers is the kind of high-water mark that only Ninja, the king of Fortnite, had achieved. Now Ludwig, still living in a never-ending stream, has Ninja in his sights.
Ludwig has been running a sub-a-thon since March 14, where every sub to the channel adds 10 seconds to the time remaining on the stream. What started as an event that many streamers have done before has become something of a phenomenon. Despite some close calls where Ludwig’s stream nearly ended, fans have “saved” it numerous times, and after dipping down to only a few minutes remaining, the stream is still riding high at around 10 hours to go as of this writing.
With the sub-a-thon propelled into its third week, it should come as no surprise that Ludwig’s subscriber count has continued to grow, or else the stream would have ended by now. That the Twitch streamer has now reached over 200,000 subs puts him into nearly uncharted territory. Nobody has climbed over 200,000 subs since Ninja peaked at around 269,000 in 2018. At this point, that record is within reach for Ludwig if his fans continue to subscribe at their current pace.
While the unprecedented sub-a-thon has generated a huge revenue windfall for the streamer, Ludwig does lament that the dynamic of his Twitch channel has changed significantly since this experiment began. While Ludwig had an audience before the sub-a-thon started, after receiving so much press there are a number of folks who are only tuning in to gawk, and he says that he misses creating content for his base. The streamer has put a hard cap on the sub-a-thon, saying the stream will end after 31 days, after which point Ludwig might be able to get back to making the kind of content he wants.
The streaming landscape can be fickle, and Ludwig maintaining a subscriber count above 200,000 will likely be impossible once the sub-a-thon concludes. Sustained success as a streamer is more of a challenge, and only a few are able to maintain viewership over long periods of time. Top female streamer Valkyrae has built a fanbase month over month and continues to see growth on YouTube. Starting with Among Us streams before pivoting to other content, Valkyrae shows the kind of trajectory needed to see long-term success, something Ludwig will need to consider after his marathon Twitch stream ends.
Source: Dexerto
